2023 MLB Draft: Dansby Swanson reaffirms leadership role with Chicago Cubs

The first half of Chicago Cubs' shortstop Dansby Swanson's first season with the team has been everything that the team has asked for.

Swanson's leadership skills were praised this past winter when he signed a seven-year deal with the Cubs and the veteran shortstop has quickly become the leading presence on the team.

Swanson's play on the field has been no disappointment either as he is on pace to be a 5-fWAR player while slashing .258/.343/.409 with 10 home runs and a 108 wRC+. Swanson was selected to the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star game but is recovering from a heel contusion that has landed him on the IL.

Even on the IL, Swanson has shown his leadership traits. The Cubs selected University of Maryland power-hitting infielder Matt Shaw with their first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and Swanson was among the first Cubs' players to congratulate the new prospect for the team.

With Swanson here for the next six seasons following the 2023 campaign and second baseman Nico Hoerner's three-year contract extension taking effect in 2024, Shaw could very well be the next face of the Cubs' infield to join the veteran All-Star and emerging star at second base. The Cubs currently do not have a long-term solution identified at third base and, perhaps, that is the position that Shaw moves to.

Regardless of where Shaw winds up on the field for the Cubs, the fact that Swanson already reached out to the newest Cubs' prospects shows why he was the right face for the next contention window of the team.

Swanson bought into the Cubs' plan this off-season and his welcoming of Shaw is the latest example of how important his status on the team is to him.

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