After a long and windy 2021 season, it is time to prepare for the MLB offseason which means Seiya Suzuki will be added to the free-agent mix. Suzuki has played the past few seasons for Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The 27-year old outfielder posted jaw-dropping numbers during the 2021 campaign. He will now test the waters in the MLB Free Agent market this winter.
Suzuki has played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp since he was 18 years of age. He got his first real opportunity to play every day starting in 2016, where he was just 20 years old. His first full season in NPB, Suzuki posted a .335 average through 129 games. Also worth mentioning, he had 29 home runs and 95 RBI’s. The right-handed hitter has gone to hit for a .315 batting average in all his years playing for the Toyo Carp.
Seiya Suzuki: His 2021 Season
Just this past 2021 season, Suzuki’s numbers were off the charts. Hitting a total of 38 home runs, 88 RBI’s, and maintaining a .319 batting average. He’s a very well-known player over in the NPB also. He is a 5-time NPB All-Star, a 4-time Best Nine Award, and a 3-time Gold Glove Award Winner for the Central League. Suzuki also has played for many national teams representing Japan.
But now the question becomes, what kind of contract offer with Seiya Suzuki get? There are many teams in the hunt for outfielders to prepare them for next season. Also, if there is a universal DH for the 2022 MLB season, it will help to land players more jobs with more opportunities to excel. In the case of Suzuki, his glove should not have an effect due to how versatile of a player he is.
Which Team Will Seiya Suzuki Land With?
Teams like the Mariners, Mets, Guardians, Braves, Pirates, and Rockies are all searching for outfield help. All teams have significant players in free agency, where it could be a challenge to sign them back. All these teams could be potential fits for Suzuki, but we will have to see when he will be officially posted. This could be an impact bat for any lineup working to make and create a playoff push.
We’ve seen players like Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, Shohei Ohtani, Yusei Kikuchi, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Shogo Akiyama, and Hirokazu Sawamura transition smoothly over to the major leagues after being posted from Japan. Believe when someone will say the hype gets super intense for these players since there is a lot of expectation for them. Scouts have looked at Suzuki as almost a more powerful Ichiro, the former Mariner.
It will be a fun offseason to track and see if more players will be posted from foreign leagues. There are other former MLB players currently playing in KBO and NPB garnering interest from MLB clubs. Which team will end up highly interested once Seiya Suzuki is posted?
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