Japanese rookie sensation Seiya Suzuki is off to an incredible start for the Chicago Cubs. While expectations within the organization were high, few could have expected Suzuki to produce this many quality plate appearances this early in the season.
As @CodifyBaseball pointed out on Twitter, Suzuki has 40 swings total this year, and has hit 4 singles, 2 doubles, and 4 home runs. His patient approach at the plate has led to a remarkable OBP of .543, as he has also drawn 9 walks to go along with his 10 hits.
Seiya Suzuki: 40 swings so far this year…
4 homers, 2 doubles, 4 singles!
Best ratio of total bases to swings in all of MLB!pic.twitter.com/fMb7MhA9yu— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 17, 2022
Suzuki has been hitting in the middle of the lineup to begin the season, but given how well he is seeing the ball right now, that may change very soon. The Cubs right fielder leads the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI’s, so manager David Ross may try and squeeze some more at bats out of his rising star. Suzuki’s OPS+ of 321 is currently the best in all of baseball, which would make him an ideal 2 or 3 hole hitter should he continue on his current pace. With a batter like Suzuki, who is capable of making the pitcher work and capitalizing on mistakes, at the top of the order the Cubs can make life hard on starting pitchers right out of the gate, and possibly tack on a few early runs to help their starting pitching.
Suzuki is not the only Cubs outfielder to shine early in the year. Center fielder Jason Heyward is also off to a nice start, hitting .333 with a .400 OBP. Meanwhile, Left fielder Ian Happ rounds out the outfield with .346 batting average and a .433 OPS, giving the Cubs one of the best hitting outfields in the league. The excitement continues to grow as Seiya Suzuki proves the hype was real, and the Cubs are on track to have a very exciting outfield for the rest of the 2022 season.
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