Suwinski prepares for his sophomore season

Center fielder changes batting stance, opens up and seeks to improve at plate

“Wherever the team needs me or wherever they put me in that day for the lineup is where I’m going to play. I’ll be prepared for whatever that is.” — Jack Suwinski

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jack Suwinski is no stranger to being shuffled around the outfield.

One of three pieces acquired by the Pirates in 2021’s deadline dealing of Adam Frazier to the Padres, Suwinski got the majority of his outfield repetitions in left and right field, as well as a solid chunk in center, during four years and change in San Diego’s system. After something of a breakout rookie campaign with the Pirates’ big-league club in 2022, Suwinski has taken the field at center for all 15 of his spring training innings so far.

In late February, manager Derek Shelton alluded to the possibility of Suwinski being the team’s everyday center fielder come opening day. Leaning on more than 2,600 minor league innings spread across the three outfield spots, Suwinski is confident he could handle the responsibility of manning the middle in addition to the corners.

“I’m comfortable in all three positions in the outfield and wherever the team needs me or wherever they put me in that day for the lineup is where I’m going to play,” Suwinski said. “I’ll be prepared for whatever that is.”

Suwinski didn’t see much time in center with the Pirates last season, getting just 10 starts there. Center field was a spot that belonged primarily to Bryan Reynolds, but the 2022 campaign marked the first time in his career that he had double-digit negative runs saved, per FanGraphs.

So far this spring, Reynolds has only gotten game reps in left, which Shelton indicated could very well continue into the regular season. If so, the Pirates’ mainstay in center for thepast two campaigns thinks Suwinski possesses the necessary tools to thrive defensively in Year 2 in the majors.

“He’s sure-handed with his glove, he takes good routes to the ball and he’s pretty quick,” Reynolds said.

Suwinski was by most metrics an average defender in 2022, saving two runs across more than 800 innings of action while primarily deployed in the corners. He showcased his potential in center, specifically with his arm strength, in Wednesday’s 8-7 loss to the Tigers, throwing out Detroit’s Eric Haase on a single that he unsuccessfully tried to stretch into a double.

But Suwinski’s switch to center isn’t the only one he’s made this spring. He’s also changed his batting stance, opening up and bringing the knob of his bat closer to his left ear. Reynolds has picked up on Suwinski’s offseason adjustment, commenting that it’s looked good so far and that he’s continually working on it.

But there was already plenty to like about Suwinski’s game at the plate in 2022 when he was more closed off. In 326 at-bats, Suwinski’s 19 home runs trailed only Reynolds for the team lead. Still, those dingers accounted for more than 28% of his hits, as he struggled to put the ball in play at times and experienced some extreme splits as a result.

Suwinski slashed .282/. 373/. 609 within the friendly confines of PNC Park but saw each of those numbers plummet when away from home. He certainly didn’t benefit from any good luck on the road, either, as evidenced by his ghastly .162 batting average on balls in play at visiting ballparks.

“Building off of last year, growing as a hitter physically, mentally and just being someone that goes up there and is competitive every at-bat,” Suwinski said with regards to his 2023 batting aspirations.

Fellow outfielder Cal Mitchell, who also got his first run in the show last season, spent a good deal of time alongside Suwinski in the outfield for the Indianapolis Indians in 2022. Down in Triple-A, Mitchell similarly rotated around the three outfield spots, gaining experience at each position. The shuffling around wasn’t accompanied by too many drawbacks, either, according to Mitchell.

“Everyone understands the role of the position that they’re playing,” Mitchell said. “The only challenge is if you have 10 times as many reps in center than you do in left. Then I guess it’s just a comfort thing. But that’s why we rotate around, so that we can get more comfortable with all of them.”

For Suwinski, his career has been the opposite of Mitchell’s hypothetical example, with the former accruing significantly more time in left than in center in his professional career thus far. But Mitchell has faith that Suwinski’s got what it takes to take on the duties of center field should he be called upon to do so.

“Jack’s a great athlete, smart, and he’ll only get better as the games play on,” he said.