Pirates Need Jack Suwinski to Bounce Back
After making only one move of significance so far this offseason by acquiring infielder Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians, the Pittsburgh Pirates appear content with relying on some of its in-house options to step up and improve an offense that posted a National League-low .672 OPS in 2024.
Looking around the diamond, the lack of an everyday right fielder sticks out like a sore thumb for Pittsburgh. While platooning Joshua Palacios with Billy Cook is an intriguing option at the position, the club would benefit from Jack Suwinski bouncing back and emerging as a middle-of-the-order bat.
Part of the trade that sent Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres at the deadline in 2021, Suwinski made his MLB debut for the Pirates the following year and slashed .202/.298/.411 with 19 home runs and 1.2 fWAR in 106 games.
He then developed into one of the team's top hitters in 2022, batting .224/.339/.454 to go with 26 homers, 74 RBIs and a 112 wRC+ across 144 contests and 534 plate appearances.
Suwinski completely unraveled last season, however, as he hit .182/.264/.324 with nine home runs and -1.1 fWAR over 88 games. He didn't fare much better with Triple-A Indianapolis either, slashing .239/.307/.444 in 48 contests.
While his chase and walk rates moved in the wrong direction, both remained above-average at 22.9% and 9.7%, respectively. The biggest culprit for Suwinski was a lack of hard contact, as his barrel rate dropped from 15.7% in 2023 to 8.8% in 2024 while his average exit velocity fell from 90.5 miles-per-hour to 88.9.
His predictive metrics all declined as a result, and to add insult to injury, he posted a total of -7 Outs Above Average in the outfield after recording 3 the year prior.
Suwinski has all the tools to become a mainstay in Pittsburgh's lineup. Now, it's just a matter of putting the pieces back together during spring training in hopes of regaining his prior form and cracking the Opening Day roster.
