Braves' World Series Title Means More To Georgia Native Dansby Swanson

Dansby Swanson was probably that kid. The kid who threw the imaginary ball up to himself in the backyard and hit a home run to win the World Series for his beloved Braves.

That was the Marietta, Georgia born, now Braves shortstop 20 years ago. Now 27, Swanson actually did it. He hit a home run to help the Braves win the World Series for the first time since 1995, when Swanson was one years old.

"I've said it before and I'll keep saying it-I'm an Atlanta lifer," Swanson said after the game. "I live and die the city of Atlanta. And there's no place that deserves it more than the city of Atlanta.

"You can't even put into words how much this means not for me but for this entire organization, the entire city. You see the fan base; they're here."

It had to have been fate. That's the only way you can explain Swanson's journey to the Braves. A highly touted prospect out of Vanderbilt, Swanson was projected to be a top-five pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. The Diamondbacks selected him 1st overall, but he was not for long in Arizona.

Fate had a different plan for Swanson. The Diamondbacks traded Swanson on Dec. 9, 2015, just six months after drafting him, for a package headlined by pitcher Shelby Miller. Miller has bounced around the league, while Swanson is now living out every little leaguer's dream. How fitting that the last out was a chopper right to Swanson, which he fired over to first baseman Freddie Freeman to seal the deal.

"Destiny, I guess," Swanson said. "The good Lord, he has blessed me with so much. Wouldn't be here without him. Just the peace that he gives me, it's remarkable. Especially in moments like this, you can never go wrong trusting in that. Like I said, I'm just so thankful to be here, truly."