Looking to follow up a historic season, the San Francisco Giants are eyeing the perfect potential right-handed outfield batter to join their roster.
The San Francisco Giants are coming off their best regular season in franchise history, with an incredible 107 wins and 55 losses in the 2020-21 season.
Checked swings aside, there are certainly areas where the Giants could add a little power, especially at the plate. As of now, the team could use an outfielder that can hit for power and the front office has made it clear they’re looking for that this offseason.
To follow up a spectacular season that ended too soon, the Giants are already eyeing one of the best upcoming free agents in the MLB, although he’s never played a game in the league: Seiya Suzuki.
Who is Seiya Suzuki? Giants interested in Japanese superstar
Japanese superstar Seiya Suzuki is expected to be submitted to the “posting system” by his team, the Hiroshima Carp, which will allow him to make the leap to MLB. For years, the 27-year-old right-handed outfielder has built an impressive résume as one of the best players in Nippon Professional Baseball, and he could be the perfect addition to a rebuilding Giants.
President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi had glowing praise for the potentially available outfielder. “Obviously multi-tool talent,” Zaidi said. “It sounds like there’s a potential posting. Until then, we’re just trying to do our homework on the possibility.”
Suzuki began his career in 2013, playing with the Hiroshima Carp for the entirety of it. Although his team has never won the Japan Series title, Suzuki has earned plenty of distinguished personal accolades, including five NPB All-Star awards, four Best Nine awards, and three Central League Golden Glove awards. The multitude of awards proves that Suzuki is one of the best hitters and fielders in Japan, but his stats support these awards even further.
Throughout his career, Suzuki has batted .315/.415/.571. In 2021, he hit .319/.436/.640, logging 38 home runs, nine stolen bases (on 13 attempts), and more walks than strikeouts.
Suzuki was also a part of Japan’s Olympic baseball team, which notably won Olympic gold during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics earlier this year, defeating the United States team that won silver.