Jack Suwinski

Jack Suwinski Bio

Jack William Suwinski is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Born on July 29, 1998, in Norwood Park, Chicago, Illinois, Suwinski started playing baseball at a young age and attended Taft High School. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2016 and has since shown significant promise with his power-hitting abilities. Suwinski has had notable performances, including a standout rookie season and setting milestones as a young player.

Early Life and Background

Jack Suwinski was born in Norwood Park, Chicago, Illinois, on July 29, 1998. He is the third child of parents Tim and Ann Suwinski. He has two older sisters, Natalie and Heidi. His aspirations for baseball began during second grade career day at Norwood Park Elementary, where he wanted to be a baseball player. Suwinski began playing baseball at the age of 6, participating in local tee-ball and later joining a travel team at the age of nine. He attended Taft High School in Chicago, where he played high school baseball. Suwinski committed to play college baseball at Indiana University but never played for Indiana due to being drafted.

Path to Baseball

The San Diego Padres selected Jack Suwinski in the 15th round, with the 444th overall pick, of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He chose to sign with San Diego for a bonus of $550,000 on July 7, 2016. Suwinski made his professional minor-league debut on July 13, 2016, with the rookie-level AZL Padres, where he posted a slash line of .241/.325/.287 with 10 RBIs in 30 games. In 2017, he was promoted to the Single-A Fort Wayne Tin Caps, where he slashed .227/.319/.349 with 9 home runs and 41 RBIs in 125 games. Suwinski returned to the Tin Caps in 2018, playing in 111 games and posting a slash of .255/.324/.408 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs. For the 2019 season, he was promoted to the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, hitting .208/.303/.351 with a career-high 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. Suwinski did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He began the 2021 season with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, finishing with a batting line of .262/.383/.485, including 15 home runs and 37 RBIs in 66 games.

Jack Suwinski Career

Early Career (2016–2021)

On July 26, 2021, the Padres traded Suwinski, Tucupita Marcano, and Michell Miliano to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Adam Frazier and $1.4 million in cash. Suwinski debuted with the Double-A Altoona Curve on July 28, 2021, finishing the season with a batting average of .252/.359/.391, including 4 home runs and 21 RBIs in 45 games. Following the season, on November 19, 2021, the Pirates added Suwinski to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Breakthrough (2022–Present)

Suwinski began his 2022 season still with the Double-A Altoona Curve, posting an impressive slash of .353/.421/.686 with 3 home runs and 13 RBIs in 13 games. On April 26, 2022, he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker were placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Suwinski made his MLB debut that day as the starting right fielder against the Milwaukee Brewers, where he recorded a two-out single for his first big league hit. He hit his first home run while facing the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 9. On June 4, he connected on a walk-off home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Suwinski hit three home runs during his first career multi-homer game on June 19 against the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first Pirates rookie to hit three home runs in a game since Andrew McCutchen in 2009. He also became the second Pirates rookie to hit two walk-off home runs in one season. Suwinski ended the 2022 season with a slash of .202/.298/.411, totaling 19 home runs and 38 RBIs in 106 games.

Notable Works and Milestones

Suwinski is recognized for his power-hitting abilities, generating many home runs while maintaining a below-average batting average. He has had significant moments in his career, including a standout rookie season and setting records as a young player.