Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Cubs shortstop and recent seven-year, $177 million acquisition Dansby Swanson isn’t letting a change of scenery slow him down.
Last year for the Braves he held a very respectable .277 batting average over the course of the baseball year. So far this season for the Cubs, he’s batting a scorching .500 in the limited 20 at bats provided by the fledgling season.
Still, that’s better than coming out as cold as he was in this year’s spring training. He needed this early hot streak as much as the Cubs needed him.
Perhaps there’s no better way to start justifying that massive contract than by heating up at the plate little by little. It’s all he can do. There’s no such thing as a lot by a lot in this game; unless of course you’re talking about gloves – the golden kind.
Swanson is a special kind of fielder. He won a gold glove for the Braves in 2022. He’d likely still be on the Braves it wasn’t for the money they would have needed to shell out to keep him.
Swayed by the widely feared cold streak
The shortstop is now in the unfavorable position of proving to an entire fanbase, which swells far beyond the bounds of Chicago’s city limits, that he’s worth the money. Let’s be honest, once some players get paid they no longer give it their all.
It appears that he’s trying to earn it, whether that “it” is defined as the fans respect or their judgment which can most certainly be swayed by the widely feared cold streak.
Without question, Swanson’s off to a great start. He’s still yet to hit one out of the park during the regular season, but that’s not something he needs to rush. Those are clearly on the way. Team wins and particularly Division wins are far more important amongst bloodthirsty Cubs killers.
