Bill Swift

William Charles Swift (born October 27, 1961 in Portland, Maine) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.

After graduating South Portland High School, Swift attended the University of Maine, where he played college baseball for the Maine Black Bears baseball team from 1981 to 1984, making four consecutive College World Series appearances. Swift pitched for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was a first-round draft pick (second selection) by the Seattle Mariners following his senior year at Maine. In 1991 he was traded to the San Francisco Giants along with pitchers Mike Jackson and Dave Burba for outfielder Kevin Mitchell and pitcher Mike Remlinger. The Giants immediately moved Swift from the bullpen to the starting rotation, where he emerged as one of the league's best pitchers, leading the league with a 2.08 ERA in 1992 and winning 21 games in 1993.

Between 1995 and 1997 he played for the Colorado Rockies. While the Rockies had high hopes for Swift, he struggled with a shoulder injury, back pains, and the psychological difficulties of the thin air of Colorado, and never again put up numbers comparable to his days with the Giants. He was eventually released by the Rockies due to shoulder trouble and triceps tightness.

In 1998, Swift returned to the Seattle Mariners. He struggled, posting an 11-9 record with a 5.85 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. After the season, he retired from baseball.

On December 22, 1999, USA Today named Bill Swift as one of Maine's best athletes of the 20th century.[1]

Bill Swift now coaches High School Baseball for the school where his three daughter's Aubrey, Mackenzie, and Brynlie attend Scottsdale Christian Academy in Phoenix, Arizona.

1. ^ "University of Maine Baseball Players Who Made It to the Major Leagues". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.