To be honest, there really haven’t been many plays where Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson has been able to show off his defensive skills so far in spring training, but he made plenty of them on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
The Cubs have been fortunate enough to have some pretty stellar defensive play at shortstop for the past seven years and it should continue with Swanson for the duration of his time in a Cubs uniform. What’s even better is that the Cubs arguably have the best middle infield in baseball as Nico Hoerner is now back at second base.
Sunday’s game showcased exactly why the Cubs decided to sign Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million contract in the offseason, as the shortstop clobbered a two-run home run and then filled the box score with a handful of great defensive plays in the infield.
Folks, the Cubs have an awesome defensive shortstop.
And you know what, I still get the hesitation from some fans believing that Swanson will be worth it in the longterm. I’m a little skeptical that his offense will be consistent enough, but there are certainly many reasons to believe that Swanson can be a valuable hitter in this lineup.
One thing can’t be debated, though, and that’s Swanson’s glove. It is so damn good. It’s not just the flashy plays, making tough ones look easy and being smooth either because this dude makes all the plays at shortstop. As much as I loved watching Javier Báez when he was with the Cubs, there were definitely times that you’d get frustrated over some botched routine plays out there.
Having a strong defense has always been a key to winning in baseball, but for the first time in a while, having a duo up the middle as good as the Cubs have will be as important as ever with the new defensive shift restrictions.
That’s why signing a gold glover in Swanson upgraded not just one, but two spots in the infield, as Hoerner is now locked in at second base. A gold glove might be in Hoerner’s future, too.
The front office made an effort to upgrade the team’s defense in the offseason with several free agent signings, including Cody Bellinger and Tucker Barnhart, but it is a luxury to have Swanson and Hoerner up the middle to anchor what should be a much better defensive Cubs club in 2023. Hopefully the pitching and defense, which are the strong suits of this roster, does lead to more winning this upcoming season.
I think the Cubs will be in a lot more games with defense like this—here’s hoping they find a way to score some runs…