Despite hitting 19-home runs last year, Jack Suwinski posted a below league average wRC+ in 2022. A lot of that was due to a 30% strikeout rate, as he finished in the 6th percentile in the category, as well as the 15th percentile when it comes to whiff rate.
Suwinski is currently in the 96th percentile when it comes to chase rate this season, which is an elite number. On the flip side, his whiff rate is still among the league’s worst — in the 13th percentile.
So he isn’t chasing pitches out of the zone, but is still missing at pitches he shouldn’t be missing.
He really struggled in spring, leading to the debate as to whether or not he should automatically retain his roster spot. The way Ben Cherington spoke during Spring Training, it actually seemed like it was never in doubt, and Suwinski made the opening day roster.
It was really more of the same for Suwinski, he’s still striking out a lot, but when he does make contact, he tears the cover off the ball.
This season he’s posting some of the best batted ball metrics in the game, despite carrying a whiff and strikeout rate in the 13th percentile.
Suwinski is second on the Pirates with four homers. He hit back-to-back homers to lead off the game on Tuesday, giving him home runs in three straight at-bats.
THREE STRAIGHT AT BATS WITH A HOME RUN
What makes his power the most impressive is that he did it with the eighth most at-bats among Pirates position players.
The lessened at-bats highlights exactly what is working for Suwinski, they are picking the spots better to play him the lineup. He’s had four at-bats against lefties, his ultimate weak spot last year, and they’ve even been selective against some of the righties he’s faced as well.
In this case, they’ve let him completely run loose in one of the most notorious hitter’s ball parks in the league.
For Suwinski, being able to leverage what is working for him, into situations that favors him is perfectly displaying ‘less is more’.
PROSPECT NOTES
— Matt Gorski hit his second home run of the season, a grand slam, on Tuesday but the most important number on the day for him was zero. As in he didn’t strikeout at all, which has been a huge problem for him this season.
— It didn’t take long for the Greensboro to get to displaying the power playing at home for the first time, in a game that was finally streamed on MiLB TV, as they launched four home runs on the night.
Mike Jarvis, Jase Bowen, Maikol Escotto, and Will Matthiessen all went deep in Greensboro’s loss.
— The top of the Bradenton order is really cruising right now. Tuesday night Jesus Castillo and Enmanuel Terrero combined to go 5-for-9 with four runs, two RBI and a walk – all without striking out. Terrero picked up his second triple of the season as well.
Check out the rest of the action in the nightly Prospect Watch.
Prospect Watch: Pirates Get Some Welcome Pitching Performances
Daily Video Rundown
It hasn’t been the best of starts for Cal Mitchell, but you can see him starting to string some hits together.
Cal Mitchell givin' us a three-run lead in the third.
Here’s a look at that Gorski grand slam, his second home run of the season.
Bases loaded for Matt Gorski of the @AltoonaCurve … bases unloaded by the No. 17 #Pirates prospect.
Tune into the FREE Game of the Day: https://t.co/aKtGFgX9NB pic.twitter.com/NnZdPI0lTc
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 18, 2023
Another player who got off to a slow start, but looks like he might be slowly heating up, Henry Davis drives in a run on this single here.
It's a line drive in the books and an RBI-single for @henrydavis32 to give us a 2-0 lead!
PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY
By Tim Williams
I’ve been making some slight adjustments behind the scenes this week to the content schedules. The Prospect Watch will now post at the end of the night, similar to the Pirates game recap. The daily discussion will get a new format tomorrow, incorporating MLB and minor league discussion into one article.
If you scroll down on the main page of the site, you’ll see a section for our player features. These are the site’s reporting, live views, video scouting reports, and weekly top performers. Each week, we will have five player stories, plus the top performers article every Monday.
Check out the latest player feature, a scouting breakdown by Anthony Murphy on the new pitch that has helped to unlock Johan Oviedo’s arsenal. Oviedo takes the mound against the Rockies this afternoon at 3:10 PM EST.
I’ll have my first column in a week after the game.
Pirates Recap: Velasquez and Suwinski Lead the Latest Victory
Prospect Watch: Pirates Get Some Welcome Pitching Performances
**John Dreker with some news on the international front: Pirates Add Two Pitchers to Their International Signing Class
SONG OF THE DAY
There’s a 50% chance that my column tomorrow is titled “Time to Pretend”.
