At this point, Jack Suwinski isn’t worried about results. He’s focusing on putting together quality at-bats, making good swing choices and feeling comfortable at the plate.
Through six Grapefruit League games, Suwinski believes he’s accomplished what he’s set out to do and he’s seeing the results as well. But, it's not even March, so he’s staying focused on the task at hand.
“The quality of the swing means more to me than the results themselves,” Suwinski said. “I mean that ball can be hit hard and someone can catch it or it could easily be an 0-fer day. The good feelings and the quality at bats are a little more sustainable.”
After going 2-for-3 with a home run on Wednesday, the 26-year-old outfielder today tallied three RBIs on two hits, while also walking once and striking out once as part of the Pirates’ 12-1 win over the Twins at Hammond Stadium. He also stole two bases as well.
Over the past two days, Suwinski has tallied four hits, four RBIs, one walk and just one strikeout. In the only other game he played in, he went 0-for-1 with a strikeout and a walk.
This season is crucial for Suwinski, who’s coming off a 2024 season in which he recorded a -1.7 WAR while hitting .182/.264/.324 with a .588 OPS. He put in the work this offseason to try and produce the numbers he did in 2023 when he recorded a 2.2 WAR with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs while hitting .224/.339/.454 with a .793 OPS.
Suwinski said the changes he made aren’t anything “crazy.” He didn’t divulge what he worked on specifically, but said it came down to asking himself one question: “How do you play the best baseball?”
“Everyone is going to play their best differently,” Suwinski said. “So, it’s just figuring out how I do that and buying in on that and a lot of trust man, a lot of trust.”
As Suwinski tries to regain his 2023 form, Derek Shelton said the Pirates are just looking for consistency. Suwinski has been good at times and he’s struggled in others. But, one thing that has been consistent within those struggles, according to Shelton, has been Suwinski’s approach at the plate.
Shelton said he’s seen Suwinski become more passive at the plate when he's struggled, which has caused him to get behind in counts so he can’t be as selective with the pitches he chooses to attack. Despite those struggles, Shelton said the Pirates are giving him leeway because of the results he’s produced in the past.
“Those numbers in and of themselves, you don’t see guys do,” Shelton said. “You don’t see a lot of guys that hit 26 homers in a season and that’s where the consistency comes into play. But, also, we know it’s in there. Not only that, yesterday, he made a sliding catch in foul territory. So there are a lot of positive things there, but we just have to bring it all together.”
Part of that, for Suwinski, is having the confidence to perform. I spoke with him while the Pirates were still at Pirate City and he told me that his mentality, like he expressed today, is not to get tied up in the results of his at-bats.
“Baseball is a game of confidence, especially with the amount of failure that we experience,” Suwinski said. “So just remembering who you are, staying true to yourself and not letting the results and that kinda thing get you wrapped up.”
With two outfield positions locked up heading into the 2025 season -- Oneil Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field -- Suwinski could be competing for time in left field with Tommy Pham and others. But, he also has the versatility to play all three outfield positions and he’s trying to add to that as well by getting reps at first base this spring. That's valuable when it comes to the coaching staff deciding who will make the opening day roster.
Suwinski hasn’t played first base in a game yet, but I witnessed him take grounders and work on his footwork at first on a side field at Pirate City after a practice had wrapped up. It was something that he shared interest in during PiratesFest, Shelton said.
“I think he brought it up to Donnie (Kelly) at PiratesFest and said, 'Hey, I want to try to get over there.' It's only going to be helpful, because any work you do, any short work you do with your glove, is going to help an outfielder getting out there,” Shelton said. “It's encouraging. I think he'd worked on it a little bit when he was with the Padres in the minor leagues. We'll see where it goes from there."
It’s still early in spring training, but Suwinski is trying to regain a roster spot on the major-league level. To do that, he needs to produce at the plate and if he sticks to his process, he knows the results will come.
“Some of the quality swings and like the feeling that comes along with it, feels pretty good,” Suwinski said. “Just working through some of the stuff that we did over the offseason and having those conversations with the hitting guys and I think it’s coming along.”
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
10:01 pm - 02.27.2025Fort Myers, Fla.Suwinski focused on ‘quality of swing’
At this point, Jack Suwinski isn’t worried about results. He’s focusing on putting together quality at-bats, making good swing choices and feeling comfortable at the plate.
Through six Grapefruit League games, Suwinski believes he’s accomplished what he’s set out to do and he’s seeing the results as well. But, it's not even March, so he’s staying focused on the task at hand.
“The quality of the swing means more to me than the results themselves,” Suwinski said. “I mean that ball can be hit hard and someone can catch it or it could easily be an 0-fer day. The good feelings and the quality at bats are a little more sustainable.”
After going 2-for-3 with a home run on Wednesday, the 26-year-old outfielder today tallied three RBIs on two hits, while also walking once and striking out once as part of the Pirates’ 12-1 win over the Twins at Hammond Stadium. He also stole two bases as well.
Over the past two days, Suwinski has tallied four hits, four RBIs, one walk and just one strikeout. In the only other game he played in, he went 0-for-1 with a strikeout and a walk.
This season is crucial for Suwinski, who’s coming off a 2024 season in which he recorded a -1.7 WAR while hitting .182/.264/.324 with a .588 OPS. He put in the work this offseason to try and produce the numbers he did in 2023 when he recorded a 2.2 WAR with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs while hitting .224/.339/.454 with a .793 OPS.
Suwinski said the changes he made aren’t anything “crazy.” He didn’t divulge what he worked on specifically, but said it came down to asking himself one question: “How do you play the best baseball?”
“Everyone is going to play their best differently,” Suwinski said. “So, it’s just figuring out how I do that and buying in on that and a lot of trust man, a lot of trust.”
As Suwinski tries to regain his 2023 form, Derek Shelton said the Pirates are just looking for consistency. Suwinski has been good at times and he’s struggled in others. But, one thing that has been consistent within those struggles, according to Shelton, has been Suwinski’s approach at the plate.
Shelton said he’s seen Suwinski become more passive at the plate when he's struggled, which has caused him to get behind in counts so he can’t be as selective with the pitches he chooses to attack. Despite those struggles, Shelton said the Pirates are giving him leeway because of the results he’s produced in the past.
“Those numbers in and of themselves, you don’t see guys do,” Shelton said. “You don’t see a lot of guys that hit 26 homers in a season and that’s where the consistency comes into play. But, also, we know it’s in there. Not only that, yesterday, he made a sliding catch in foul territory. So there are a lot of positive things there, but we just have to bring it all together.”
Part of that, for Suwinski, is having the confidence to perform. I spoke with him while the Pirates were still at Pirate City and he told me that his mentality, like he expressed today, is not to get tied up in the results of his at-bats.
“Baseball is a game of confidence, especially with the amount of failure that we experience,” Suwinski said. “So just remembering who you are, staying true to yourself and not letting the results and that kinda thing get you wrapped up.”
With two outfield positions locked up heading into the 2025 season -- Oneil Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field -- Suwinski could be competing for time in left field with Tommy Pham and others. But, he also has the versatility to play all three outfield positions and he’s trying to add to that as well by getting reps at first base this spring. That's valuable when it comes to the coaching staff deciding who will make the opening day roster.
Suwinski hasn’t played first base in a game yet, but I witnessed him take grounders and work on his footwork at first on a side field at Pirate City after a practice had wrapped up. It was something that he shared interest in during PiratesFest, Shelton said.
“I think he brought it up to Donnie (Kelly) at PiratesFest and said, 'Hey, I want to try to get over there.' It's only going to be helpful, because any work you do, any short work you do with your glove, is going to help an outfielder getting out there,” Shelton said. “It's encouraging. I think he'd worked on it a little bit when he was with the Padres in the minor leagues. We'll see where it goes from there."
It’s still early in spring training, but Suwinski is trying to regain a roster spot on the major-league level. To do that, he needs to produce at the plate and if he sticks to his process, he knows the results will come.
“Some of the quality swings and like the feeling that comes along with it, feels pretty good,” Suwinski said. “Just working through some of the stuff that we did over the offseason and having those conversations with the hitting guys and I think it’s coming along.”
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