The Diamondbacks acquried All-Star right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller for Swanson, outfielder Ender Inciarte, and right-handed pitcher Aaron Blair.
Swanson enjoyed a successful first minor league season with the Class-A Short Season Hillsboro Hops, hitting .289 and slugging .482 with as many walks (14) as strikeouts. At the end of the season, MLB.com rategd him as the 10th-best prospect in baseball.
Swanson starred at Vanderbilt for parts of three seasons, where he was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2014 College World Series and was named a Golden Spikes Finalist in 2015. In his junior season, he led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, triples, doubles, hits, runs, and walks.