Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez putting up absurd numbers in ‘best stretch’ of career

PHOENIX — If it feels like Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez is hitting balls over the fence and pulling out his binoculars just about every other game, that’s because he nearly is.

Suarez has been on a shortlist of the league’s premier power threats for months now with a major-league-leading 22 home runs and 60 RBIs in 62 games since July 1.

He blasted his 27th and 28th home runs of the season on Wednesday in a four-hit game against the Texas Rangers.

Suarez has been an All-Star and received down-ballot MVP votes before, but he cannot remember being hotter than this extended stretch that turned his season completely around.

“I think this is the best stretch that I have in my career,” Suarez said. “Feel good, to be honest. And I don’t want to change anything. I just want to keep going and let it happen.”

By the numbers: Eugenio Suarez is crushing the ball for the Diamondbacks

.808 OPS

Suarez had a history of cold starts in his career to this point, but nothing compared to the struggles early on in 2024.

Through the end of June, an 80-game sample size, Suarez hit .196 with a .591 OPS and six home runs. He had a 29.2% strikeout rate.

Since then, his slash line is .328/.378/.690, upping his season OPS to .808. His K rate since July 1 is way down to 22.8%.

To compare, Suarez was a desirable offseason target after he produced a .714 OPS and 22 home runs last year, and he is blowing past those marks.

“What Geno’s done, the numbers that Geno is going to end up with at the end of the season compared to what he did the first three months, is insane,” pitcher Merrill Kelly said on Wednesday.

.500 batting average

In September, Suarez has started 19-for-38, a .500 batting average with a 1.690 OPS and seven home runs in 10 games. No other qualified hitter in MLB has started the final month like this.

Since the start of July, Suarez has four games with at least four hits and four games with at least five RBIs. Babe Ruth for the 1927 Yankees is the only other player since 1920 who has accomplished both feats after July 1 in a season, according to Stats Perform.

No other major leaguer this season has delivered five RBIs four times this season, and only Luis Arraez has more four-hits games with six.

The @Dbacks‘ Eugenio Suárez since the start of July:

4 games with 4+ hits
4 games with 5+ RBI

Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, the only other MLB player to have at least 4 of each in July or later in a season was Babe Ruth in 1927. pic.twitter.com/N28jlJzw0g

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 12, 2024

“I just want to have a good at-bats. Even when I have walks, it feels great,” Suarez said. “It’s not only about hitting homers or doubles or whatever, just have good at-bats and that result is going to be there. Like I always say, I’m never going to chase results.  … Try to see a ball the longer I can and make good decisions, make swings and the result is gonna be there.”

Before this season, Suarez had not put together a four-hit game since 2018. He has two in the past week.

30-100

In a season when Suarez reportedly came dangerously close to getting cut due to his lack of production over the first three months following an offseason trade with Seattle, the veteran is right on pace for 30 home runs and 100 RBIs for the third time in his career. His last 30-100 season came back in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds. The last time Suarez had a 60-game stretch with 20 home runs and a .300 batting average was also back in 2019.

He is one of eight Diamondbacks third basemen to put together 28 homers and 90 RBIs in a season, and only four have reached the 30-100 threshold: Mark Reynolds (2009), Eduardo Escobar (2019), Matt Williams (1999) and Jake Lamb (2017).

It took keeping a never-give-up approach and adjustments to his pregame routines to get back on track, including work with the Trajekt machine that mimics any pitcher’s delivery for higher-intensity batting practice.

List of players with more home runs than Eugenio Suárez since July 7th:

Nobody.@markdero7 | @CY24_7 | @Dbacks | #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/6o8uicWeu0

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 12, 2024

$15 million

Add in a consistent, positive clubhouse presence and solid defense with Suarez’s final numbers, and the 33-year-old has given the D-backs so much of what they were looking for when trading for him.

“I wish you could get a most improved player award for his turnaround here in the second half,” team president and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta. “More importantly … it’s how he handled the adversity. It’s how he handled the slow start. He never changed. He always came in with a great attitude.”

Suarez is making a loud case for the D-backs to pick up his $15 million club option for 2025 after that looked like a nonstarter three months ago.

Batting 7th …

Suarez has almost exclusively hit in the lower half of the batting order this season. Even on Wednesday against a left-handed starter, Suarez hit seventh. And right-handed bats Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno are still on the injured list. It’s a testament to how deep a lineup Arizona has, especially once its gets healthy. Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Joc Pederson and Christian Walker provide the punch up top, and Suarez among others do not allow pitchers to breath.

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