Nick Swisher is exactly where he’s always wanted to be – living a dream.

He knows just how lucky he is to be able to play a game for a living, the same one he grew up loving in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  But if you ask Nick, it doesn’t matter that it’s a game.  Every time he steps to the plate against one of the game’s best pitchers or sacrifices his body going full bore after a foul ball he does it with everything he has because this is what he’s worked so hard for and frankly, he just doesn’t know any other way. Passion, hard work, drive, enthusiasm, determination and of course, the ability to take things in stride, count your blessings and stay smiling.  That’s his recipe for success.

And he’s willing to bust his tail to continue it. Nick knows it takes a lot of work to play at the highest levels and on baseball’s biggest stages. He’s devoted to whatever hard work it takes to get to that level and be a consistent force throughout his career.

That’s why prior to the 2007 season, the New York Times profiled his unorthodox off-season workout routine.  It wasn’t unorthodox because he drank nothing but protein shakes or took ballet lessons; it was unorthodox in a caveman-Davy Crockett-Rocky Balboa punching sides of beef kind of way. Nick worked out on a farm in Ohio swinging sledgehammers and chopping trees to the point of exhaustion. He wasn’t working in air conditioned rooms and enjoying gourmet meals – he was too busy roughing it and getting his hands dirty. All in an effort to get stronger, faster and more explosive. Sound like a typical professional baseball player’s off-season workout regimen?

Nope. 

More Than Just Baseball

But Nick Swisher is more than just a typical baseball player. He strives to give back as much as he’s been given. While with the Oakland A's, he was an active in the Oakland community and with a number of different charitable organizations including his own Nick Swisher foundation's "Swish's Wishes", former teammate Barry Zito’s Strikeouts for Troops, served as an ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF),their Women’s Cancer Research Fund and the Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, the Make-A-Wish foundation and the Special Olympics to name just a few. He looks to continue and expand his community focus in Chicago as a new member of the White Sox.

His approachable, fun-loving demeanor has also made him a fan favorite since day one. He bleeds a love of the fans, a love of the game and a love of life in everything he does and prides himself in being as active off the field as he is on it. The fans and his teammates aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed. He writes a bi monthly blog on his web site, has chronicled his season for ESPN.com in a segment called "Swish's Sophomore Year," hosted a weekly pre-game TV show of which he won an Emmy for his work on "Swisher Unscripted," has a weekly national radio appearance for the third straight year on Fox Sports Radio and in 2008 will be heard weekly on THE SCORE and seen on Comcast Sports Net, Chicago.

Moneyball

And yes, he’s the same Nick Swisher that was made famous before he ever put on a major league uniform. He was one of the featured players covered in Michael Lewis’ 2003 book Moneyball which followed the Oakland A’s through the 2002 season, including the 2002 amateur draft. Being the focus of this critically acclaimed book was an amazing experience but it didn’t come without its burden. Nick’s game was viewed through a microscope because his development was so critical to the A’s future success. Luckily, Nick was up for the challenge and the A’s bet on someone who hates losing. The early returns have been stellar for all parties.  That shouldn’t be a surprise though; Nick’s wanted to do this since he was old enough to start hacking at a tee-ball set up in his backyard.

Born in Columbus, Ohio to Lillian and Steve Swisher, and growing up in both Ohio and West Virginia, no one questioned that Nick had baseball flowing in his veins. He certainly had the pedigree. His father Steve was a former major league catcher who played 8 seasons, including a 1976 All-Star campaign. The gift for the game was passed down to Nick who had a stellar high school career at Parkersburg High School. Next he went on to play at THE Ohio State University where his success followed him. He made his presence felt on campus immediately, bringing home the Big 10 freshman of the year award in 1999 and earning all Big 10 honors in his sophomore and junior years.

Scouts took notice and that’s when the A’s came calling. Nick was chosen with the 16th overall pick in the talent-laden 2002 amateur draft. He jumped into the minor league system and finished out the 2002 season by hitting 13 homers in just 49 games with the A’s single A affiliate.

Going Pro

In 2003, he split time between single and double A, honing his batting eye. Then in 2004, Nick put it all together with the Sacramento River Cats where he torched the Pacific Coast League to the tune of 29 home runs, 109 runs scored and 92 RBI in only 129 games.  His time was coming.

His success in Sacramento was closely watched by the big club and it earned Nick a September call-up in 2004. He’s never looked back.  His first official at-bat came against then Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Ted Lilly on September 3rd. Despite the nerves that come with stepping into a major league batter’s box for the first time, on a team battling for the playoffs, Nick wasn’t overmatched. He worked a walk. Later in the game, he’d get his first major hit under his belt as he blasted a double.  Most importantly to Nick, the A’s won the game.

Heading into the offseason, it appeared as though a chance to break into the A’s everyday lineup was a real possibility. He worked as hard as he’s ever worked and came into training camp ready to compete to be the A’s everyday right fielder. He delivered a strong performance and won the starting job. Everything was going according to plan. But as with every rookie year, there were ups and downs. He came out of the gate slowly in May. Then with al little experience under his belt, he hit full stride showing signs of the patient hitter and flashing some of that immense power potential that the A’s were counting on when they drafted him. He raised his average over 50 points in June and July. He finished 7th in the American League rookie of the year voting and tied for the homerun lead among rookies in the AL with 21.  Just for the record, that’s one more than his dad Steve had in his entire 8 year career.

Knowing what a full year of baseball at the highest level could do to your body and determined to build on his 21 homers, Nick worked out even harder than before. His dedication paid off as he followed up his strong rookie campaign in 2005 by taking it to another level. In his sophomore year, Nick crushed 35 homers which were good for 8th in the American League. He also filled up the rest of the stat sheet by finishing top 10 in runs scored (106), walks (97) and games played (157), all while improving his batting average 18 points. Having that kind of success, while not unfamiliar to Nick, isn’t going to stop him from doing everything he can to get even better.

He also got a taste of the playoffs in 2006, helping to lead the A’s to a first round sweep of the Minnesota Twins. As Nick wrote in his ESPN Sophomore Season entry, regular season baseball is fun but the playoffs are where the legends are made.

"When I was a kid I dreamed of winning playoff games and playing on teams that were as fun as this one. But no matter how big I dreamed, it doesn't come close to touching what it feels like to win a playoff series. There are so many great players who never got a chance to make the playoffs let alone win in the playoffs and I'm humbled and honored that I'm living in this moment."

He finished the 2007 hitting .262 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI in his third full season in the Majors, the second consecutive season he improved his batting average and he added 100 walks for a .381 on base percentage, which also improved for the second consecutive season. In May 2007 he signed a 5 year contract extension with the Oakland A's. On January 3, 2008 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox.

As one of the rising stars in baseball, Nick Swisher is hoping that those moments happen regularly for his new team, the Chicago White Sox, their fans and the City of Chicago.