Jack

Suwinski

Pham probably won’t be very happy if the Pirates stick him into a platoon role at the beginning of the season, but based on Jack Suwinski’s performance this spring, it’d likely be the right play for the team. Even if Suwinski, who had a 110.6-mph double today, weren’t out-OPSing Pham by 400 points at the moment (1.022 to .624), he’d still project as the better hitter against righties. He’s the better defender, too.

Bae (1.168 OPS) and Jack Suwinski (1.025 OPS) are making things tough for a Pirates team that decided to promise spots to Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier, all of whom are long past their primes. Of course, it’s far from assured that either Bae or Suwinski will keep this up, but both truly might belong in the starting lineup against right-handers to begin the year. Alas, there only figures to be room for one on the roster unless someone gets hurt. Suwinski is probably the better choice for the Pirates, even if Bae is simply crushing it this spring. He has seven extra-base hits now. McCutchen, Pham and Frazier have combined for four.

Suwinski’s balls in play both exceeded 106 mph. He also went 2-for-3 with a homer on Wednesday, so this is quite a start of the spring for him. He will need to keep it going for a couple of more weeks before the Pirates give much thought to making room for him on the roster. It hurts his case that he has options and Joshua Palacios doesn’t.

Suwinski is one of a few hitters the Pirates are still carrying on their 40-man even while seemingly have no plans for them. He was bad last year, hitting .182/.264/.324 in 277 plate appearances before getting sent down, but he was a fine platoon outfielder in 2023. It might not matter much, but there’s a good chance the Pirates would be better off platooning him and Tommy Pham in left field than they will be with Pham as an everyday player.

He had to be helped off, so this is probably more than a day-to-day thing. It’s terrible timing for Bae, who suddenly seemed to be in line for quite a bit of playing time with Jack Suwinski getting sent down and Nick Gonzales going on the IL. Suwinski might be recalled now.

The 25-year-old outfielder has plenty of power and speed, he just hasn’t been able to hit consistently enough to stick with the Pirates at the major league level. Suwinski was slashing a miserable .182/.264/.324 with nine homers, 26 RBI, nine swipes and a 79/27 K/BB ratio across 277 plate appearances. No word yet on a corresponding move for the Pirates.

Despite getting a hit in each of his first two at-bats, the Pirates pulled Suwinski from the game when the Cardinals brought in a left-handed reliever. The 25-year-old has been solid in July, going 12-for-44 (.272) in 16 games with three home runs and three steals, but if his usage continues to be this limit, it’s going to make it hard to roster him in most fantasy formats.

The Pirates bats came alive in this one and Suwinski’s game was especially impressive. He became just the 15th player this season to hit four balls harder than 103 MPH in the same contest. His swing-and-miss issues remain, but Suwinski’s power is indisputable and he has found himself with another opportunity to contribute in Pittsburgh’s outfield.

Suwinski had the two hardest-hit balls of the day with a 109.7 mph single and a 107.5 mph home run that traveled 448 feet. It was his seventh big fly of the season and is still hitting under .190 on the year He has started four of the last five games in center field for the Pirates, but he only posted one total hit in the other starts. There remains some potential here, but this might not be Suwinski turning a corner yet.

Suwinski also drew a walk. The 25-year-old showed some fantasy promise at times in 2024, and while there’s still 90-plus games to go for the Pirates and the outfielder, he has not lived up to that promise this season with a .173/.270/.315 slash.