A key Chicago Cubs player is showing much needed signs of life

It's been a disappointing second year for Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. Halfway through the season, the perennial Gold Glove defender has slashed an abysmal .209/.282/.353. The Cubs need him to be more than just a defender, as his now 9 Outs Above Average and 7 Runs Prevented is a nice improvement from where he was earlier in the season. Thankfully, change may be on the horizon.

Offensively, Swanson has been unable to hit anything but a fastball, as witnessed by his .190 batting average on breaking balls, and .162 BA against offspeed pitches. That is until he finally seems to maybe, possibly, be turning the corner after two multi-hit games in a row in Baltimore. Of those, he recorded a double and connected for a nice home run, going 4-8 in the past two contests. It's the first time Swanson has recorded two multi-hit games in a row since June 8th and 9th. Followed by those two Games in June, however, Swanson went 2-25 in the next seven games thereafter.

In his two-hit game last night, Swanson struck out in his first at-bat, but all three of his batted ball events were in the hard-hit category. His flyout in the 4th inning was clocked at 102.7 mph. The homer, 106.4 mph, and the sharp single at 95.2mph. Given that one of the hits was a fastball and another a curveball, it's safe to say he's looking pretty locked in right now.

Let's refrain from just saying he's about to bust out in a major way, but at the very least, it's an encouraging sign. With Cody Bellinger on the IL for a fractured finger, it is vital that the Cubs get production up and down the lineup, and Swanson needs to be a big part of that.

The Cubs need Dansby Swanson to turn the corner offensively.

His expected stats still mark him for an expected BA of .240, and his 71st-percentile hard-hit rate and 72nd-percentile chase percentage paint a bigger picture. However, his 27.9% K rate is growing more concerning, but his hard-hit rate is actually 5% higher than last season.

I also noticed his launch angle is 10.0 on average vs. the 13.0 it was last season, which makes sense given that his ground ball rate has spiked 7% this season. Given everything mentioned above, I believe he's due for some positive regression, and this past series against Baltimore may be the early signs of it coming to fruition. The Cubs need it. This is a critical stretch now, and the rest of the season essentially lies in what happens in the 2.5 weeks.