Bill Swiacki

William Adam Swiacki, Jr.

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 7", Weight 220-225 lb.
• School Amherst College
• High School Choate Rosemary Hall

• Born November 28, 1956 in USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Bill Swiacki starred in football and basketball as well as baseball, first at Choate and then at Amherst. The Chicago White Sox drafted him in the 16th round of the 1974 amateur draft, but he chose to attend college instead. The Boston Red Sox drafted him after his junior year in the 11th round in 1977; graduating from college took priority. He was a NCAA Division III All-American pitcher in 1978.

Swiacki finally turned pro after the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 8th round in 1978. The New York Giants of the NFL also drafted him as a tight end in the ninth round that year. However, he chose baseball over football. Swiacki played in the minors from 1978 through 1982, the last four years at Triple-A, but never made it to the majors.

Swiacki debuted in AA, going 4-4 with a 2.12 ERA for the '78 San Antonio Dodgers. Had he qualified, he would have been second in the Texas League in ERA, between Neil Allen and Jeff Reardon. With the 1979 Albuquerque Dukes, he posted a 13-6, 4.72 record with 100 walks in 187 innings. He allowed 120 runs, most in the 1979 Pacific Coast League. Back with the Dukes in 1988, he fell to 4-9, 6.99 with a 1.8 WHIP. He rebounded somewhat to 11-5, 5.47 in 1981. He ended up his minor league run with the 1982 Tacoma Tigers, going 12-11 with a 4.72 ERA.

In 1983, Swiacki played for Sparta in the Dutch Hoofdklasse. He won MVP honors, the first foreigner ever to win the award.

His father, Bill Swiacki, Sr., played for Stamford in the Class B Colonial League in 1949. However, he was better known as a receiver in football. After starring at Columbia, he played in the NFL from 1948 to 1952. He was later an assistant coach in the NFL and head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.