Dansby Swanson Can't Afford For Three-Game Hot Streak Against Mets To Be A Mirage

Is Dansby Swanson finally turning his season around? After a tough start to the season, the Chicago Cubs’ starting shortstop enjoyed quite the series against the New York Mets. In the first three games of that set, Swanson went 7-for-12 with four runs scored and 15 runs batted in. What does he need to unlock in order to stay hot and turn this into a spectacular second half of the season?

Dansby Swanson's 2026 Full-Season Breakdown

Before going fully into what part of his game the 32-year-old veteran could adjust to flip his fate in the 2026 campaign, it’s important to understand what Swanson provides as a player. The Cubs’ starting shortstop has one of the best gloves in all of baseball. While this three-game stretch shows what he can still do when he's on at the plate, he didn't become a nine-figure star on the strength of his bat.

The Good

That leads us to the good. There aren’t many defenders who are as sure-handed as Swanson. A now two-time Gold Glover, Swanson is one half of a remarkable middle infield, with the Robin to his Batman being Nico Hoerner. The former Atlanta Braves shortstop has one of the best fielding grades in the game, as his nine outs above average puts him in the 99th percentile amongst all defenders. 

Swanson’s fielding run value has also been spectacular, slotting in at the 97th percentile. A lot of hitters would lose their spot if they hung around the Mendoza Line for too long. Swanson gives manager Craig Counsell the peace of mind knowing that no matter what happens on offense, he has a lockdown defender at the premium shortstop position.

The Bad

Swanson’s struggles have been well documented, and even after a spectacular start to the series against the Mets, his batting average has since fallen below .200 again. While his chase and walk rates (76th percentile and 82nd percentile, respectively) both live well above the league mean, his bat-to-ball skills have left much to be desired. Swanson’s sweet spot percentage sits in the fifth percentile, while important metrics like his hard-hit percentage (49th percentile), bat speed (37th percentile) and average exit velocity (47th percentile) are all dragging behind and hindering his ability to produce at the plate. 

The Ugly

Some players truly just hit into bad luck, but that hasn’t been the case with the Cubs’ shortstop so far. Along with the subpar quality of contact he has generated, Swanson has just a .199 expected batting average, a value that drops him in the third percentile among all hitters. His expected slugging percentage of .345 isn’t much better, as he’s in the 17th percentile among all qualified hitters in that regard.

Important Tweaks

What’s one of the main reasons Swanson is struggling? Even when he does make contact, the former Commodore’s average launch angle is as steep as it has ever been. His previous career-high in launch angle was 15.7 degrees back in 2022. Now, Swanson’s new mark is at 16.8 degrees. Considering he isn’t barreling baseballs up at the rate that he used to, these steeper launch angles are resulting in weak fly outs that mostly end up being harmless.

Leveling out his bat path would help, as would a more concerted effort to restore his line-drive rate (currently at 17.1%) back toward his career level (24.6%). No matter what he tweaks, he merely needs to go from being awful to bad; with the value his glove provides, the Cubs would be thrilled with that kind of development.