Jack Suwinski and Kyle Schwarber

There were many time over the course of the last baseball season that I would ask my Pirates fans friends  "Just what exactly do we think of Jack Suwinski?"

For you non-Pirates followers out there, Suwinski led the Pirates in home run last season with 26 and was, in fact, due to the absence of Oneil Cruz all season, the Pirates only real home run threat.  I never had much faith in him because it seemed to me that whenever he was needed to come through for the team, he was more likely to strike out than hit a gap shot double or three run homer. 

My friend Fred Egler says that he us the exact type of player for whom PNC Park was built - a left handed power hitter, so that we need to be patient, and maybe he will become this decade's version of Dave Kingman, although to be fair, Suwinski has proven to be a much better outfield that Kingman ever was, an admittedly low bar to clear.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  Pirates beat writerJason Mackey has stated that Suwinski could become for the Pirates what Kyle Schwarber has become for the Phillies (and other teams).  Really?   

This called for a Grandstander Spreadsheet.

	Jack Suwinski 2023	Kyle Schwarber 2023	Schwarber 2017	Schwarber 2018	Suwinski 2022-23
AB	447	585	486	428	773
HR	26	47	30	26	45
RBI	74	104	59	61	112
K	172	215	150	140	286
BB	75	126	59	78	116
Batting Ave	0.224	0.197	0.211	0.238	0.215
On Base %	0.339	0.340	0.315	0.356	0.382
OPS	0.793	0.831	0.782	0.823	0.758

The first two columns compare the two players' 2023 seasons.   Schwarber is often praised because, while he strikes out a lot, he also draws a lot of walks, so his on base percentage offsets the negative aspects of all those K's.  In fact, Schwarber drew 51 more BB's than Suwinski, albeit with 140+ more AB's, but check out that On Base Percentage.  Nearly identical.

I also posted Schwarber's numbers for 2017 and 2018 when he was at the same relative point in his career as Suwinski is now.

So what does all of his say?   I have absolutely no idea.  In fact, I couldn't come up with anything cogent to say about it, and I almost skipped writing this up entirely. However, since I spent a good seven or eight minutes looking this stuff up and then putting in a spreadsheet, what the hell, put it out there and maybe somebody else can come up with some decent conclusions.

Upon further reflection, though, if it says anything, I guess it's that if you like the kind of ballplayer that Schwarber has fashioned himself into, then don't give up on Suwinski.  He may very well end up being that 40 HR a year power hitter who takes full advantage of that Clemente Wall in right field, and it will come at just about the time that the he becomes eligible for free agency, and we Pirates fans know what THAT means.