It was said that old men couldn’t stick to shortstop.
“You know, it’s like running back after 30 [years old]”At that time Rangers manager Chris Woodward said in 2020, he was surprised by the long defense of Elvis Andrus. There are not many.”
However, recently something has changed. Here’s a plot showing the number of shortstops who qualified for the batting title in their age 30 or older season. In 2026, there are nine eligibility measures, almost touching the previous peak in 2014:
I’m not entirely sure why this is happening. I think it’s because most teams sign long-term contracts that put them in for 30 years. If you’re spending at least $150 million on a shortstop, you’re going to want him to actually play shortstop. Some of these 30-year-old shorts are showing their age, while others were solid defenders at the very least. But while I can’t quite pinpoint what’s going on here, I think I understand how one short stop makes it work.
Dansby Swanson is no exception as Trea Turner, who maintains high sprint speed even in his declining years. And he doesn’t have a cannon like Carlos Correa, who fires runners deep in the dugout. Swanson rates as an above-average runner with a weak arm. However, during this decade, he was ranked as the best defender at the position by Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value.
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Fielding Run Value Leaders, SS (2020-2026)
| Name | SS FRV | SS innings |
|---|---|---|
| Dansby Swanson | 60.2 | 7,599 |
| Francisco Lindor | 56.4 | 7,177 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | 43.1 | 5,200 |
| Nick Ahmed | 33.1 | 2,717 |
| Ezequiel Tovar | 30.2 | 3,902 |
| Brandon Crawford | 25.6 | 3,421 |
| Miguel Rojas | 25.5 | 4,250 |
| Nicky Lopez | 25.4 | 2,090 |
| Masyn Winn | 22.9 | 3,021 |
| Nick Allen | 18.0 | 2,683 |
Source: Baseball Savant
Most of Swanson’s value, it should be said, was compiled in the early 2020s. But having lost a step or two over the last few years, he has managed to remain a defensive player.
While writing this article, I started thinking about the great tennis player Daniil Medvedev. For years, Medvedev has been able to stay at or near the top of the men’s tour with flat groundstrokes with cutting power in the middle and unmatched quality service. His superpower tracks down every ball, regardless of speed or run, and redirects it deep down the field. Unlike Swanson, Medvedev will likely emerge as a plus-plus mover. But I thought about him because, in my eyes, they have some local intelligence.
Both Medvedev and Swanson use a fair amount of effort to track the ball at contact. On the tee, the defender must learn the shot and the trajectory of the shot and know in one second to intercept the ball and how his body will need to be positioned to return the shot. The shortstop does the same. Speed can help, but the game is really made in the reading of the bat. This is where the shortstop must visualize the next few seconds before they actually happen, from the interception position to the angle of their body as they direct the throw to first base, all of this taking into account the speed of the runner and the position he sees in space.
It’s not speed or power that makes Swanson a good midfielder, but instead it’s this fundamental understanding that allows him to hold onto the position without top tools.
This is not only evident in his ability to track balls, but also in his ability to measure his throws well. A post I saw the other day made this point perfectly: “My favorite thing about watching Dansby Swanson play defense is that he throws every ball to first with the EXACT amount of zip he needs on each play. No more, no less. A level of feel for the game that I’m not sure I’ve seen anywhere else.”
Back in 2023, Elise Menaker presented a report on Cubs broadcasts about the origins of Swanson’s internal clock. At Vanderbilt, Swanson would practice under certain timing conditions – the ball had to be delivered to the first baseman in four seconds or less. These drills, Menaker reported, are the foundation of his ability to hit a runner with a pitch every time, regardless of the type of pitch.
It hasn’t been his best defensive season. His +1 FRV this year and +2 in 2025 suggest he’s now slightly above average instead of elite, but the qualities that made him the best this decade — intuition, range, clock — have been on display in various areas.
Just look at this ground ball hit by Nathaniel Lowe earlier this month. Swanson slides down, collects the ball, pounces, and hits a throw that beats Lowe by a step.
At full speed, it looks impressive; at quarter speed, even cooler. Right off the bat, Swanson has pinpointed the exact coordinates of the interception, and his small, flexible steps guide him to that point. Just before snapping the ball, Swanson begins to throw his body toward center field, getting a head start on the upcoming 360 spin. He even throws a small clutch double when he realizes he has a handful of milliseconds to defend himself on the throw. Everything is measured.
He does this so often that, later in the same inning, he makes an almost identical play:
Here’s one for good measure, catching Jacob Young who was very fast at the start. Notice how the whole process is sped up, compared to the two highlights above, this time to match the speed of the runner:
Swanson is most effective on slow rollers; he got the most defensive part of his career by coming up with balls. His watch is shown here in a chaotic situation, with the runner falling in front of the ball, and perhaps even deliberately trying to disrupt his line of sight. Freddy Fermin, the batter, actually has decent speed, but Swanson has good movement down here, never rushes and still finds Fermin in stride.
In the game below, Swanson faces a slightly different challenge – Chandler Simpson slicing a ball five feet in front of the plate into the turf. Swanson’s pace, naturally, is quick to match Simpson’s pace, and he gets him by the same margin as Fermin.
Swanson can be narrowed down in certain circumstances. Turner is (still is, somewhat) one of the fastest guys in the league; Swanson stayed in his chopper, and it took a lot of effort to shoot him. It was not intended:
And Swanson doesn’t have the overpowering physicality to do Bobby Witt Jr.-style plays deep in the hole to his right. The Savant model gave Swanson a 50/50 shot of making the play, but it didn’t seem like he had a chance:
If there is a second forced play, however, he can handle it well:
As all of these shorts stick to their functions, Swanson offers a one-way model that can be made. It doesn’t really take your mid-20s body to be successful defensively, but it can take an incredible combination of sight, perception, and feeling.
