On Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs agreed to terms with Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki on a five-year, $85 million deal.
The Cubs had to fend off interest from at least half a dozen teams around the league to secure Suzuki’s services.
The outfielder is a very highly-regarded commodity in MLB, and has been one of Japan’s very best hitters for a long time.
The coolest part of all?
He is a Mike Trout fan.
That’s what he said on Friday, according to Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro.
“Seiya Suzuki is wearing #27 because of Mike Trout. Suzuki: ‘Mike Trout, I love you.’ #Cubs,” she tweeted.
Seiya Suzuki is wearing #27 because of Mike Trout.
Suzuki: “Mike Trout, I love you.” #Cubs
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) March 18, 2022
Suzuki has shown he is quite entertaining this week, and has a very fun personality.
He has considerable talent for playing baseball, too.
The 27-year-old slugger posted a .317/.433/.639 line with 38 homers in 134 games last year for the Hiroshima Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball.
His career numbers are also brilliant.
A Very Talented Player
He has been playing professional baseball in Japan since he was 18 years old, in 2013.
His slash line is an awfully impressive .309/.402/.541 with a .943 OPS.
He has 189 home runs and 102 stolen bases in nine seasons.
The Cubs definitely got themselves a good one, and Suzuki’s ability to hit major league pitching should be one of the hottest storylines of the 2022 MLB season.
The fact he admires Trout, perhaps the best baseball player of our generation, is very cool.
Like Trout, he can do damage in many ways while standing in the batter’s box.
Suzuki has the ability to hit for a high average, take walks, and hit for power, much like Trout.
He is also capable of playing center field, making him even more valuable.
MLB fans will be in for a treat watching Suzuki play.
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