Dansby Swanson looking to ‘put best foot forward’ with Cubs after offseason surgery
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is back and healthy in Mesa, Ariz. after undergoing a core muscle surgery in early October – something that he approached the Cubs about initially.
“Being banged up for about the last year-and-a-half or so, being able to get back healthy again and to be able to put my best foot forward,” Swanson told Cole Wright in an exclusive interview. “Took a lot of time to do some mental work. Every offseason is different, and this one was obviously different with the surgery. I’m just looking forward to continue to build on a good offseason.”
Swanson wasn’t the only one building on an offseason as the Cubs front office got to work adding a litany of players like Kyle Tucker, Ryan Pressly, Eli Morgan and Matt Boyd.
[MORE: Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker details his approach and routine in the batter’s box]
These new additions bolstered early season projections of the Cubs with PECOTA having Chicago as a 90+ win team. While projections aren’t things that Swanson and the team take too seriously, they do know what having this level of talent can bring to a clubhouse.
“Some of these guys they’ve brought in here have done it a high level and know what it takes to get through a full season and to be productive is huge,” Swanson said. “I don’t think that we take that enough into consideration, guys that have been able to do it at a high level for a long time. There’s something about that physically but also mentally that really boost the team’s morale.”
Not only is there more experience on the Cubs roster but the youth in the organization (Owen Caissie, Matt Shaw, etc.) can also provide benefit.
“It’s obviously important to be able to have youth on a team. They know how to play and understand what’s expected of them,” Swanson said. “Really good teams have good players but great teams have really good young players. That’s a big piece of being able to be successful.”
The Chicago Cubs can see a step towards success in their first spring training game which is set for Feb. 20 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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