Chicago Cubs Season in Review: Seiya Suzuki

Seiya Suzuki was the hottest name for the Chicago Cubs entering the 2022 season. How did his first year in Major League Baseball fare?

The Chicago Cubs flaunted two key signings prior to the 2022 MLB season. Marcus Stroman was brought in to add a high-quality starter in the rotation while Seiya Suzuki provided excitement in the outfield with Jason Heyward moving over to center field. 

Suzuki was quite the headline right before the Cubs opened up spring training. The lockout allowed Chicago to ink the Japanese star and get him some at-bats in Arizona before the regular season began. 

As soon as he arrived, the feeling in the air was different around this ball club. Suzuki sparked life in the offense after flashing power in spring exhibitions and that carried into the early stages of the season. 

The 27-year-old rookie came out on fire to kick off his MLB career with a monstrous April. In 21 games, Suzuki hit four home runs and five doubles with 14 RBI and 13 runs scored. He was also walked 14 times to help raise his slash line to an incredible .279/.405/.529 split. 

Unfortunately, that was the best month of the season for Chicago's prized signing. To be fair to Suzuki, the transition in lifestyle, competition, and everything in between was destined to come with some slumps. 

He missed all of June with an injury and would later miss time on the paternity list, yet another major life change. With so much going on, it's impressive enough that Suzuki was able to stay focused and shake off the mental strain of this season. 

He was poor in May with zero home runs and a staggering .211 batting average in 20 games. Strikeouts were a consistent problem in his first season in a new league with 110 punchouts heading in Suzuki's direction. 

For the most part, the season came in monthly waves for Suzuki. His numbers bounced up and down each month of the season with every batting statistic rising in July and September but slumping in August. 

As the season slowly wrapped up for the struggling Cubs, Suzuki kept finding himself in the National League Rookie of the Year race, though that ship has sailed. He had a phenomenal first season given all of the circumstances. 

2022 was never going to be a clean season for the Cubs. They were not built to win or compete in any meaningful games but signing Seiya Suzuki was a glimpse into what the team wants to be in upcoming seasons. 

Seiya proved himself as one of the cornerstones of the roster as they look to start fresh in 2023. Along with Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, Suzuki is one of the few players that is locked into a starting role for this club in 2023. 

The discipline at the plate will be in Suzuki's favor, which is a big reason why he walked so often as a rookie. He also struck out because he took too many pitches early in at-bats so encouraging him to be more aggressive should be a part of the plan this winter. 

Final Grade: B

Seiya Suzuki was an exciting addition for the Cubs in 2022 and he provided quite the boost early in his career. As he settles into his role with Chicago, the numbers should continue to improve for the Japanese outfielder. 

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