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 Columbus, Ohio and 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 coming off an up-and-down season with the Chicago White Sox, Nick went right to work to ensure he’d have his swing back for his fifth full season in the Big Leagues. After taking 5 days after the season to decompress, it was straight to West Virginia and back to basics. Nick camped out in his father’s basement, hitting the gym and the batting cage all winter. The way Nick tells it, he didn’t do his work in a fancy, high-tech sports facility. Instead, it couldn’t have been more basic; a cold brick building with not much more than his space hitter, the cage and his bat. Of course, he also had some tunes to join him. In doing so, he found that when things aren’t going the way you want, that’s the perfect time to ground yourself. “It’s when you go through the tougher times that you really learn and grow,” said Swisher.
Heading into his first spring with his new team, the New York Yankees, Nick is confident knowing he’s got his old swing back - simple,
compact, powerful – and just as importantly that gleam in his eye and his passion has returned.
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 introducing The 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), Women’s Cancer Research Fund and donated his hair to the Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program to make a wig for battling cancer and dealing with hair loss from treatments, the Make-A-Wish foundation and the Special Olympics to name just a few. In 2008, he continued his community focus in Chicago hosting several Swish’s Wishes days for sick children, dyed his goatee pink to raise the profile of the fight against breast cancer, and invited and paid for 8 year old cancer survivor, Adam Bender and his family, to travel from Kentucky to Chicago offering home and inspiration to all while celebrating the first anniversary of Swish’s Wishes. Swisher looks to expand his humanitarian effort to New York as a new member of the New York Yankees.
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 twitters, has penned a bi monthly blog on his web site, has chronicled his season for ESPN.com in a segment called “Swish’s Sophomore Year,” hosted weekly pre-game TV show of which he won an Emmy for his work on “Swisher Unscripted,” has had a weekly national radio appearance on Fox Sports Radio in 2008 was heard weekly on THE SCORE and seen on “Swish on Sox” Comcast Sports Net, Chicago, and is heard often on ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt.
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.
His first and only season with the White Sox was arguably Nick’s most challenging. In his fourth season, he carried his signature power, finishing with 24 homers. He also proved to be the versatile player that all teams crave. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen used Swisher almost equally at 1B and in the OF. He also batted him up and down the order. To top it off, Nick was never able to get comfortable at the plate and struggled with his average. There were certainly some highlights from the 2008 season that Nick can build on. He scored 86 runs, the 2nd highest of his career and kept his top-notch batting eye, finishing 8th in the American League in walks. Of course, a huge highlight was that Nick got to once again take part in post season play.
On November 13, 2008, Nick was traded to the New York Yankees. “I’ve been blessed to be put in such a wonderful situation to be over here with the Yankees. I’m just really, really excited to learn from these guys and to be part of it all,” said Swisher.
With his hard work and dedication in the off season, Nick is going to capitalize on the powerful Yankees lineup he is now a part of to help his new team get back to the playoffs and capture the World Series crown.
