Bill Swift

{{for|the pitcher who played from 1932 to 1943|Bill Swift (1930s pitcher)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Bill Swift

|image=1988 Mother's Cookies - Bill Swift.jpg

|caption=Swift with the Seattle Mariners {{circa}} 1988

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1961|10|27}}

|birth_place=Portland, Maine, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=June 7

|debutyear=1985

|debutteam=Seattle Mariners

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 11

|finalyear=1998

|finalteam=Seattle Mariners

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=94–78

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.95

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=767

|teams=

Seattle Mariners ({{mlby|1985}}–{{mlby|1986}}, {{mlby|1988}}–{{mlby|1991}})
San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1994}})
Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|1995}}–{{mlby|1997}})
Seattle Mariners ({{mlby|1998}})

|highlights=

NL ERA leader (1992)

|medaltemplates=

{{Medal|Country|{{bb|USA}}}}

}}

William Charles Swift (born October 27, 1961) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. Swift played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/swiftbi02.shtml|title=Bill Swift Stats|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=August 1, 2019}}

Scholastic career

After graduating from South Portland High School, Swift attended the University of Maine, where he played college baseball for the Maine Black Bears baseball team from 1981 to 1984,{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/college/university_of_maine_baseball_players.shtml|title=University of Maine Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues|publisher=Baseball Almanac|work=baseball-almanac.com|access-date=July 28, 2019}} making four consecutive College World Series appearances. Swift pitched for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.

Professional career

Following Swift’s senior year at Maine, he was a first-round draft pick (second overall selection) by the Seattle Mariners in the 1984 MLB draft, making his MLB debut with the 1985 Mariners.

In 1991, Swift was traded to the San Francisco Giants, along with pitchers Mike Jackson and Dave Burba, for outfielder Kevin Mitchell and pitcher Mike Remlinger. The Giants immediately moved Swift from the bullpen to the starting rotation, where he emerged as one of baseball’s best pitchers, leading the National League (NL) with a 2.08 earned run average (ERA) in 1992 and winning 21 games in 1993.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/player/bill-swift-123053|title=Bill Swift Stats, Fantasy & News|date=2019|publisher=Major League Baseball|work=mlb.com|access-date=August 1, 2019}}

Between 1995 and 1997, Swift played for the Colorado Rockies. While the Rockies had high hopes for him, he struggled with a shoulder injury, back pains, and the psychological difficulties of the thin air of Colorado, and never again put up numbers comparable to his days with the Giants. Swift was eventually released by the Rockies due to shoulder trouble and triceps tightness.

In 1998, Swift returned to the Seattle Mariners. He struggled, posting an 11-9 record with a 5.85 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Swift retired during spring training, the following season (1999).{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a6c63772|title=Bill Swift Society for American Baseball Research|date=August 15, 2018|last=LeMoine|first=Bob|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|work=sabr.org|access-date=August 1, 2019}}

Swift's career numbers were extremely similar to those of 1930s pitcher Bill Swift.

After playing

On December 22, 1999, USA Today named Swift as one of Maine's best athletes of the 20th century.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/century1.htm|title=Swift one of Maine's best athletes of the 20th century|date=December 22, 1999|last=Gould|first=Lance|publisher=USA Today|work=usatoday.com|access-date=July 28, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gsacsports.org/SIDHelp/m/a%7C1454.php|title=Bill Swift Elected to New England Baseball Hall of Fame|date=December 8, 2014|location=Springfield MA|publisher=Golden State Athletic Conference|work=gsacsports.org|access-date=August 1, 2019}} He was inducted into the inaugural class of the New England Baseball Hall of Fame on January 25, 2015.

Swift and wife Michelle have three daughters, Aubrey, Mackenzie, and Brynlie; while the children attended Scottsdale Christian Academy in Phoenix, Arizona (and for years beyond), their father coached High School Baseball for the school.

Following the end of the 2013 baseball season, Swift accepted the position of head baseball coach at Arizona Christian University;{{cite web|url=http://www.gsacsports.org/SIDHelp/m/a%7C475.php|title=Swift Hired as Arizona Christian Baseball Coach|date=June 30, 2013|location=Phoenix AZ|publisher=Golden State Athletic Conference|work=gsacsports.org|access-date=July 28, 2019}} after five progressively successful seasons, he resigned following the 2018 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.acufirestorm.com/SIDHelp/m/a%7C1291.php|title=Swift Resigns, Search Begins for New ACU Baseball Coach|date=May 17, 2018|publisher=Arizona Christian University|work=acufirestorm.com|access-date=July 28, 2019}}

References

External links

{{baseballstats|mlb=123053|espn=1611|br=s/swiftbi02|fangraphs=1012788|brm=swift-001wil|retro=S/Pswifb001}}
{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|a6c63772}}

Category:1961 births

Category:Living people

Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada

Category:Baseball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:Baseball players from Cumberland County, Maine

Category:Calgary Cannons players

Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players

Category:Colorado Rockies players

Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players

Category:Maine Black Bears baseball players

Category:Major League Baseball pitchers

Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics