Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell reveals what surprised him about slugger Seiya Suzuki.

The Chicago Cubs enter the season needing Seiya Suzuki to play the way he did to end the year when he was one of the best hitters in baseball during the last two months of the season, finishing with a slash line of .285/.357/.485.

Factor in the 20 home runs and 31 doubles that Suzuki hit and the Cubs have a burgeoning star on their hands.

In fact, if he can produce the way he did in the second half of the season, he should find himself in the All-Star game.

Manager Craig Counsell has competed against Suzuki for the last two seasons when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers’ skipper.

While facing the Japanese phenom, Counsell got a good look at the player he was. Now, getting to coach him has allowed the manager to notice other parts of his game.

Specifically, Counsell noticed that Suzuki is a much better athlete than he originially thought, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

“It’s a really pretty baseball swing. A really good athlete is probably what surprised me a little bit.”

Chicago’s lineup has question marks throughout the order.

Outside of Suzuki, Cody Bellinger, and a few others, there’s a lack of offense firepower that can truly be counted on.

While it should be good enough to compete in the National League Central, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cubs struggle due to offensive issues at times throughout the year.

Suzuki will have more pressure on him than ever before. This is the first time in his career that the organization has true expectations to make the playoffs.

He performed at a high level when Chicago was fighting for a playoff spot last season and should do the same this year.