BCB’s annual series of player profiles continues.
Sixth in the series. Today we look at the Cubs’ veteran shortstop.
Dansby Swanson will turn 32 on February 11. His skills have yet to diminish appreciably but it’s a matter of time until they do. This will be his 11th year in the major leagues, after being drafted first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015. The Vanderbilt grad has had a decent career, amassing a lifetime total of 28.4 bWAR (also 28.4 fWAR). His power numbers have trended up since 2021, from roughly 10 homers per season to about 20 — 2021 was his peak at 27. His batting average seems to have suffered from his attempts to put more lift on the ball, as his Cubs numbers cluster around .244, where he had previously averaged around 10 points higher. This could also be due to the fabled ‘Wrigley Field Effect,’ which tends to flatten those numbers, instead of enhancing them, as before climate change’s negative effects.
Swanson is still a superb fielder, and he has four years left on his seven-year deal, which runs through 2029. The Cubs will have to figure out what to do when his decline comes, but he is hopefully good to go this year.
He’s a postseason veteran, though his lifetime .233 average is unimpressive over the ten playoff series he’s been involved in.
Still, he’s seen as a team leader by Cubs players, despite fans’ misgivings, and his contract virtually guarantees that he’ll be in the lineup for a couple of years still. The Cubs could do worse — Swanson’s 2026 slash of .244/.300./.417, with 24 home runs, 2o stolen bases, and 77 RBI isn’t all that bad, and neither is his 4.5 bWAR. It’s just that his paycheck outweighs those numbers.
This series will resume on Monday.
Category: General Sports
