The Los Angeles Dodgers have built a reputation for making overlooked or struggling players into decent players, which is why any player the Dodgers get is often someone who could be productive. However, not every struggling player is created equal, and Jack Suwinski may fall into the category of players who come with more questions than answers.
On the surface, Suwinski has shown some promise in his career and could be a decent player one day. He showed flashes of power and potential during his seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, at least enough to suggest he could develop into a decent contributor at the big league level. That version of Suwinski is what Dodgers fans are hoping for.
However, Pirates fans have seen a different reality that Dodgers fans will have to deal with.
The issues go beyond some of his inconsistency. Brandon Glick of FanSided didn’t hold back when looking at Suwinski’s current situation with the Dodgers, nothing that he isn’t a minor adjustment away from being fixed.
“The Pirates didn't give up on Suwinski just so he could find a new home with the Dodgers; his abhorrent play more than justified the reality that came to pass. After two strong campaigns to begin his career, the outfielder has been worth -1.6 fWAR since the start of the 2024 season…
“But this isn't a quick-fix situation. Suwinski has glaring red flags, including a career strikeout rate of 31.0%. Considering that he doesn't hit the ball all that hard and struggles against every pitch type that isn't a fastball, the changes needed to get him back to his 2023 form would be vast. Los Angeles can overhaul broken players with the best of 'em, but this may be a project too big even for them,” he wrote.
For the Dodgers, taking a chance on Suwinski aligns with their track record of betting on players who have some tools.
However, this is baseball, and there’s never much of a chance for players to really figure it out at the level they need to. It’d be nice for Suwinski to put it together, but he has a lot to do before that happens.