It’s Wednesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest gathering of night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We are so glad you decided to stop by. We’re open late tonight. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. I think there are still a couple of tables available. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-1 lead over the Guardians with a 3-0 win. The Mets advanced to the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 win over the Phillies. The Yankees took a two-games-to-one lead over the pesky Royals with a 3-2 win in KC. The Dodgers are routing the Padres as I write this, so that series is likely heading back to Los Angeles tied up at two wins each.
Last night I asked you a question about the Cubs closer position, specifically whether you think Porter Hodge should have the job to start next season. Fifty-three percent of you feel that the job is Hodge’s and he should keep it to start the 2025 season. Another 44 percent feel the Cubs should find someone through free agency or trade to close and that Hodge should pitch in a less prominent role.
Earlier this week I asked you to grade the Cubs’ 2024 left fielder, Ian Happ. Tonight I’m going to ask you to grade the Cubs’ right-fielder, Seiya Suzuki.
Of course, maybe it’s wrong to say that Suzuki is the Cubs’ right fielder, since he played right field exactly once after August 14. He was a full-time DH after that. We were told that Suzuki was a good defensive right fielder before he came over from Japan, but that hasn’t proven to be true. Whether Suzuki’s defensive struggles are because of age or injuries or just that his reputation was overstated, it doesn’t really matter. At the moment, Suzuki is a DH. Maybe that changes next year if Cody Bellinger opts out of his contract. Maybe it doesn’t.
But as far as being a DH goes, Suzuki was very good. His triple-slash line of .283/.366/.482 lead the Cubs in all three categories. They were also career-highs for Suzuki in batting average and on-base percentage and just .003 behind his 2023 slugging percentage. That’s all the more impressive because Wrigley Field played like an extreme pitcher’s park this past season for some reason. Suzuki hit .308/.368/.546 with 13 of his 21 home runs on the road.
Suzuki’s OPS+ was 138, which was tied with Francisco Lindor for seventh in the National League, and Lindor has been touted as an MVP candidate. Of course, Lindor being an excellent defensive shortstop makes him more valuable than Suzuki as a below-average right fielder/DH. But still.
Of course, the other knock on Suzuki has been his inability to get through an entire MLB season without getting hurt. Once again, Suzuki missed nearly a month in April and May with an oblique strain, which is the same injury that caused him to miss the beginning of the 2023 season and the World Baseball Classic.
Sahadev Sharma has a story today in The Athletic (sub. req) today about Suzuki’s 2024 season and the promise of 2025 if you want more information.
So give Seiya Suzuki a grade for his 2024 season.
