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15 hours ago
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After a solid offseason, there was immediate pressure for the Chicago Cubs to perform this year. Luckily for the fanbase, they have started the season off on the right foot.
The problem, though? The rest of the National League Central have also gotten off to rock-solid starts. There's not a team in the division that has a losing record.
The Cubs currently hold a 30-26 record, which would put them in first place if they played in the American League West. But in the NL Central, they sit in third place, 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
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This is a good start for the Cubs, but it could certainly be better. While some are stepping up offensively, some other players have taken a step back this season, like Dansby Swanson.
Swanson has played in 53 games so far, hitting .190/.292/.346 with seven home runs and 27 runs batted in. He has been especially bad on breaking balls, which opposing pitchers have started to key in on.
With the lack of offensive contributions, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer tags Swanson as the Cubs' least valuable player.
"Alex Bregman is also letting the Cubs down on the left side of the infield, but at least he has an average-ish OPS+ at 103. Swanson is all the way down at 84, with his average below .200 and his OBP below .300. And this time, the metrics are split on his defense at shortstop."
It's not just Swanson's ability to get it going at the plate, but he's not the best at shortstop right now, either. He's had a few uncharacteristic errors this year, and his arm strength has taken a bit of a hit this season.
He's still doing enough to stick as a starter, and he is a bit of a streaky hitter, so you can't count him out yet. There's plenty of time to turn this around.
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