The next great Chicago Cub
It’s been a month of firsts for Seiya Suzuki. The Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder got his first major league hit during his first big league game on Opening Day. His first home run came just 48 hours later. A day after that, he helped the Cubs win with their first-ever game-plus home run game. Then came the honors: NL Player of the Week, followed by NL Rookie of the Month in April.
But Suzuki is missing one thing he’ll need during his major league career after spending nine seasons playing in Japan.
“Practice is much shorter here. You also get to the field later. Batting practice isn’t as long. I have more time.”
Teammate Chris Martin, who played in Japan for several years, understands Suzuki’s amazement at the shorter work days in MLB.
“Over there they work nonstop,” Martin said of baseball players in Japan. “They don’t feel prepared unless they’re working. Even after games, they take dry swings, work out and stuff. They just keep working.”
Martin believes Suzuki will need to learn to turn off the “baseball switch” to stay sharp during a full 162-game MLB season. He suggested video games or golf as good hobbies to pick up. Golf was also outfielder Ian Happ’s idea.
“His dad likes golf,” Happ said. “Maybe golf is his thing.”
The reason the Japanese star’s possible off-field interests have become a topic of conversation in the Cubs’ dressing room is because, at least in the first few weeks, he seems to have figured out the whole baseball thing.
After signing a five-year, $85 million contract in March, Suzuki has shown he can handle one of the biggest challenges for hitters coming out of Japan’s NPB: dealing with big-league speed after moving from a league more known for fine pitching. He has posted a 1.047 OPS against four-seam straights and a .947 mark against two-seam straights and sinkers so far.
In his first 11 games, he had a 1.478 OPS, but now pitchers have a better idea of how to pitch to him. His next 11 games produced a .175 batting average and 14 strikeouts in 40 at-bats.
“Opponents didn’t know me,” Suzuki said. “There wasn’t a lot of data on me. I was just reacting to pitches. Right now there’s more data. There are different ways they’re trying to approach me.”
So, in addition to finding something to do with his free time, the 27-year-old’s challenge is to prove that his strong start is the sign of a productive future in the majors and not just a first-month mirage. The Cubs, at least, have no doubt that it’s the former.
“We went after him very hard,” explained president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. “He was the perfect guy for this offseason.”
When Suzuki was looking for a home in MLB this offseason, the Cubs were a team without much star power. Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant were traded last July. Kyle Schwarber was placed on assignment during the previous offseason. The moves left Chicago without the four biggest offensive stars from its 2016 World Series-winning squad.
But the decision to rebuild left the Cubs with money to spend and in a winter with several high-profile free agents available, they zeroed in on Suzuki early in the offseason. After a series of preliminary Zoom meetings in November, the team had to wait until after the 99-day MLB lockout in the winter before making its full offer.
One benefit of the delay: it gave the Cubs time to do their homework on Suzuki, perhaps more than with any player in recent memory.
“‘We’re going to have some time, so let’s focus and get an idea of what our evaluation is,'” Hoyer recalled telling his staff. “You rarely have time to do that. Our opinion of him continued to rise.”
Shortly after the lockout ended, Cubs brass had a chance to convince Suzuki to put Chicago at the top of his list.
Hoyer, manager David Ross, hitting coach Greg Brown and owner Tom Ricketts invited Suzuki and Suzuki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, to dinner in Los Angeles, where the agent was based, to make their pitch: a chance to meet face-to-face that Hoyer was worried he wouldn’t get because of the speed of things in the offseason once free agency resumed.
While they couldn’t offer an immediate chance to win, a willingness to make a long-term commitment helped the Cubs stand out from a long list of suitors. Hoyer made it clear to Wolfe early on that they were interested in a five-year contract.
“I’m sure other teams were coming in with shorter offers, offering opt-outs and stuff,” Hoyer said. “I wanted to invest in him for what we’re trying to build. An opt-out option after two or three years, I don’t want that. That doesn’t make sense for us.”
At the dinner, the Cubs went out of their way to sell the vision of the team and the city of Chicago to Suzuki. A virtual presentation of Wrigley Field, complete with virtual reality goggles, helped in the process.
“That went as well as those things can go,” Hoyer said. “I was so focused on letting him know everything we had to offer, I really wasn’t evaluating things at the time. So as we were walking to the car, I said, ‘I think that went well.’ And the other guys said ‘You think?’ Those guys had a little more awareness. It went well. Then we did it pretty quickly after that.”
Impressed by what the Cubs told him in California, Suzuki wanted to visit Chicago personally and tour Wrigley Field in person before committing to the team. The trip sealed the deal.
“The environment was very important to me,” he said. “I wanted to get a look at the city and the field before I signed. I ended up seeing myself there.”
Suzuki immediately showed his personality to his new fans in Chicago. He grabbed the microphone at his introductory press conference at the Cubs’ spring training facility in Arizona to explain why he chose to wear No. 27.
“Mike Trout,” he said with a big smile. “I love you.”
When tuning into a major league game in Japan, Suzuki often ended up watching the Angelinos because of Shohei Ohtani’s popularity. But even though he shared Ohtani’s history in NPB and his ability to excel on the mound and at the plate, it was the three-time MVP Trout whom Suzuki envisioned himself emulating as his dream of making it to MLB grew.
“I was a pitcher, but I didn’t want to be a pitcher,” Suzuki said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a great pitcher.”
Suzuki was selected as a pitcher by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the second round of the 2012 NPB draft, but became a full-time position player upon joining the team and dominated the league as a hitter from his debut in 2015 through his final season of 2021, posting a .315 career batting average, connecting for 182 home runs and making five NPB All-Star teams.
It didn’t take long for the combination of contact, power and patience that made him one of Japan’s best professional players to impress even his major league idol.
“He’s the complete package,” Trout said recently. “I talked to Shohei about him before he signed. He’s got a good approach up there. When he gets a ball to hit, he doesn’t miss it.”
After seeing Suzuki at the plate firsthand for a month, Cubs teammate Nick Madrigal agreed: “He gets his bases on balls but he’s aggressive at the same time. I’d say he has a very professional approach at the plate.”
“And he’s a lot of fun.”
Madrigal and the other current Cubs marveled at those first two weeks. Suzuki was in a new country, a new city, a new league and playing in less than ideal weather conditions. His approach never wavered. He managed 12 hits and 12 base on balls in his first 11 games while playing solid defense in right field.
Now, Suzuki must balance working to return to early-season form with adjusting to a new schedule.
“There’s still not a lot of time to get around Chicago,” Suzuki said. “I’ll go during the off days, but I have to keep my strength up for the long season.”
As easy as he made the adjustment seem in the early days, there are surely difficulties ahead. But the Cubs already see that Suzuki’s ability to fit into their dressing room shows a personality that will win over fans in his new city.
“We’ve gotten into it with him. He’s a good sport about it,” Martin said. “You can tell he’s got a really good personality. There’s a good vibe.”
Chicago is starting to feel it.
