Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez opens 2017 by getting on base

After a pair of seasons in which Eugenio Suarez saw a ton of pitches for the Cincinnati Reds, he is now getting on base.

The question regarding Eugenio Suarez may finally be answered by the Cincinnati Reds. Will he be able to turn long at-bats into walks? In his first two seasons he was inconsistent in that outcome. Now Suarez is ready to breakout after being overrated early on last year.

Through eleven games in 2017, Suarez is getting on base an amazing .452 clip. That means he has nearly a 50-50 chance of getting on base every time he steps to the plate. A large part is his 13-for-36 start, but he is still adding 90 points to his OBP via walks and other non-hit related ways.

Over the same eleven games, Suarez has walked 5 times. That puts him on pace to walk 80 times. That would have placed him just outside the MLB top ten last year.

Of the Reds who have seen at least 75 pitches so far in 2017, only Adam Duvall is averaging more pitches per plate appearance than Suarez. That means he is seeing more pitches than either Joey Votto or Jose Peraza who both bat in front of him. Ironically, starting pitcher Brandon Finnegan is leading the team, seeing 4.8 pitches per plate appearance.

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This is the Eugenio Suarez that the Cincinnati Reds have been hoping to see since they acquired him.

Suarez is actually seeing fewer pitches than he usually sees. So far he is seeing fewer pitches than he has averaged for a complete MLB season. What is important is that he is finally turning the pitches into on-base opportunities.

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In his MLB career Suarez has averaged between 3.94 and 4.14 pitches per plate appearance. This season he is averaging 3.93 pitches per plate appearance through eleven games. It is a small sample, but the OBP difference is startling.

Suarez has ranged in OBP in his three MLB seasons among .316, .315, and .317. That is how consistent Suarez has been to start his career. To start his 2017 season, he has nearly doubled his career best walk rate.

That is one part of the story. Can Suarez maintain this walk rate? The other part of the story is Suarez’s age.

This is Suarez’s age 25 season. The peak performance year is often a player’s age 26 season. This may be the year that Suarez explodes on the national scene.

Next: Brandon Phillips last hoorah in Cincy is nearly upon us

Suarez has looked good in replacing fan favorite Todd Frazier. His defense has gotten better and his offense has been above average. So far in 2017, though, the Reds have seen Suarez take things to an entirely different level.

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