Position: OF
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 215 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: 07/29/1998
High School: Williams H. Taft HS (Chicago, IL)
Drafted: 15th Rd., 444th Overall, 2016 (Padres)
How Acquired: Trade (with Tucupita Marcano and Michell Miliano from Padres for Adam Frazier)
Bonus: $550,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 1
Overview
The Padres drafted Suwinski out of high school in the 15th round and signed him to a bonus well above the slot value. He made limited progress in his first four years, in particular not showing more than middling power. In 2021, though, he took a big step forward. His approach seems to have changed from time to time, with sharply fluctuating walk and K rates. In 2021 he seems to have settled on waiting for pitches to drive, with the resultant high walk and K rates. He’s mostly struggled with LHPs, including 2021. The scouting reports on Suwinski’s speed and defense prior to the Pirates acquiring him were poor, but you have to wonder who the scouts were watching. StatCast rates him with well above-average speed and a slightly above-average arm. It also, based on Outs Above Average, rates him well above-average defensively even though he doesn’t get great jumps. That’s true whether he’s playing in a corner or in center. The Pirates picked up Suwinski in the Adam Frazier trade.
2016-20
Suwinski didn’t show a lot in his first four years. In his first full year, in 2017, he didn’t hit well in low A, including a high K rate. The Padres sent him back there in 2018 and he cut down sharply on the strikeouts while improving modestly overall. In 2019, in the high-offense California League, he had a very rough season, putting up just a .653 OPS and striking out in over a third of his at-bats. He didn’t play during the pandemic season.
2021-22
In AA in 2021, Suwinski suddenly broke out, batting 269/398/551 in a strong pitcher’s park. His walk and K rates were both very high, so he probably was working to wait on good pitches. After the Pirates acquired him in late July, the power tailed off. The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the season.
In 2022, Suwinski had a season of extremes. Oddly, the Pirates sent him back to Altoona and he got off to a great start. After being called up to the majors in late April, he hit passably for about a month and then got hot in June, batting 250/347/568. In July, though, he fell into an 0-for-29 slump in which he seemed exceptionally indecisive at the plate, checking his swing constantly. The Pirates sent him to Indianapolis and he struggled a lot there, too, striking out in 38% of his plate appearances. The Pirates brought him back up near the end of August and he stayed in the majors the rest of the way. His hitting recovered somewhat, as he managed an OPS of .716 in September. Suwinski had oddly extreme home/road splits. At PNC Park he batted 282/373/609, while on the road in the majors he hit a microscopic 112/211/182. He also had an extreme platoon split, with a .794 OPS against RHPs and .511, with a .122 average, against LHPs. In the majors, Suwinski mainly split his time between left and right, but he also made ten starts in center.
2023-24
Suwinski spent all of the 2023 season in Pittsburgh. He generally played center, but sometimes moved to a corner for Ji Hwan Bae. His hitting improved some, but the extreme streakiness and the swing-and-miss remained. He also created a great deal of frustration among Pirate fans by frequently looking at third strikes, more often than any other hitter in baseball, often with runners on base. Suwinski’s bat disappeared for long stretches, such as a miserable month of August in which he hit just one home run, put up a .529 OPS and struck out in nearly half his ABs. Derek Shelton mostly kept Suwinski in the lineup against LHPs, which proved costly as he had just a .609 OPS against them. Still, he led the team in home runs with 26 and OPS at .793. Defensively, OAA considered him above average in center.
The 2024 season didn’t go well for Suwinski, as he fell off a cliff both at the plate and in the field. Out of 1,454 players who appeared in MLB, his -1.1 fWAR was the 11th worst. He batted 182/265/324 for the Pirates. His walk rate fell from 14% in 2023 to 10%, although his K rate also fell a little, from 32% to 29%. On defense, Statcast graded him well below average, just in the sixth percentile. He played all three outfield positions, starting 41 games in center and 24 in left. The Pirates sent Suwinski to AAA briefly in late May, then when he returned stuck with the struggles until the end of July. In AAA after the second demotion he got off to a terrible start, going 4-for-48, including a 1-for-38 stretch. He hit better after that, batting 309/355/529 in September. Over 48 games with Indy, his walk and K rates still weren’t good, at 8% and 29%.
Stats
Transactions
June 11, 2016: Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round, 444th overall pick; signed on July 7.
July 25, 2021: Traded by the San Diego Padres with Tucupita Marcano and Michell Miliano to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Adam Frazier and cash.
November 19, 2021: Contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.