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Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is off to a hot start in his rookie season. Dennis Sosic profiles the Japanese star for 2022 fantasy baseball.
I don't recall having this many talented rookies in the majors debut so early. Bobby Witt Jr. started his big league career by hitting a go-ahead double, propelling the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. The Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena hit his first career home run against the Angels in Anaheim. We haven't even seen the first of many highlights from Julio Rodriguez and Spencer Torkelson.
We have heard from Japanese import Seiya Suzuki as he is off to a hot start in his MLB debut.
Who exactly is Seiya Suzuki and what should fantasy managers realistically expect from him?
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Nippon Professional Baseball Star
Seiya Suzuki is a nine-year veteran in Nippon Professional Baseball. He averaged .309 with a .402 OBP and a .943 OPS across his nine seasons. In addition, Suzuki has produced four straight seasons of at least a .300 batting average, .400 OBP, and .500 slugging percentage.
Suzuki is coming off an outstanding 2021 season that saw him produce an exceptional .317/.433/.639 slash, slug 38 home runs, 88 RBI, 88 walks, with a .433 OBP.
The righty slugger has more than 100 career steals in NPB and is a five-time NPB Gold Glove winner as a strong-armed RF.
Cubs Sign Japanese Outfielder
Suzuki drew plenty of interest from many clubs, including Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, among other teams linked to the 27-year-old outfielder.
However, he ultimately signed with the Cubs due primarily to the words of encouragement of former Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish and current infielder Nick Madrigal. All three players share the same agent, Joel Wolfe. In addition, Darvish gave a ringing endorsement of Chicago and the Cubs. Darvish, who pitched for the Cubs from 2018-21 before last offseason's trade to the Padres, and Madrigal helped recruit the Japanese slugger to the Windy City.
His 5-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Cubs is the largest in Major League Baseball history for a Japanese position player. The only Japanese position players to have sustained success in MLB are Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, and 2021 AL MVP and two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
The outfield was a glaring need to upgrade this offseason. Chicago Cubs manager David Ross was faced with the challenge of juggling outfielders in a mix and match potion with Jason Heyward, Ian Happ, and Clint Frazier, among others vying to fill the Cubs outfield. However, the addition of Suzuki provides Ross with his everyday right fielder and middle-of-the-order bat in an otherwise unappealing lineup.
Is Suzuki a Hit?
Seiya Suzuki's first weekend was encouraging, and the Chicago Cubs have to be elated with the addition of Suzuki to a Cubs lineup that was short on offensive firepower.
Suzuki has reached base eight times in his first three regular-season games. He is 3-for-8 with four walks in 13 plate appearances. Additionally, he has seen 57 pitches through three games and has only swung and missed once. Suzuki has done most of his damage against three of the best starters in the National League: Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta.
Through three games, he is slashing .375/.538/.750 with three hits, including a home run that left the bat at 110.9 mph and traveled 412 feet.
Conclusion
Suzuki's hot start keeps getting better as he recently clobbered two homers against Pittsburgh! Suzuki is precisely what the Cubs needed with a power bat in the middle of their lineup. Currently, Suzuki is ranked as the #38 OF, but he should start climbing up the ranks. Fantasy managers should expect Suzuki to be a top-25 OF this season and win the National League Rookie of the Year.
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