(Photo by Isaiah J. Downing)

One of the biggest talking points around the Pittsburgh Pirates right now is Jack Suwinski.

He’s a big power hitter who needs to play every day, according to some. He sucks and can’t figure things out here, say others. 

As with many arguments, the reality is somewhere in the middle. But with Jack Suwinski standing at exactly 102 games played this season, which was his total in 2022, I figured it was the perfect time to talk about him a little.

Through 102 games comparing this season to last, virtually every stat has risen for Suwinski. Depending on the stat, this is either great, or reason for concern. Let’s start with the good numbers.

Hits: 66 in 2022, 67 in 2023

Home runs: 19 in 2022, 21 in 2023

RBIs: 38 in 2022, 54 in 2023

Walks: 41 in 2022, 56 on 2024

Stolen bases: 4 in 2022, 8 in 2023

Those are all great. On the surface, his offensive production is increasing. All those figures are up, some in substantial fashion.

His 21 homers lead the Pirates. He’s second on the team in RBIs. His increase in walks isn’t a bad thing either.

But it’s a much more complicated conversation than that. 

Several negative stats are also on the rise, the biggest of which is his strikeout figure. 

His 131 Ks far and away lead the team, with the next closest player (Bryan Reynolds) not even cracking triple digits. It’s also 17 more than this time last season. 

Suwinski’s strikeout rate is incredibly high, sitting at over a third of his total at bats with 33.8%. As such, his batting average is concerningly low. He currently has a .208, which is just slightly better than his .202 last year. 

His batting average is amongst the lowest on the team, not something you usually see from the same guy who leads his team in home runs. 

And therein lies the real problem with Jack Suwinski. If he’s not hitting dingers, he’s really not doing anything.

Case in point, look at the month of August so far this year: in 42 at bats, Suwinski is batting an abysmal .071 average. He has just 3 hits, 2 RBIs, and 0 homers. 

Suwinski is a very streaky player, and while the highs are very good, the lows are pretty awful. That is especially the case when he is labeled as the team’s power hitter. 

Suwinski hasn’t hit a homer since July 24, and since then, has only 5 hits in 53 at bats. That’s an .094 average. In that same time frame, he’s struck out 24 times, or over 45% of his at bats. 

That’s something that cannot continue for him, especially when he has been criticized in the past for his inconsistent and at times subpar batting.

He’s definitely the type of player who could break out of this harsh stretch, but the longer it goes on, the more concerning it gets. 

It leads to questions about his ability to be consistent in the future, something he has yet to show in his major league career. 

Granted, he is still just 25 and has accrued just two major league seasons, but his cold streaks remain a serious issue. 

To the frustration of some, the Pirates still see Suwinski as a big part of their future. And how could they not? As mentioned before, he leads the team in homers. 

He still has potential to be a franchise cornerstone alongside Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes, but it certainly shouldn’t be guaranteed. 

With September rolling around in just a few weeks, the Pirates will be poised to bring up some more young players to compete for playing time. 

Suwinski is going to need to prove he is still deserving of an everyday roster spot, with some players challenging for center field time. 

Ultimately, Suwinski’s problems at the plate are of concern, but honestly, he is not the biggest problem on this team right now. 

Suwinski has the talent to turn things around, it’s just a matter of actually being able to swing his way out of this terrible slump.