Seiya Suzuki has been one of the more intriguing players to be potentially available this offseason. The power hitting outfielder had expressed his interest in coming stateside, with the Hiroshima Carp beginning the process of posting him for any interested teams. However, nothing was set in stone as either side could change their mind.
That is no longer the case. According to Jon Morosi, Suzuki will be posted by the Carp, becoming available to any MLB teams interested in his services.
Source confirms: Superstar outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be available to @MLB teams through the posting process. The 27-year-old will immediately become one of the top outfielders available this winter. Here's my story. @MLBNetwork https://t.co/Fb1QWVdokO
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 5, 2021
Seiya Suzuki set to be posted by Hiroshima Carp
Once Suzuki is officially posted, he will immediately become one of the top outfielders available, joining Starling Marte atop that list. However, unlike Marte, teams will have a finite window of opportunity to sign Suzuki, as they have just 30 days to agree to a deal before he returns to Japan.
Although he is just 5’11” tall, Suzuki packs a lot of power into his frame. He transformed from a relatively thin teenager into an athletic and powerful slugger, one who moves well despite his size.
His strength is evident in the power he can produce. While his swing is relatively flat, the ball jumps off of his bat. He also has a short swing with incredible bat speed, a perfect combination with his patient approach at the plate. Suzuki also has a knack for making contact when he swings, even if it is to foul the ball off to work the count.
Defensively, Suzuki has been a work in progress, but has worked himself into being a decent outfielder. While he still has the occasional poor read off the bat, or runs a difficult route to the ball, his speed allows him to make up for those mistakes. Suzuki also has a cannon for an arm, with scouts considering his arm to grade out at a 70 on the 20-80 scale.
No prospect is a given. That is the case with Suzuki as well. No matter how well a player grades out, how loud their tools are, or how well they performed in other levels, there is nothing quite like the major leagues. No matter how impressive Suzuki has been in Japan, he will still need to prove himself.
Seiya Suzuki is set to be posted in the coming days. His dreams of heading to the major leagues are on the cusp of coming true.