3 reasons to believe in the Cubs following their hot start

3 reasons to believe in the Cubs: #1 - Dansby Swanson is doing everything needed from a face of the franchise

Dansby Swanson wasn't the most highly sought-after name on the free agent circuit this offseason, nor was he the one with the largest price tag. But he was always at the top of the Cubs' wish list - and not just for what he can do on the field, which is quite a bit.

One of the game's elite defenders, Swanson has regularly flashed the leather at shortstop early on in his Cubs career. He's been just as good with the stick, though, putting up a 130 OPS+ and .358/.424/.415 slash line on the year. But as important and impressive as all that's been, it was what he did in the midst of his five-strikeout game against the Dodgers last weekend that really stood out to me.

Chicago won the game by an 8-2 final, but Swanson couldn't solve the offspeed stuff he was seeing at the plate. He went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts on the night - but when Seiya Suzuki connected on his first home run of the year in his first series back from the IL, it was none other than Swanson there on the top step of the dugout, waiting to congratulate his teammate.

Those types of things don't show up on the scorecard or on the back of your baseball card, but they can make all the difference in the world. Swanson has been everything the Cubs needed and more this year - and his winning attitude and team-first mentality has been center stage during the team's hot start.