The youngest member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team, Swindell was the Cleveland Indians' top pick in the June 1986 draft and was brought to Cleveland on August 21 after just three Class-A starts. His career was a tale of peaks and valleys, beginning as a dominant starter and concluding as a consistent relief specialist. Indisputably chubby, the 6'3" Swindell acquired a nickname he hated, Flounder, after the glutton from Animal House. But the front office stopped worrying about the youngster's weight when he struck out 15 Royals in a May 10, 1987 game.
Like Roger Clemens, Swindell came from the University of Texas, where he would pitch a complete game one day and relieve the next. Resembling Clemens physically and wearing the Rocket's number 21, Swindell suffered the same medical fate as the Boston hurler when elbow ligament damage ended his first major league season on July 2, 1987 but not after posting a horrendous 3-8 record with a 5.10 ERA in 16 games.
Swindell rested, slimmed down, and became the first major-league pitcher to reach ten victories in 1988. He did not win again for almost two months, but finished 18-14 with a 3.20 ERA. That season, he pitched a career-high 242 innings with a career-high 180 strikeouts and only 45 free passes. He was rewarded for his efforts with a trip to the All-Star Game, where he struck out three in 1 1/3 innings. The next season, Swindell pitched well for a second straight year, posting a 13-6 record and a 3.37 ERA but his strikeout total dipped to 129 and he walked six more batters than he did the previous season. After his ERA jumped over 4.00 in 1990 and his record dipped to 9-16 in 1991, the Indians traded Swindell to the Cincinnati Reds for Jack Armstrong and Scott Scudder on November 15, 1991.
Swindell pitched very well in '92 and was one of the premier free agents after the season. He and Doug Drabek both signed with the Houston Astros, giving them what many thought would be a devastating pair of aces. Unfortunately, Swindell flopped big-time. In 1993, Swindell posted an ERA over 4.00 and pitched under 200 innings for the first time in three years. In 1994, a strike-shortened season, he showed exceptional control by placing fifth in the National League in fewest walks per inning but he again posted an ERA over four and struck out only 74 batters in 148 1/3 innings. In December, Swindell put a sour taste in the mouths of many fellow ballplayers when he said he would cross the spring picket lines if the strike continued.
Luckily for Swindell, the strike ended and the teams played a 144-game schedule. He tasted his first winning season in an Astros’ uniform in 1995 but his ERA rose to 4.47 and he struck out only 96 players, his second lowest total since his rookie season. He was hammered even harder in 1996 before losing his spot in the rotation and finally being released. Swindell was picked up by the Indians twelve days later, but he didn’t pitch any better in his second tenure in Cleveland as he went on to post a 6.59 ERA in 28 2/3 innings pitched.
Swindell rediscovered himself as a left-handed specialist and long reliever for the Minnesota Twins in '97 after signing as a free agent. For the first time since his pre-Houston days, Swindell posted a sub-4.00 ERA in 115 2/3 innings as a reliever. Although he pitched well for Minnesota the following season, he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox at the trading deadline. There, he scraped together a 2-3 season with 18 strikeouts and 13 walks and reached the postseason for the first time.
Granted free agency yet again, Swindell signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and in 1999 had his best season in the major leagues. Pitching out of the bullpen, he had his first sub-3.00 ERA season, posting a miniscule road era (0.74) and a 1.32 ERA down the stretch.
In 2000 Swindell was extremely tough on lefties, holding them to a .159 batting average. But overall, the season was mediocre. He posted only a 2-6 record and slowed considerably as the season progressed, accumulating a 4.17 ERA in the second half. Although he was diagnosed with anemia and an ulcer in early 2001, Swindell walked only eight batters in 64 appearances that season.
(JCA/GL/RZ)
Contribute your recollections of Greg Swindell by clicking here.
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»June 7, 1986: University of Arkansas's Jeff King, The Sporting News college player of the year, is the first choice in the June draft. The Pirates take the third baseman. U. of Texas P Greg Swindell is the next pick by Cleveland. Neither will sign for six weeks but Swindell will be in the major leagues after going 2–1 in the minors. The Giants take UNLV's Matt Williams with the 3rd pick; Texas, picking 4th, selects Kevin Brown, followed by high schooler Kent Mercker (Braves), Gary Sheffield (Brewers) and Brad Brink (Phillies). After being skipped over because scouts are convinced the Heisman Trophy winner is headed to the NFL, Bo Jackson is taken in the 4th round by the Royals. College Pitcher of the Year Mike Loynd is taken by Texas in the 7th Round. A total of 331 high schoolers are drafted, the most since 1979, due mainly to the dissolution of the January draft.
»August 21, 1986: Newly acquired SS Spike Owen ties the 20th century major-league record by scoring six runs in Boston's 24–5 thrashing of Cleveland. Rookie blue chipper Greg Swindell takes the loss, his first ML decision.
»September 12, 1986:
In his first major league at bat, Oakland's Terry Steinbach homers at Cleveland. It comes off Greg Swindell in a 9–3 victory. Mike Witt (18-8) is the winner.
»May 28, 1989:
Cleveland scores with two out in the 9th to edge first-place Baltimore, 1–0. Greg Swindell pitches the 4-hit shutout. Boston, in 2nd place in the American League East, is also shut out, 3–0, by California's Kirk McCaskill.
»September 27, 1991: The Indians lose their 100th game as the Yankees beat Greg Swindell, 3–0. With eight innings of work, Pascual Perez (2–4) earns his last ML decision.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
