Eugenio Suarez.  Ever heard that name? Figures.  Honestly, I would not be too surprised if you haven’t.  Cincinnati is not a huge market but it should be big enough for you to know this guy.  

Suarez made his Major League debut on June 4th, 2014 with the Detroit Tigers.  In that same year, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Alfredo Simon.  When he made the big league club in 2015, it was not as a starter. In the middle of the season, Zack Cozart suffered a season-ending injury.  This was Eugenio’s opportunity. He finished the year with a very solid .284 batting average, 13 home runs, and 48 RBI’s in just about 100 games.  In December of 2015, Todd Frazier was traded to the Chicago White Sox. It was officially announced that Suarez would make a position change to start at third base.  2016 was a solid year for Suarez. He had 21 homers and 70 RBI’s with a .248 average, solidifying the position. He followed that up with an even better year, hitting .260 with 26 homers and 82 RBI’s.  His 2018 campaign is what truly stands out, but Suarez has not gotten enough hype.

In 2018, Eugenio broke out.  He had a .283 batting average which was a full season career-high.  He hit 34 bombs and drove in an NL’s 6th best 104 runs. The third baseman was selected to his first all-star gaming.  Hitting 34 home runs is no messing around. Suarez can be considered as one of the best hitting third basemen in the league.  With the addition of Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig in the Reds lineup, Suarez will only get better. With production from the new additions, Suarez will see more pitches to hit which will allow him to put up even better numbers then he did last year. With the large mix of contact, power, and hitting with runners in scoring position, I firmly believe Eugenio Suarez is the most underrated player in Major League Baseball.

He is pretty good, isn’t he?