{"id":59593,"date":"2025-06-04T21:34:40","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T21:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=59593"},"modified":"2025-06-04T21:34:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T21:34:40","slug":"seiya-suzukis-talents-and-personality-are-showing-up-in-a-big-way-for-first-place-cubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=59593","title":{"rendered":"Seiya Suzuki\u2019s talents and personality are showing up in a big way for first-place Cubs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Seiya Suzuki strolled onto the Wrigley Field grass with his Chicago Cubs uniform pants rolled above his thighs, a bold fashion choice that made it appear as if he were wearing 1970s-style basketball shorts.<\/p>\n

As the team went through pregame warm-ups before a recent home game, Suzuki played catch while doing an exaggerated pitching windup, like a big kid messing around in the backyard. One player yelled out: \u201cLook at those quads.\u201d<\/p>\n

That reaction is apparently what Suzuki wanted. His measurements in this year\u2019s media guide \u2014 5-foot-11, 182 pounds \u2014 do not adequately capture the physicality of a Japanese baseball player built in the mold of a Big Ten fullback. And then there is the immeasurable, how he has grown to become very much a part of the clubhouse\u2019s social fabric, the inside jokes and silly celebrations that get amplified when a team is in first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people thought I had skinny legs,\u201d Suzuki said through an interpreter. \u201cSo I was like, \u2018OK, I\u2019m going to show off my legs.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzuki\u2019s comfort level is obvious as Jed Hoyer\u2019s vision for \u201cThe Next Great Cubs Team\u201d comes sharply into focus. This is what club officials envisioned when they signed Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million contract after Major League Baseball\u2019s lockout ended in 2022, hoping he could help reboot a big-market franchise that traded away Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier B\u00e1ez the previous summer.<\/p>\n

Hoyer, the president of baseball operations who recruited Suzuki, sees more decisiveness from a hitter who could sometimes be too passive. Cubs fans catch glimpses on social media with the clips of Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong tapping or bumping each other in the crotch, or Crow-Armstrong pouring water down Suzuki\u2019s jersey to cool him down. Teammates hear it when Suzuki returns to the dugout after hitting a home run and starts screaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s his way of communicating with us, not through a translator,\u201d Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. \u201cIt\u2019s Japanese words and maybe a few choice English words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRaw excitement,\u201d Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. \u201cWhen there is a language gap, you find different ways to express yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Seiya<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki (27) hits a triple during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo\/Erin Hooley) AP<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI love Seiya,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cHe has something so light about him when games feel stressful to me. He is just a blast to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n

It did not go unnoticed or unappreciated when Suzuki handled the Kyle Tucker situation with aplomb. Suzuki\u2019s clear preference would be playing the outfield regularly. In fact, Suzuki\u2019s Wasserman agent, Joel Wolfe, told a room full of reporters during last year\u2019s Winter Meetings that Suzuki likely would not have signed with a major-league club that projected him as a full-time designated hitter.<\/p>\n

Yet Suzuki did not make it a big issue after the Cubs acquired Tucker in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros. And when Tucker needed Tuesday off to let his sprained finger heal, Suzuki hit second in the lineup and covered right field during an 8-3 road win over the Washington Nationals. Those transitions can be awkward \u2014 see the DH drama between the Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers \u2014 but the Cubs and Suzuki view this as a partnership.<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes, Suzuki has not been shy about making suggestions about resources and staffing. And the Cubs have been receptive and proactive in trying to create a welcoming environment for Suzuki, All-Star pitcher Shota Imanaga and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to make every effort possible to make sure our Japanese players are as comfortable as possible,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cThey just have different needs than some other players. It seems right to do whatever we can to make them comfortable. And with that, we get the best performance possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current numbers \u2014 14 homers, an .879 OPS and 53 RBI in 56 games \u2014 are a product of Suzuki\u2019s natural abilities and accumulated experiences as well as this synergy. Suzuki has learned by observing Tucker\u2019s confident approach and benefited from being in a much deeper lineup than the one he first joined in Chicago. Over time, Suzuki followed the club\u2019s instructions to dial back his tireless work in the batting cage and preserve more energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood game, bad game, whatever in between, he\u2019s just being himself, over and over and over,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cWhen he first came over, it was obviously an incredible adjustment period in lifestyle. But also in all these new resources for baseball and figuring out how his routines fit into a very different baseball structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing goofy, being aggressive on the field, having fun, that\u2019s the version of him we want. It\u2019s not that we have the right way of training, or that Japanese players do, either. Baseball players have had success from so many different places. It\u2019s kind of removing judgment from that and just trusting Seiya as a longtime professional. You\u2019re not getting some young kid from Japan, right? He was an established vet who had so much success.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Suzuki initially left Japan for the next challenge, he chose a rebuilding team in the belief he would be afforded more time and space to learn and grow. The expectation was those timelines would eventually merge with the Cubs\u2019 returning to the playoffs and Suzuki\u2019s establishing himself as one of the game\u2019s most dangerous hitters. Now that the Cubs are 16 games above .500, with the entire summer in Wrigleyville ahead, that sense of momentum keeps building.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re having a great time,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cEverybody can see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Seiya<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki (27) smiles in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo\/Scott Marshall) AP<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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