{"id":162637,"date":"2026-03-11T11:02:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=162637"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:02:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:02:45","slug":"cubs-fans-wonder-about-seiya-suzukis-power-in-2026-how-many-home-runs-can-we-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=162637","title":{"rendered":"CUBS FANS WONDER ABOUT SEIYA SUZUKI\u2019S POWER IN 2026: HOW MANY HOME RUNS CAN WE EXPECT?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"92\" data-end=\"511\">\ud83d\udea8In the latest edition of <em data-start=\"119\" data-end=\"135\">BCB After Dark<\/em>, Cubs fans are buzzing with excitement as Seiya Suzuki&#8217;s 2026 season looms. The outfielder has made a strong impression in the World Baseball Classic, hitting two home runs in his first nine at-bats. While the competition hasn&#8217;t been the toughest, Suzuki\u2019s confidence seems high, and Cubs fans can\u2019t help but wonder: just how many home runs can we expect from him in 2026? \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"92\" data-end=\"511\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ZZpIJ9rxGyLPKUuGGWGLmg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTQyNztjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/sb_nation_articles_115\/d830fb9a57fe0c506f64f9514a8fccde\" alt=\"Cubs BCB After Dark: How many home runs for Seiya Suzuki? - Yahoo Sports\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"513\" data-end=\"931\"><strong data-start=\"513\" data-end=\"566\">A Strong Start to the 2026 World Baseball Classic<\/strong><br data-start=\"566\" data-end=\"569\" \/>Seiya Suzuki\u2019s performance in the World Baseball Classic has caught the attention of Cubs fans. In his three games, he\u2019s hitting .333 with two home runs, five walks, and just one strikeout. Though the pitching he\u2019s faced hasn\u2019t been the most elite, Suzuki&#8217;s ability to stay disciplined and locked in at the plate has been a positive sign for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"933\" data-end=\"1326\">The <em data-start=\"937\" data-end=\"966\">Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS)<\/em> system could be a game-changer for Suzuki, as Cubs fans have long believed that he\u2019s been on the receiving end of more than his fair share of poor strike calls. If the ABS system works in his favor, Suzuki could turn more of those bad calls into walks and have additional opportunities to swing the bat. Some of those swings could lead to even more home runs.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1328\" data-end=\"1529\"><strong data-start=\"1328\" data-end=\"1368\">Suzuki\u2019s Home Run Progression in MLB<\/strong><br data-start=\"1368\" data-end=\"1371\" \/>Looking at Suzuki\u2019s numbers from his four seasons in MLB, it\u2019s clear he\u2019s steadily improved in terms of power. Here\u2019s how his home run totals have stacked up:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1531\" data-end=\"1788\">\n<li data-section-id=\"13t23xv\" data-start=\"1531\" data-end=\"1595\">\n<p data-start=\"1533\" data-end=\"1595\"><strong data-start=\"1533\" data-end=\"1542\">2021:<\/strong> 14 HR in 446 plate appearances (3.1 HR percentage)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"195e7qy\" data-start=\"1596\" data-end=\"1660\">\n<p data-start=\"1598\" data-end=\"1660\"><strong data-start=\"1598\" data-end=\"1607\">2022:<\/strong> 20 HR in 583 plate appearances (3.4 HR percentage)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"12hmpz2\" data-start=\"1661\" data-end=\"1725\">\n<p data-start=\"1663\" data-end=\"1725\"><strong data-start=\"1663\" data-end=\"1672\">2023:<\/strong> 21 HR in 585 plate appearances (3.6 HR percentage)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"13n3yux\" data-start=\"1726\" data-end=\"1788\">\n<p data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"1788\"><strong data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"1737\">2024:<\/strong> 32 HR in 651 plate appearances (4.9 HR percentage)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1790\" data-end=\"2174\">Last year, Suzuki took a major leap forward, hitting 32 home runs. He significantly increased his home run-to-fly ball ratio, which could be seen as a fluke. However, Suzuki also made significant changes to his hitting approach, particularly in his pull rate. In 2024, Suzuki pulled the ball at a 33.7% rate, but that number surged to 41.7% last year, contributing to his power spike.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2176\" data-end=\"2489\"><strong data-start=\"2176\" data-end=\"2236\">What to Expect in 2026: Will Suzuki Continue to Improve?<\/strong><br data-start=\"2236\" data-end=\"2239\" \/>So, the burning question remains: how many home runs can we expect from Seiya Suzuki in 2026? With the improvements in his swing and the potential benefits from the ABS system, there\u2019s a good chance Suzuki could build on the gains he made last year.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2491\" data-end=\"2787\">It\u2019s possible that Suzuki could continue to grow as a power hitter, or there may be some regression to the mean. The power surge from 2025 could be difficult to sustain, but with Suzuki\u2019s dedication and his ability to adjust his swing, there\u2019s a chance he might take his game to the next level.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2789\" data-end=\"3147\"><strong data-start=\"2789\" data-end=\"2831\">Injury Concerns and the Unknown Factor<\/strong><br data-start=\"2831\" data-end=\"2834\" \/>As with any player, there\u2019s always the risk of injury. Even if Suzuki plays as well as he did last season, an injury could significantly reduce his home run total. Injuries have a way of derailing the most promising of seasons, and that is something Cubs fans will hope to avoid for their star outfielder in 2026.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3149\" data-end=\"3599\"><strong data-start=\"3149\" data-end=\"3196\">Predicting Suzuki\u2019s Home Run Total for 2026<\/strong><br data-start=\"3196\" data-end=\"3199\" \/>While it&#8217;s tough to predict exactly how many home runs Suzuki will hit, the signs are positive for another strong season. Based on his upward trajectory and the changes to his swing, a reasonable estimate for Suzuki\u2019s home runs in 2026 might be between <strong data-start=\"3452\" data-end=\"3465\">28 and 35<\/strong>. This would allow for a slight regression from his breakout 2025 season while still accounting for the continued growth in his power.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3149\" data-end=\"3599\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CTC-Z-CUBS-REDS_00ab9d.jpg?w=1600&amp;resize=1600,900\" alt=\"Chicago Cubs: Seiya Suzuki trying to regain confidence\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3601\" data-end=\"3841\">Whether Suzuki hits more home runs, maintains his 2025 level of production, or faces setbacks, there\u2019s little doubt that he will continue to be a key contributor to the Cubs\u2019 lineup. Cubs fans should be excited about his potential for 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udea8In the latest edition of BCB After Dark, Cubs fans are buzzing with excitement as Seiya Suzuki&#8217;s 2026 season looms. The outfielder has made a strong impression&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":162639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CUBS FANS WONDER ABOUT SEIYA SUZUKI\u2019S POWER IN 2026: HOW MANY HOME RUNS CAN WE EXPECT? - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=162637\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CUBS FANS WONDER ABOUT SEIYA SUZUKI\u2019S POWER IN 2026: HOW MANY HOME RUNS CAN WE EXPECT? - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8In the latest edition of BCB After Dark, Cubs fans are buzzing with excitement as Seiya Suzuki&#8217;s 2026 season looms. 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