I found Pedro:
Former player looking forward to his new career
Posted Thursday, January 17, 2008
Pedro Swann Jr. knows he can walk away from his professional baseball career with no regrets.
Swann managed to play just 28 games in the major leagues with three different teams, but the St. Mark’s High School and Delaware State University graduate had 17 years of solid performance in the minor leagues.
Swann, 37, first reached Class AAA, one level below the majors, with the Atlanta Braves in 1995. He decided to retire after playing last season at Class AAA Ottawa (Canada), a Phillies affiliate. But Swann isn’t through with baseball.
He and his wife, Talayia, have opened the Pro Swing Sports Baseball Academy Inc., just off U.S. 301 in Middletown. Swann has hired Dwayne Henry, a former Middletown High School three-sport star who played for the Texas Rangers, as his pitching instructor. 
The 4,000-square-foot indoor facility will emphasize hitting, pitching, and speed, agility and athletic performance training. Programs are offered for boys and girls, age 9 through high school and college age.
Swann, an All-State player at St. Mark’s, will handle hitting instruction. His wife, who played four years of basketball at Middletown and has a master’s degree from Virginia Tech, will deal with the athletic performance and nutrition programs for athletes.
The Swanns live in New Castle with their three children, Xavier (9), Adriana (5) and Adonis (19 months).
“Sure, I would have loved to have played more in the major leagues,” said Swann, who was chosen by Atlanta in the 26th round of the 1991 June amateur draft. “Still, I feel I accomplished a great deal playing the game of baseball at the level I did. I had seven seasons where I hit .300 or better and had a total of around 1,900 hits.
“Being called up to the majors for the first time in 2000 with the Braves was quite a thrill. I hit one home run, but it was off Roger Clemens when he was with the Yankees. I enjoyed my career, but now it’s time to move in another direction. I’m really excited about this new venture.” Swann said he decided to open the training facility after talking with two friends who are in the same type of business.
“I used to give hitting lessons at Dover High in the offseason on weekends at the clinic Kevin Turner has each year,” Swann said. “Kevin is a former Dover player and a good friend. I also talked a lot about this with Scott Bullett, a former major-leaguer who I knew from playing in the [winter] Mexican League. Scott would tell me about the academy he used to have. I thought it was something I would really enjoy.”
Swann, who grew up in Middletown, said he is excited to open his facility in his hometown. Bob Colburn, the former longtime baseball coach at St. Andrew’s School near Middletown and chairman of the state high school baseball tournament committee, said he is confident Swann will succeed.
Pedro Swann (center) has opened a new baseball academy in Middletown and he has hired another former professional baseball player, Dwayne Henry (left) to do the pitching instruction. On the right is Talayia Swann, Pedro’s wife, who will handle performance training and nutrition. (The News Journal/GINGER WALL)
Swann’s father, Pedro, was one of the finest football and baseball players to come out of Newark High School. He also excelled in both sports at DSU. His father was a youth baseball coach in Middletown for many years.
“I’ve known Pedro for a long time, and he’s going to do great at this,” Colburn said. “Pedro is a wonderful guy, and the area needs something like this. Dwayne Henry is another a great addition.”
Swann said he will offer group and individual instruction. Currently, he has a four-week winter clinics for $150 per player.
“I’m really excited to have Dwayne as our main pitching instructor,” Swann said. “This is a guy who knows the game inside and out.”
Swann had two great seasons at St. Mark’s. A left fielder, he hit .423 as a junior and .361 his final season. He hit a home run in his last four high school games, including a state championship win over rival Salesianum in the 1988 state tournament final. The last homer came in a Carpenter Cup game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.
Swann got his first major-league hit in 2002, playing with Toronto.
“It was Sept. 2, and I got it against Kansas City’s Mike Austin [a former Blue Rocks pitcher],” Swann said.
Among the major-leaguers Swann played with in the Braves minor-league system were All-Star center fielder Andruw Jones, pitcher John Rocker, catcher Eddie Perez and infielder Wes Helms, who played last season with the Phillies. In spring training and during his brief stints with Atlanta, Swann said he got to know pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who likely will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“Some people don’t know it, but Maddux, he’s quite the jokester,” Swann said. “It was a treat to watch those guys pitch. I did hit against both of them in spring training, and that was no picnic. I remember getting in against Maddux and hitting the ball hard the first time. Some of the veterans said, ‘Hey, look at the rookie.’ Maddux really got tough on me after that.”
Swann said he has mixed feelings about the recent findings involving major-league players accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. The report last month by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell got his attention.
“We started hearing about certain guys [using steroids and other illegal drugs] about 10 years ago. It was definitely well-known,” said Swann, who wouldn’t identify any of those players. “As a minor-leaguer, I got tested all the time. I kind of wish they started this kind of investigation a long time ago. It may have helped my chances and a lot of other guys to get to the majors sooner.
“However, I’m not bitter on anything. That’s just the way things went. Like I said before, I had a great career. I enjoyed going to the ballpark each day for 17 years.”
For more information on Swann’s academy, go to www.proswingsportsacademy.org or call 981-0459.
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Always good to see a classy guy and blog favorite like Pedro at peace with his decision to retire. At the Cat’s Pride barbecue near the end of the season, I had asked Gary Burnham about how much more time he thought he had before he’d move on. He commented that 37 year old Pedro Swann was his “hero” - a guy who was in the best physical condition of all the players in the clubhouse. It spurred Gary on to work out harder and more frequently.
Best wishes for the future from everyone here in Ottawa, Pedro!
