The first three months have been tough for Eugenio Suárez. In his first 80 games, he was hitting .196 with just six home runs and a sub-.600 OPS. The Diamondbacks remained steadfast on his ability to turn it around and so far in July he has. In the first nine games in July, it’s been good vibes only for Suárez, as he is 10-for-31 (.323) with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, and a 1.062 OPS.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Talking to reporter Jody Jackson and analyst Mark Grace after the team’s 7-5 win over the Braves in which he had two extra-base hits and drove home three runs, Suárez revealed the key to his recent surge has been “trusting myself, trusting what I can do, not chasing results”. He wants to see the ball longer and make good swing decisions at the plate.
With his offense coming alive of late, it lengthens the Diamondbacks lineup and has allowed them to put more consistent pressure on opposing starters. Suárez has recorded three multi-hit games in the month, collecting multiple RBI in each game and a team win. As a team, they are scoring seven runs per game, a total they’ve reached in five of their nine games. They’re 4-1 in such games.
Since that nine-game surge, Suárez is now batting .208 with a .639 OPS on the season. He’s now on the positive side of replacement level, having gone from -0.2 bWAR at the end of June to 0.6 in just a matter of 10 days. That chalked with steady defense at third base still makes him the best option to play nearly every day at the position.
Manager Torey Lovullo was asked about the recent uptick in his third baseman’s production at the plate. The video of his answer was uploaded to X by PHNX Sports beat reporter Jesse Friedman.
“He’s a good baseball player. He still has life in the body, life in the hands, and life in the barrel. That’s what I kept seeing. I challenged him, I tried to, everybody was challenging him. He just accepted that and that’s what stands out more to me than anything.”
Torey Lovullo on Eugenio Suárez's recent surge:
"He's a good baseball player, and he still has life in the body, life in the hands and life in the barrel." pic.twitter.com/DZzdF0J6eL
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) July 11, 2024
That’s exactly the type of offensive impact Arizona envisioned when they acquired their third baseman from the Seattle Mariners in November. While they might not get the full-season output for what they had in mind, a strong second half can make or break the Diamondbacks season. Entering play on July 11, they are just 1.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the third Wild Card spot and a game further back of St. Louis for the second spot.
Big nights from Eugenio Suárez and Geraldo Perdomo carry Diamondbacks over Braves 7-5
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
