Swanson finds perspective in fatherhood

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – Mornings are a special time for Dansby Swanson when he is at home in Chicago right now. That is when anything that happened at the field – good, bad or in between – fades away. It is when he sees his young daughter, Josie, light up and hears her laugh when he starts speaking.

“You come down in the morning,” Swanson said, “and when she hears my voice, that’s how she connects with me, that’s how she knows me. And she goes nuts. Just seeing her smile – or right now, getting videos and pictures of her at the playground and having fun being on the swings – it’s just a reminder of how amazing of a life we have and how fortunate I am to be her dad.”

This will be Swanson’s first Father’s Day after he and his wife, Mallory, welcomed their daughter to their family in November. The Cubs are planning a family day at the ballpark this weekend, giving the Swansons a chance to celebrate the holiday together with his teammates and their families.

Swanson said that will be a special day for his family, but really, being a new dad has given him a perspective shift on a daily basis this season. Swanson will be the first to admit that this season with the Cubs has not gone as he hoped – in the batter’s box, in particular – but his growing family has helped him stay grounded.

“In a way,” Swanson said, “it almost exposes how sometimes I still can get really fixated and bring work home with me, you know? It’s such a humble reminder that work can be left at work. It’s being home and being very present in Josie’s life – fully being there – not holding her up and still thinking about why I didn’t swing at a certain pitch.

“Being fully present with her every day is a humble reminder of how amazing it is to be able to go home to a beautiful wife and baby girl. Seeing them smile, all of it, it’s about as good as it gets. It’s hard to really explain.”

Swanson is very open about his Christian faith and said that has also helped him focus on his blessings, while continuing to remain diligent with his daily work with the Cubs. He views his skills on a baseball field as using the gifts he was given, while also recognizing that his family is also something to be grateful for every day.

Maintaining that mindset has helped him through this year’s struggles on the field.

“This year’s been hard, man,” Swanson said. “It’s just the batter’s box that has been really, really not what I was anticipating it being, right? But at the end of the day, that’s why you just continue to show up and truly be who you were called to be.”

And while Father’s Day puts Swanson in the spotlight for his family, he was quick to rave about how his wife has balanced motherhood with returning to the soccer pitch. Mallory made her comeback with Chicago Stars FC in May and scored her first goal after having Josie in her second game back on the field.

“Her determination and her sacrifice, she’s an inspiration for me,” Swanson said. “Not only to get back on the field, but to do it at a high level. And just having seen all the work that got to that point. It’s remarkable. I got to see all the moments that it took to get there. And I’ve seen it before with her.

“But it’s just another moment where she just continues to blow me away, just with who she is, how she handles herself, her determination. Nothing stops her, man. It’s pretty amazing.”