Pirates Manager Reveals Goal For Jack Suwinski
In this story:
Jack Suwinski has shown signs of returning to form early in Spring Training for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Suwinski continued his hot start on Thursday when he went 2-3 with a double and three RBIs in the Pirates' 12-1 win over the Minnesota Twins at the Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday. In seven at-bats this spring, Suwinski is batting .571 with one home run and four RBIs.
Suwinski's hot start is a more than welcome sign for Pittsburgh, but ultimately, it'll come down to how he performs in the regular season if he can earn himself a consistent role in the 2025 season. For Pirates manager Derek Shelton, he believes Suwinski's consistency will have to pave the way toward him finding his success from 2022 and 2023.
Jack Suwinski, trying to make the roster, just sent on out for his first spring training HR pic.twitter.com/vEU6rEPxaK
— Christian✞ (@CWolfPGH) February 26, 2025
"I think that's the big thing with Jack," Shelton said. "We've seen stretches where it's been really good, and we've seen stretches where he's struggled, and we just got to find consistency...You don't see a lot of guys that hit 26 homers in a season, and that's where the consistency comes into play, but also, we know it's in there."
Suwinski, 26, had a promising first two seasons in the big leagues in 2022 and 2023. He batted .202/.298/.411 with 19 home runs and 38 RBIs in his rookie season and had a 1.2 Wins Above Replacement. Suwinski took another step in 2023, as he had 26 home runs and 74 RBIs and improved his slash line, batting .224/.339/.454.
The left-handed hitting outfielder struggled mightily in 2024, posting a -1.7 bWAR with a .182/.264/.324 slash line along with nine home runs and 26 RBIs.
Pittsburgh's hope of clinching its first playoff berth since 2015 will rely heavily on players bouncing back from down performances in 2024. If Suwinski can get back to the player he was in 2022 and 2023, it'll go a long way toward the Pirates being in the thick of the race in the National League Central.
