While everybody expected Seiya Suzuki to become a star in Chicago, not even the most optimistic Cubs fans thought he'd hit the ground running the way he did.
The Japanese star has showcased his entire skillset since day one, getting on base in 10 straight games with a nine-game hitting streak and showing his ability to rake baseballs like the best of them.
Suzuki's Making Cubs History Already
The Japanese rookie didn't need much time to enter the club's history books, putting together a couple of historic marks in his first week+ in the Majors:
"Suzuki's nine-game hitting streak is the longest for a Cubs batter to start a Major League career since Andy Pafko's nine-game run for the ballclub in 1943," reported Jordan Bastian of MLB.com "Suzuki joins Art Williams (1902), Hal Jeffcoat ('48) and Tony Taylor ('58) as the only Cubs since 1901 to have a 10-game on-base streak (without a reached-on-error) to begin a career."Kyle Hendricks Is Impressed By Suzuki
Suzuki claims he hasn't really dug into analytics or data. He's just a natural hitter. That, according to Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, is what makes him so impressive:
"It's so impressive, man,” Hendricks said. "Every at-bat. He doesn't take an at-bat off. Plate discipline from the start. I know facing guys like that, it's a headache. Every at-bat is tough. You don't know quite where to go and then he puts swings on balls in every area of the zone. He covers everything. So, it's just really tough to game plan and attack against a guy like that."Ian Happ Says He's A Natural Hitter
Ian Happ has also been in awe of Suzuki's ability to dominate despite not being much of an analytics guy:
"That's just who he is as a hitter. I think he's got a ton of natural ability and I think he trusts his eyes. You can see in his at-bats," Happ said. "Stuff that is just off the edges, just a little bit of movement, he's really good at spitting on those pitches and getting something over the heart to handle."He's Got Great Instincts, Says David Ross
Manager David Ross has also been quite impressed by his effort. More than that, he knows he's only getting started and even hinted at how he'll ask him to do even more once he gets more settled in:
"He runs the bases well," Ross said. "I haven't asked him to steal a lot of bases yet. I think that is a weapon we can try to use a little bit later on. His instincts are just really good, and his speed helps with that."Suzuki has been better than advertised thus far, and that's a scary sight for the rest of the league.
]]>The Inquisitr
