all stars

Dansby Swanson (left) and Sonny Gray

A pair of former Vanderbilt baseball players will face one another in the Major League Baseball All-Star game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 11.

Shortstop Dansby Swanson will make his second all-star appearance for the National League, his first as a member of the Chicago Cubs. He was an all-star last year for the Atlanta Braves before signing a seven-year deal worth a reported $177 million with Chicago during the offseason.

Pitcher Sonny Gray, a Smyrna native, will make his third all-star appearance, his first as a member of the Minnesota Twins. He was named an all-star in 2015 with the Oakland A’s and in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds.

Swanson, a 29-year-old Georgia native, is in the midst of a good season for the Cubs, who were in fourth place in the NL West standings following July 4 games. In 82 games, Swanson is hitting .261, with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and 15 doubles for Chicago. In 2022, Swanson earned his first Gold Glove and had his best all-round season, with a .277 batting average, 25 home runs and 96 RBIs.

Swanson played three seasons at Vanderbilt, winning the College World Series in 2014 and earning the Brooks Wallace Award given to the nation’s best college shortstop in 2015. The first overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Swanson was traded to Atlanta that same year and made his MLB debut in 2016. He helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021.

The 33-year-old Gray, a Smyrna High alum, is 4-2 in 17 starts for the Twins, who led the AL Central by a game following July 4 contests. In 93-2/3 innings pitched this year, Gray has struck out 96 batters and walked 36, posting a 2.50 ERA.

In his 11-year career, Gray has a 94-79 record with a 3.50 ERA. Gray has twice finished in the top 10 of voting for the Cy Young Award, once in 2015 (third) and once in 2019 (seventh).

Gray played three seasons at Vanderbilt, posting a 27-10 record and helping the Commodores win their first College World Series berth in 2010. He was chosen with the 18th overall pick by Oakland in 2011, made his MLB debut in 2013 and has played for the A’s, New York Yankees, Reds and Twins.