Chicago Cubs: 5 positive takeaways from the 2022 season

5 positive Cubs takeaways – #3: Seiya Suzuki showed a lot this year

Stroman was a nice get for Chicago, but the surprise signing of Seiya Suzuki was on a whole different level. After coming over from Japan with a career slash of .309/.402/.541 over the course of nine seasons, Suzuki wasted no time in adding to his trophy case, winning NL Rookie of the Month honors in April, batting .279/.405/.529 with 4 HR and 14 RBI in his first taste of big league action.

Suzuki, of course, did struggle for a little – but that’s expected. An injury cost him a good chunk of the summer, but down the stretch, he really heated up and looked like a superstar-in-the-making for the Cubs.

In the first half of the season, Suzuki’s walk rate was at 11.4 percent while his strikeout rate was 27.0 percent. He notched a slash line of .272/.355/.451. In the second half, Suzuki has lowered his walk rate to 7 percent but also has cut down on the strikeout rate, shaving five percent off his first-half mark. Though his slash line has been slightly lowered as a whole in the second half, .267/.332/.441, he has recently been on fire with a line of .333/.403/.583 since September in 60 at-bats.

As Suzuki continues to make adjustments, he looks every bit the part of a player who can succeed in this league. Not only with an above average bat but with very solid defense in the field as well, Suzuki looks to be a core piece of the Cubs moving forward.