Pirates

Jack Suwinski’s time has come. On April 26, 2022, Suwinski’s dream came true. While playing in the minors at Indianapolis, the call came. Suwinski packed his bags and took a one-way flight to Pittsburgh. He would be a Pirate for the first time, and not look back.

After seven seasons in the minors, and six different clubs, Suwinski’s baseball apprenticeship bussed through communities such as Altoona, Fort Wayne, and Lake Elsinore. The 15th-round draft pick in 2016 of the San Diego Padres made it to "The Show.“

With less than one week of training camp remaining before the Pirates play their final exhibition game this coming Tuesday at LECOM Park against the Minnesota Twins, Suwinski must be feeling pretty good about his immediate future.

It appears, given the amount of playing time this spring in manager Derek Shelton’s lineups, Suwinski will be in the Pirates’ starting outfield.

One-time National League All-Star Bryan Reynolds and multiple times Pirates’ All-Star Andrew McCutchen will round out Pittsburgh’s outfield.

Suwinski’s future is now. With 106 MLB Games logged last season, the 24-year-old knows the drill of a 162-game schedule. He battled last March for a spot on the Pirate’s 26-man roster. Now, season two with the Pirates comes with a spot earned in the starting lineup.

However, just as Suwinski battled for recognition last spring, there are others in the Pirates’ system looking for time in Shelton’s outfield. Nameplates in the Pirates’ LECOM clubhouse – Travis Swaggerty, Canaan Smith-Njigba, and Connor Joe are reminders for Suwinski that competition for playing time is constant.

As hard as Suwinski worked last spring to remain on Shelton’s radar when camp broke, the Chicago native hasn’t taken his cleats off the peddle to defend his place in the lineup.

Throughout camp, first at Pirate City, and for the past month at LECOM Park, Suwinski is among the first to arrive each morning. His routine for preparing for the day’s drills and game is obvious. This is a kid who skipped an offer to play college ball at Indiana University, so he could immediately begin the process of chasing his MLB dreams.

Suwinski isn’t cutting any corners. Memories of playing at Victory Field, in downtown Indianapolis last April surely must remain clear. Triple-A ball on West Maryland Street doesn’t trump receiving fan mail at PNC Park at 115 Federal Street. National League play is more inviting for Suwinski than International League competition.

On this morning, Suwinski is sitting on a black swivel chair in front of his locker trying on a new set of batting gloves. He snatches them right out of the package and begins tugging and stretching them to fit comfortably. Suwinski is dressed, and ready for the scheduled 9:20 a.m. workout.

There are two games planned for today. The Pirates have split their squad. There’s a busyness felt in the clubhouse. At 8:45 a.m. there is a bus ready to depart for an afternoon game on the road in Lee County with the Minnesota Twins. A sign is taped outside the Pirates’ clubhouse suggesting players take a meal to go from their cafeteria.

Suwinski is staying for the home game against the Baltimore Orioles. His uniform jersey hangs in plain sight. Surrounded by a half dozen teammates, all reviewing their equipment that will be needed for the 1:05 p.m. game, Suwinski easily looks back to when he was in the seats at Guaranteed Rate Field (then U.S. Cellular Field) cheering on his favorites.

"That was fun times,“ Suwinski recalls of going with his dad to watch the Chicago White Sox play. "I went to SoxFest once, and Paul Konerko was my favorite player.“

Suwinski and the Pirates’ organization are aware that the club is coming off back-to-back seasons where they lost 100 games. There is sure to be more pain before champagne bottles are opened for championship accomplishments. Staying the course, working to get better, and building on those results are what is important to Suwinski.

"I’m not forcing anything. Staying grounded is important. Controlling what you can. Getting better every day is my goal.“

Particularly as an everyday player, Suwinski understands just how long a 162-game schedule can feel. A young man of faith, last season Suwinski was a surprise, clubbing 19 home runs and driving in 38 runs. Now, he’s being counted on to produce even more, in hopes of Pittsburgh breaking the 100-loss cycle.

As 11:20 a.m. approaches, Suwinski stands in front of his locker reviewing his batting stance. Going through the motion of swinging a bat, Suwinski is deep in baseball thought. If he could see it, then he could do it. This is the mentality of the second-year MLB veteran.

Suwinski has number 65 on his jersey, but surely already is hovering, along with McCutchen and Reynolds, as number one in Pirates fans’ hearts.

The kid from Taft High School on Chicago’s northwest side is up for the task of now not simply being one of the young guns of the Pirates, but a leader in the organization’s future.