Cubs need to have an honest conversation about Dansby Swanson

The Cubs lost 5-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, which felt like a national embarrassment to many Cubs fans. Pitcher Jordan Wicks once again bombed in his second start, and the offense struggled, collecting just seven hits with a single walk, finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Their only run came from Alex Bregman’s solo shot.

But the fans’ frustration has now shifted towards shortstop Dansby Swanson. Swanson had a rough series, where he struck out with bases loaded on Saturday and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout on Sunday.

Swanson also misplayed a ground ball that went underneath his glove in the third inning, the kind of routine play he’s supposed to make in his sleep. Instead of ending the inning, it extended it, opened the door for more damage, as they scored 3 runs, effectively ending any hope of a comeback.

But Swanson’s struggles at the plate have become a nightly storyline that is hard to ignore. Every time he has struck out, he is late, passive, and overwhelmed. His strikeouts have sent Cubs fans into a full‑blown rage spiral.

Even more alarming about Swanson’s struggle, according to Sahadev Sharma of “The Athletic”, is that he is unable to see the ball well because he is right‑eye dominant, and that’s his back eye in the batter’s box. Therefore, he hasn’t been consistently getting that eye on the ball.

His production has cratered from March/April to May:

• 124 wRC+ → 30 wRC+
• Walk rate: 16.4% → 6.8%
• Chase rate: 21.5% → 32.1%
• Breaking balls faced: 36.5% → 47.9%

But as he works on vision, pitch recognition, and getting his dominant eye on the ball earlier, is it too late for him to reinvent himself at the age of 32?

The Jason Heyward comparison is no longer avoidable

The Cubs fans have been through this before. Outfielder Jason Heyward signed an eight-year, $184 million contract before the 2016 season. But his offensive numbers fell off immediately after joining the Cubs. Eventually, the Cubs granted his unconditional release in November 2022 while eating the final $22 million left on his contract.

Heyward was beloved for everything except his bat. And you don’t throw around the Jason Heyward comp lightly. But the parallels are getting harder to ignore:

• Big contract
• Defensive reputation
• Offensive black hole

The only thing keeping Swanson in the lineup is the contract and his stellar defense. But the Cubs are drowning offensively, and Swanson is one of the anchors tied to their ankles.

Manager Craig Counsell is running out of ways to justify Swanson’s spot in the lineup. He needs to put Nico Hoerner at short and rookie Pedro Ramirez at second more often while Swanson figures out his swing in the foreseeable future.

As the comparisons are getting louder, Swanson needs to respond fast, or he might end up with a similar fate as Heyward.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/cubs-need-to-have-an-honest-conversation-about-dansby-swanson/