Just ten more days until the official catcher and pitcher report date for the Chicago Cubs plus spring-like weather? Throw in the official signing of a new closer Ryan Presley and things are looking up in Chicago!
Here's hoping Jed and crew have a couple more tricks up their sleeves to top off the roster in February.
Today, we're going to examine the designated hitters for each team in the NL Central- as a reminder, I've been bouncing around the diamond and ranking each team's players at every position.
Catch up on positions previously covered below:
1. Seiya Suzuki, Cubs
It seems like it's been difficult for folks around Major League Baseball and even Cubs fans (myself included) to grasp that Suzuki is an All-Star level player but he definitively is. Suzuki finished 7th in the NL in OPS last year, just under Freddie Freeman and Kyle Schwarber and right above Francisco Lindor (who was a legitimate MVP candidate). The Japanese slugger is an elite combination of slugging and on-base skills, with a Statcast report filled with percentiles that reflect that. It's tough to see him making an All-Star team with Ohtani in the NL, but I can see Suzuki getting a healthy dose of mid-ballot MVP votes with improved park factors at Wrigley and a healthy season.
Despite the alleged consternation from his agent about being a full time DH, he definitely belongs out of the field- the defensive metrics and eye test align in saying Suzuki is a decidedly sub-par fielder. The disastrous gaffe against the Cardinals in 2023 stands out, but he has had plenty of other conspicuous misplays as well and has played his way out of a full-time role in the field. Regardless, having Suzuki as your second-best hitter should be recognized as an enviable spot for any team (maybe besides the Dodgers) to be in.