Nick Swisher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nick Swisher |
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Swisher in 2011
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| Outfielder / First baseman | |||
| Born: November 25, 1980 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 3, 2004, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 2, 2015, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 245 | ||
| Runs batted in | 803 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is a former American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nick was a switch hitter, meaning he could bat from both sides of the plate. He threw the ball with his left hand.
During his career, Nick played for several teams. These included the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves. He achieved a big win with the Yankees, helping them become 2009 World Series champions. He was also chosen as an All-Star in 2010. Nick was known for hitting many home runs and for being good at choosing which pitches to swing at. He hit at least 20 home runs for nine years in a row, from 2005 to 2013.
Nick's father, Steve Swisher, was also an MLB player. He was a catcher in the 1970s and 1980s. Nick was born in Columbus, Ohio, but he grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Before becoming a professional player, Nick played college baseball for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Athletics picked him in the 2002 MLB draft. He started playing in the MLB with the Athletics in 2004 and stayed with them until 2007. After one year with the White Sox in 2008, he joined the Yankees in 2009. He played for New York for four years before moving to the Cleveland Indians in 2013.
Contents
Growing Up and Early Life
Nick Swisher was born in Columbus, Ohio. His mother was Lillian Marie Vaught Malizia, and his father was Steve Swisher, a former major league player. Nick's mother had some Italian family background. Her grandfather came to the United States from a town in Sicily.
When Nick was 11 years old, his parents got divorced. He then went to live with his grandparents in Parkersburg, West Virginia. They helped raise him during his teenage years.
Playing Sports Before Becoming a Pro
Nick Swisher went to Parkersburg High School. He was a talented athlete who played three different sports. He played football and baseball, and also earned a letter in basketball. In football, he played as a strong safety. Several top college football teams, like the University of Notre Dame, wanted him to play for them. However, Nick decided to focus on baseball instead.
After high school, Nick was not chosen in the MLB Draft. He then went to Ohio State University. Only Ohio State and Ohio University had recruited him for baseball. He played for the Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team in the Big Ten Conference.
In 2000, Nick was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He hit for a .299 average, with 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in (RBI). That same year, he played summer baseball for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2001, as a sophomore, he was chosen for the All-Big Ten team as a first baseman. He hit .322 with 56 RBI and led the league with 15 home runs. In 2002, he earned All-Big Ten honors again, this time as an outfielder. He batted .348 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI.
Starting a Professional Baseball Career
Drafted and Playing in the Minor Leagues
The Oakland Athletics picked Nick Swisher in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He was the 16th player chosen overall. The Athletics got this pick because Johnny Damon left their team to sign with another. Nick Swisher and the Athletics' 2002 draft class are mentioned a lot in the book Moneyball by Michael Lewis. The book talks about how the Athletics used new ways to pick players. Nick was one of the few players that both traditional baseball scouts and the team's general manager, Billy Beane, agreed on.
Nick started his professional career in 2002 with the Vancouver Canadians. He then moved to the Visalia Oaks. In 2003, he played for the Modesto A's and later the Midland RockHounds. He also played in the Arizona Fall League.
In 2004, Nick played for the Sacramento River Cats. He hit .269 with 29 home runs and 92 RBI in 125 games. That year, he led all minor league players with 103 walks.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Oakland Athletics (2004–2007)
Nick Swisher made his MLB debut with the Athletics in 2004, playing in 20 games. In 2005, he batted .236 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 131 games. He finished sixth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. His teammate Huston Street won the award.
Nick improved a lot in 2006. He had a .254 batting average with 35 home runs and 95 RBI. Both of these were his highest numbers yet. He also got on base more often. Nick played about half his games in left field and half at first base. During the season, he wrote a column for ESPN.com about his experiences called Sophomore Year.
Nick played in the postseason for the first time in 2006. The Athletics played against the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 ALDS. Nick got three hits and an RBI as the A's won the series in three games. They then played the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 ALCS. Nick struggled in this series, and the A's lost in four games.
In May 2007, Nick signed a five-year contract extension with Oakland. On September 16, 2007, he reacted strongly after being hit by a pitch from Texas Rangers pitcher Vicente Padilla. Both players were removed from the game, and Nick was suspended for three games.
Chicago White Sox (2008)
On January 3, 2008, Nick was traded to the Chicago White Sox. This trade was part of the Athletics' plan to rebuild their team. Nick quickly became a favorite with White Sox fans. However, he struggled with his hitting, batting only .219, which was the lowest average in the major leagues that year. Even so, he hit 24 home runs. Because he wasn't hitting well, his coach decided to have him play less in September. Nick finished the 2008 season with a .219 batting average, 24 home runs, and 69 RBI in 153 games.
Even with his lower stats, Nick was on the White Sox team for the postseason. In the 2008 ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, he got a hit and two walks. The White Sox lost the series to the Rays in four games.
New York Yankees (2009–2012)
On November 13, 2008, the White Sox traded Nick Swisher to the New York Yankees. The Yankees planned for him to be their starting first baseman. But then the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira, who took that spot. Nick became a reserve player, meaning he would play when others needed a rest.
On April 9, 2009, Nick started his first game as a Yankee in right field. He had a great game, getting three hits, including a home run, and tying his personal best with five RBIs. A few days later, he became the regular starting right fielder because another player got injured.
On April 13, 2009, Nick even pitched for one inning in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He allowed one hit and one walk, but then got the next three batters out, including a strikeout. He was the first Yankees position player to pitch since Wade Boggs in 1997. Nick finished his first season with the Yankees batting .249 with 29 home runs and 82 RBI in 150 games.
Nick hit his first postseason home run in the 2009 World Series. He earned his only championship title as the Yankees won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
After struggling a bit in the 2009 postseason, Nick worked hard to improve his hitting for the 2010 season. He was chosen for the 2010 All-Star Final Vote, where fans vote for the last player on the All-Star team. Nick made a funny commercial to get votes. He won the closest vote in Final Vote history, joining the AL All-Star team. He also took part in the Home Run Derby. Nick finished the 2010 season with his best batting average of .288, along with 29 home runs and 89 RBI in 150 games.
In 2011, Nick's offensive numbers were a little lower, but he still hit .260. He was one of four Yankees players to hit at least 20 home runs. His fielding was also very good, ranking second among all American League right fielders.
In November 2012, Nick chose not to accept a one-year contract offer from the Yankees. This made him a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. The Yankees received a special draft pick because Nick signed with another team.
Cleveland Indians (2013-2015)
On December 23, 2012, Nick Swisher agreed to a four-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. The deal was made official in January 2013. He even started calling a section of the stadium "Brohio."
The 2014 season was tough for Nick because of injuries. He had his lowest batting average (.208), played in fewer games (97), and hit only 8 home runs. On June 19, 2014, Nick hit a "walk-off grand slam" (a home run with the bases loaded that wins the game) against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This helped the Indians win 5–3 in extra innings. On August 20, the Indians announced that Nick would have surgery on both of his knees, which ended his season.
Nick started the 2015 season on the disabled list while recovering from his knee surgeries. He was activated in May and played mostly as a designated hitter. However, he was placed back on the disabled list in June due to inflammation in his left knee.
Atlanta Braves (2015)
On August 7, 2015, the Indians traded Nick Swisher and another player to the Atlanta Braves. Nick batted .195 in 46 games for the Braves. On March 28, 2016, the Braves released Nick, even though they still had to pay him for the 2016 season.
Second Time with the Yankees
On April 14, 2016, Nick signed a minor league contract to return to the Yankees. He played first base for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He batted .255 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 55 games. The Yankees decided not to bring Nick up to the major leagues. On July 2, Nick chose to leave his contract to be with his family after his second daughter was born. He announced his retirement from baseball on February 17, 2017. After retiring, he became a baseball analyst for Fox.
Personal Life and Family
Family Members
Nick's father, Steve Swisher, played 509 games in the major leagues for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres from 1974 to 1982.
Nick was very close to his grandmother, Betty Lorraine Swisher, who helped raise him. She passed away in 2005 from brain cancer. He has a special tattoo on his chest in her honor, with her initials surrounded by angel's wings and a halo. Nick often looked up to the sky to remember his parents and grandparents. After getting a hit, he would touch his lips and point to the sky to honor his grandmother. He also wrote her initials on the bottom of his bats. To honor her even more, he grew his hair for eleven months and donated it to a program that makes free wigs for cancer patients. On May 19, 2007, he cut his hair with help from his father. His website, nickswisher.net, is also dedicated to his grandmother. After his grandfather, Don, passed away in November 2008, Nick started adding his initials to his bats too.
Marriage and Appearances
In August 2009, it was reported that Nick was dating actress JoAnna Garcia. Nick and JoAnna got engaged in May 2010 and were married on December 11, 2010, in Palm Beach, Florida. They have two daughters, born in May 2013 and June 2016.
In 2011, Nick appeared as himself in two episodes of his wife's TV show, Better with You. He also appeared in an episode of How I Met Your Mother in February 2010.
Charity Music Album
Nick Swisher released a children's music album called Believe on August 9, 2011. A portion of the money from the album was given to "Swish's Wishes." This is a charity Nick started to help children who are dealing with serious health problems. The album has 12 songs, and other musicians like Bernie Williams and Barry Zito also appear on it. All the songs on the album are cover songs that Nick chose. The album reached #3 on the iTunes Children's Albums chart.
Awards and Honors
- Two-time All-Big Ten (2001, 2002)
- 2009 World Series Champion
- 2010 MLB All-Star
- Playing field at Buckeyes' home ballpark named in his honor ("Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium")
- Recipient of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Nick Swisher para niños
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
