Pirates Outfielder Continues Struggles From Plate
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have an important piece in their outfield struggling immensely from the plate this season.
Jack Suwinski had his worst night from the plate this season for the Pirates in their 10-7 loss vs. the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park on April 18.
He had no hits in five at-bats and struckout four times, marking the sixth time in his career he's earned a golden sombrero.
Suwinski would also strikeout in the bottom of the ninth inning with two runners on and two outs, ending the game with a loss, where a hit could've kept the Pirates chance at completing the comeback going while a home run would've tied it.
He's currently hitting .128/.244/.154 for an OPS of .398, with just five hits in 39 at-bats and six walks to 19 strikeouts in 14 games.
Suwinski has the lowest batting average for any Pirates player who's had as many at-bats as him, and he has just two hits in his last nine games and 18 at-bats.
He also has just two games where he has hits, following his first two games against the Miami Marlins on March 29 and March 30.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton stood by Suwinski, but acknowledged they still need more from him.
"He's in between," Shelton said. "We've got to get him back out being aggressive and getting the ball out front."
Suwinski spent almost all of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Pirates, but struggled immensely in 2024.
He slashed .182/.264/.324 in 88 games with 27 walks to 79 strikeouts, 45 hits in 247 at-bats and just nine home runs.
The Pirates sent him down to Indianapolis twice, where he hit slighty better, .239/.307/.444 in 48 games with 43 hits, 10 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 27 RBIs.
Pittsburgh, overall, has hit poorly as a team, ranking second worst in the MLB, with a .202 batting average. Only the Chicago White Sox have hit worse, at .195.
The Pirates will need Suwinski to bounce back, but also, the rest of the team if they want to make this season a competitive one.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.