Underrated Star of Chicago Cubs Could Be Poised for Monster Season

Will an underrated member of the Chicago Cubs have a monster season?

Mar 18, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (27) takes an at-bat in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Even though the regular season didn’t get off to the best start for the Chicago Cubs, this is still a team with high expectations for 2025. 

Despite losing two games in Japan to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs should be a much-improved team this coming campaign. 

This winter, Chicago made numerous moves to improve the team and should be well-positioned for success. 

Additions like Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly should help strengthen what was an already good team in 2024. Filling a couple of needs with All-Star caliber players should result in a lot of success, but there are also players already on the team who could benefit from having some stars around them. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs as an underrated star who is set to break out. 

“As Suzuki figures to see more time at DH in deference to Kyle Tucker in right field, it's reasonable to expect him to stay healthy after he played 138 games in 2023 and 132 games in 2024. If he does, 30 homers will be within reach.”

Since coming over from Japan and signing with the Cubs, Suzuki has been a very solid producer for them. 

In three seasons, he has slashed 277/.353/.467. With a good combination of power and the ability to hit for a high average, Suzuki is a solid all-around hitter. 

With the addition of Tucker, the slugger will likely be seeing more time at designated hitter, which could benefit him greatly. 

If there is a knock on Suzuki, it is that he has missed some time throughout the years. The right-hander hasn’t been able to play in 140 games yet with Chicago, which has held back his overall stats a bit. 

However, if he is going to primarily be the designated hitter going forward, that should help keep his bat in the lineup. 

At 30 years old, he is smack in the middle of his prime and 2025 could be poised for a great year. 

With back-to-back seasons with a WAR over 3.0, Suzuki has firmly established himself as a good player. 

Now, taking the next step forward and becoming an All-Star caliber would only help Chicago achieve their goals this season. 

If staying off of the field helps Suzuki stay in the lineup, he has the potential to hit 25 home runs and drive in 90 runs this coming season. If that is the case with his normally high batting average, an All-Star appearance could be in his future. 

Hopefully, this ends up being a breakout year for the underrated star of the Cubs. With all eyes on Chicago, Suzuki could become a household name.

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