It’s Time To Appreciate the Production of Eugenio Suárez

Stats taken prior to play on May 26.

If someone were to ask you, “Who are the best power hitters in baseball over the past ten years?” Who would you say?

Players like Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Shohei Ohtani, and Pete Alonso probably come to mind first. But how many names would you filter through before Eugenio Suárez was brought up?

Did you realize Suárez is just 10 home runs shy of 300 in his career? Since coming into the league in 2014, Suárez has been under appreciated for his power and production. Most baseball fans probably forgot that he hit 49 home runs in a season with the Reds back in 2019.

Playing for a small-market club that was mediocre at best didn’t help. Seattle and Arizona are not exactly the media mecca, and despite the team’s success, Suárez was not on the front of your mind when you think about those teams.

Essentially being salary dumped on more than one occasion is a bit odd, too, for a player with his track record of power hitting.

Since 2018, Suárez’s 226 home runs rank sixth in all of baseball behind Judge, Schwarber, Olson, Ohtani, and Alonso. Since 2020 — which doesn’t account for his 49 home run season — he’s still top 10.

With a career milestone just 10 home runs away, I want to highlight the under-appreciated career of Eugenio Suárez.

The Cincinnati Years

You might forget, but Suárez actually debuted as a member of the Tigers at age 22 in 2014 before being moved to the Reds for Alfredo Simon. It was a trade that worked out well for Cincinnati, but not so much for Detroit.

Suárez watched his power grow as he developed, increasing his home run production from 21 to 26, 34, and ultimately 49 in 2019. Although his 49 home run season was not enough for an All-Star bid, Suárez was invited to his one and only mid-summer classic the year prior.

Cincinnati pulled off a savvy move signing Suárez to a seven-year, $66 million extension (with a ’25 club option) prior to the 2018 season, locking him up at a discounted rate.

Suárez was coming off three straight season of 4.0 fWAR or higher before the covid-shortened season. His average dropped to .202, but he still put up 15 home runs while the strikeouts continued to pile.

In 2021, after suffering an offseason shoulder injury, Suárez looked like a different player. A .198/.286/.428 slash line, with 31 home runs, was not enough for the Reds.

That winter, Cincinnati moved Suárez’s salary, which was trending upward, along with Jesse Winker Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley, Brandon Williamson, and Connor Phillips. Of that bunch, Williamson is the only player to amount over a 1.0 WAR in a season.

This move came with mixed fan reactions. On one hand, Suárez constantly struck out, the Reds were heading into a rebuild, and Cincinnati needed (another) chance to pivot. On the the other hand, Suárez was the heart of the team and one of the only players with sustained production.

The Seattle Years

With Kyle Seager departing, the Mariners needed a new third baseman. Happy to roll the dice on a proven power hitter for a little over $11 million, Seattle welcomed Suárez, and his bounce back was massive.

After putting up a career worst 85 wRC+ in 2021, Suárez returned to form posting the second best wRC+ of his career at 132. That mark was only behind his 49 home run season.

He matched his home run total from the year prior while playing in a stadium that is much harder to leave the yard. Suárez still struck out over 30% of the time, but any team will stomach a high strikeout rate for power production like that.

In 2023, Suárez played in all 162 games but saw his power tick down to 22 home runs. Likewise, his 104 wRC+ was once again not good enough for his current team. The Mariners needed to shed some payroll and handed Suárez to Arizona for Carlos Vargas and Seby Zavala.

Suárez’s Days in Arizona

Like he did in Seattle, Suárez bounced back to hit 30 home runs in his first season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. This marked his fifth time hitting 30 or more home runs in his career. He also eclipsed the 100 RBI mark for the first time since 2019 and was a veteran fixture to Arizona’s run.

Last season, his first in Arizona, was the sixth time Suárez surpassed 3.5 fWAR. Considering his production, $11 million per year was a steal. The original extension he signed in Cincinnati was still in effect. Now handed to his third team, the Diamondbacks picked up the club option for 2025 at $15 million.

Through 53 games, Suárez has 14 home runs and has his lowest strikeout rate (23.9%) since 2018. He’s still punishing fastballs and putting souvenirs into the stands. Now in a contract year and turning 34 in July, whats next for Suárez?

What’s Ahead for Eugenio Suárez?

Suárez hitting the free-agent market at 34 years old gives him at least one more chance at cashing in. Arizona signed Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte to extensions, leaving Jordan Lawlar, Just Baseballs No. 38 prospect, as the likely option at third moving forward.

Sure, Suárez could stay with the Diamondbacks in a DH role, but with their team continuing to get more expensive, I anticipate him hitting the open market.

Despite his age, Suárez has proved to be durable. Since becoming an everyday player in 2016, Suárez has appeared in at least 90% of his team’s games in each season.

Durability and power are two attractive traits. Perhaps a return to Detroit on a short-term deal would make sense, for example. Several teams will be willing to add his production and leadership to the clubhouse.

That’s one thing about Suárez — you can count on him no matter what. His clubhouse presence is second to none. An engaging individual with a smile that illuminates the room and never leaves his face, Suárez is the type of person organizations typically prioritize adding.

So, the next question is, can Suárez get to 400 home runs? He sits at 290 and will likely end the season in the 305-310 range. Let’s say he ends the year with 310, for example. Can Suárez find 90 home runs before the end of his career? If he can play four more season, through age 38, that would require about a 22 home run pace.

That certainly seems possible. Keep in mind, less than 60 players have ever reached the 400 home run mark. When you factor in his ability to stay healthy and his positive clubhouse presence, I’m sure he’ll be able to find enough work to accumulate the at-bats to make a run at it.

Final Thoughts

Players like Suárez are starting to get more recognition in this “new age of baseball.” The high-strikeout, big-power bats are more understood for what they can bring to a team (which reminds me, Adam Dunn would have thrived in this environment).

As someone who has watched Suárez since his early years, seeing him continue his success has been a joy. Even with the bad teams in Cincinnati, he kept a positive attitude and did all he could to help those teams win.

I always root for the good guys, and Suárez is one of them. A great career that is not yet finished still deserves to be celebrated.