Bradenton’s Michael Suchy is ready to rebound in 2017

Two intrasquad games pitting a bulk of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ prospects against each other took place on adjacent baseball fields at Pirate City.

Bradenton native Michael Suchy wasn’t one of the players competing on this late March morning.

Instead, he was inside the Pirate City clubhouse with his bag packed.

Following his early morning work, Suchy cleaned up and dressed for a trip to Montreal, where Pittsburgh’s big league club completed its exhibition schedule ahead of Monday’s season opener at Boston’s Fenway Park.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Suchy said just before leaving Pirate City on Thursday.

Suchy’s time with the big leaguers is a short one; he’s expected to start the season at Double-A Altoona.

This continues his progression through Pittsburgh’s organization since the Pirates drafted him from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2014.

Suchy, a former Southeast High School star, began his professional career at short-season Jamestown in ’14 and was promoted to Single-A West Virginia for the ’15 season. Last year, Suchy was with the Marauders for their championship season in his hometown.

“It was amazing,” Suchy said. “It was good to have those core guys that I got drafted with up there with me. Some new faces, obviously, along the way. But it was really good to go through all those hours of practice and stuff like that with each other, and have it pay off.”

But winning a title was a team accolade. As an individual, Suchy’s numbers dipped between West Virginia and Bradenton. A gap hitter, Suchy produced 24 fewer extra-base hits during his 2016 Florida State League season. The FSL isn’t a slugger’s paradise with its spacious ballparks. Just seven players have recorded 20-plus home runs in a season since 2012.

In addition, Suchy entered 2016 with a bulkier, more top-heavy frame.

“I think no matter what, even if it’s an All-Star year or anything like that, I think everyone feels there’s room for improvement in almost every aspect of the game,” Suchy said. “We’re just trying to improve everything to make it great. From making it great to professional to get to that gold standard. So there’s everything. I want to drive in more, I want to hit harder, all that kind of stuff. But I feel very comfortable with where I’m at, with what I did this offseason as far as getting my body ready.”

To combat the lack of power, Suchy is taking an aggressive approach against opposing pitchers this season.

“I’m looking to do more damage in advantage counts,” Suchy said. “... I really want to be that guy who looks for something early on.”

Suchy’s progression to a possible MLB roster spot in the future is blocked by the talented trio roaming Pittsburgh’s outfield: Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.

With the three away at the World Baseball Classic for most of the spring, Suchy was awarded time at LECOM Park as part of the group of minor leaguers called over from Pirate City.

“It’s really good to be able to have those guys have a face with the name, and be able to see them more often,” Suchy said. “Being more comfortable around them and just hanging out with them.”

And his time with the major league guys produced Suchy’s second career home run in a big league spring training game.

Suchy blasted a homer against the Toronto Blue Jays at LECOM Park to give a glimpse into his power.

Now the former fifth-round draft pick is expected to start the year in Altoona with just Indianapolis standing in his way from being on the brink of a MLB career.

This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Bradenton’s Michael Suchy is ready to rebound in 2017."