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MICHAEL SUCHY, CORNER OUTFIELDER
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| Born: April 15, 1993 Height: 6’3″ Weight: 220 Bats: Right Throws: Right Drafted: 5th Round, 161st Overall, 2014 How Acquired: Draft College: Florida Gulf Coast University Agent: N/A |
WTM’S PLAYER PROFILE |
| Suchy was the third right fielder the Pittsburgh Pirates took in the first five rounds of the 2014 draft. He is a solid, well-built player who also excelled at football. He had a strong sophomore year, but didn’t build off of that as a junior, putting up very similar stats across the board. Suchy is considered a raw player, with questions about his bat. He swings and misses a lot, making it hard for him to put his raw power to use. Another concern is that his power comes mainly from strength rather than bat speed. He has particular trouble with off-speed pitches down and away. His defense is solid thanks to above average speed and an average arm, but he profiles as a right fielder. The question is whether his bat will be good enough for him to advance to the majors at a position where offense is important. Baseball America rated him as the 217th best draft prospect, while others had him lower. Suchy signed shortly after the draft. His bonus of $275,000 was $16,000 below the slot amount.
2014 Suchy was the regular right fielder at Jamestown. He didn’t hit well, with the power being a disappointment. His K rate was high but not alarming. 2015 Suchy was the regular right fielder for West Virginia. He started the season hitting much the same as the previous year, batting 236/361/365 in April and May. After that, he hit 294/363/478. The improvement may have resulted from Suchy becoming more aggressive at the plate, as he went from 24 walks and 36 Ks the first two months to 30 walks and 67 Ks the last three and a fraction months. Whether that approach will work at higher levels remains to be seen, but he’s not going far as a corner outfielder with a .365 slugging average. Suchy tailed off late in the season, with an OPS of .626 over the last four weeks that could have resulted from fatigue. He had a mild reverse platoon split. 2016 Suchy was the regular in right all year for Bradenton. His hitting dropped off a good bit, especially in the power department. Some of that was undoubtedly the move to the Florida State League, but it’s hard to conclude that it all was. He continued to walk at a good rate, but his K rate increased from one every four and a half ABs to better than one every four. Suchy actually hit well from May through July, but was undermined by a .500 OPS in April and .592 in August (plus a 1-for-10 September). He struggled with LHPs for some reason, posting only a .454 OPS against them. 2017 Suchy’s 2016 season was a step backward, but the Pirates moved him up to Altoona anyway. He opened the season as the starter in right, but missed a month and a half starting in early May due to hamate surgery. Suchy had a decent batting line in April of 279/315/397, but he struck out in a third of his plate appearances. After returning from the surgery he struggled severely, batting .155 and striking out 70 times in 182 ABs. How much of the trouble was the aftermath of the surgery is hard to say, but he struggled throughout the season with off-speed and breaking pitches. He did, however, hit very well in the playoffs. The Pirates will probably send Suchy back to Altoona in 2018. |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2018: Minor League Contract |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: $275,000 MiLB Debut: 2014 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2020 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2017 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| June 6, 2014: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 5th round, 161st overall pick; signed on June 11. |
