WATCH: Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki hits TWO homeruns in victory over top team Houston. MLB record – hit 3 Homeruns in 3 straight at-bats. Has hit 4 homeruns in last 4 games.

It was always odd to me how some folks were mentally pulling the plug on Seiya Suzuki earlier this season after he put up SLIGHTLY below-average numbers in a TINY sample. This is a guy who was a superstar in Japan, who was solidly above-average in his MLB debut season last year (after a shortened adjustment period because of the lockout), and who had no Spring Training this year because of an injury. Of course you had to be a little patient. But the numbers were going to come.

And boy have they. After his latest huge night (two homers, two walks, and a single), Suzuki’s season slash line is up to .286/.372/.491/134 wRC+ over 129 plate appearances. His walk rate is up from last year, his strikeout rate is down, his power is up, his hard contact is up. It’s everything you would want and hope to see from him now that he’s got more MLB experience.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLAWEn4B7Ag

 

For all the dumping on his situational hitting, Suzuki is now at .324/.415/.559/158 wRC+ with runners in scoring position. His leverage splits are worse (just shy of average in medium and high leverage, way above average in low leverage), but that sure feels like it’s going to even out. I truly don’t think this is a guy who is clamming up in the big moments.

Suzuki’s two homers last night, which came after a homer the night before in his final at bat, gave him a little piece of MLB history, too:

Bonus, did you catch that the Bryant game was on the same date as Suzuki’s two-homer game as part of this streak?

 

Source:  https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2023/05/18/seiya-suzukis-three-straight-homers-gave-him-a-statistical-boost-and-an-mlb-record/