It’s no secret that, overall, it’s been a down season for Dansby Swanson. The offensive results haven’t matched last year, which also weren’t quite where you hoped they’d be. Some weird early-season issues on defense also clouded things a bit.
But on both fronts, Swanson has turned things around mightily. The defensive issues – if they even were issues – lasted only a few weeks, and he’s otherwise been his typical outstanding self at shortstop. Indeed, Swanson’s DRS is third in the NL, his OAA is second in the NL, his DEF is second in the NL, and his FRV is second in the NL. He’s going to be a Gold Glove finalist again this season, at a minimum, and that defensive value is significant when evaluating his season.
Offensively, the season line is mediocre – .237/.309/.383/96 wRC+ – but it has improved as the year has gone on. Since the start of June, the line is .252/.324/.413/108 wRC+. Since July 10, it’s .286/.353/.448/125 wRC+. And since August 20, it’s .271/.358/.510/144 wRC+. If he stays on this track for the next ten days, he very well may wind up with an above-average overall offensive season.
Swanson’s WAR is now up to 3.7, the fifth best among NL shortstops. He is tied with Ian Happ for the team lead. There’s a chance he tops the 4.0 WAR mark, which just kind of feels like an important arbitrary cut-off for having a really good season.
Dansby Swanson showed off the bat and the glove last night, with his 15th homer of 🎉the year:
And then there was a particularly stellar 🐟play at shortstop:
I didn’t really give this play enough love in the moment. I was too focused on the diving snag (which was difficult, but big leaguers do that kind of thing), and not focused nearly enough on the NEAR SIMULTANEOUS lift of his body and transfer to a throwing position.
