Mariners prospect's monstrous home run scores a point for his critics

The farm system the Seattle Mariners have built under Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander is very good, but also very top-heavy. The talent thins out in a hurry after six or seven top-100 types, and one of the many question marks concerns a hitter who holds himself back: Luis Suisbel.

Granted, he held nothing back with his latest home run for the High-A Everett AquaSox on Thursday. It was a 435-foot blast to right field, which apparently set a distance record for the Hillsboro Hops' new stadium.

If nothing else, it's a nice feather in the 23-year-old's cap. But if it is anything else, it's an effective display of the raw power that still holds the attention of prospect evaluators. Suisbel entered this season as the club's No. 20 prospect for Baseball America, which graded his power as his best tool.

Luis Suisbel isn't doing himself any favors by staying committed to switch-hitting

Just in the abstract, it's hard to bank on Suisbel as a future major leaguer, either with the Mariners or with another organization. Even as of now, he's a little old to still be at the High-A level, where he's 0.4 years older than the average player.

A couple things are conspiring against him, including a propensity for swinging and missing that is a bit much even for a power-first hitter. And then there's the reality that is very much present in his latest homer: he's a switch-hitter who is only dangerous from the left side:

These figures show that Suisbel is regressing from both sides of the plate, but that it is especially pronounced from the right side. His .757 OPS from the left side would rank 16th among Northwest League hitters. His .412 OPS from the right side would rank dead last.

None of this is going to surprise certain evaluators, such as Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs. He had Suisbel ranked as Seattle's No. 22 prospect in January, noting that: "The one thing that could change the equation here is if Suisbel drops the right-handed swing."

The numbers — which don't even include a 43.2 K% as a righty hitter this year — would seem to make it pretty definitive that this is not just a good idea, but vital advice for Suisbel to follow through on.

Furthermore, if a hitter must choose a side, batting left-handed is the way to go. There might actually be too many left-handed hitters in MLB right now, but better that than the other way around. Seven out of every 10 pitches is thrown by a right-handed pitcher, giving lefties an ever-present platoon advantage.

It's up to Suisbel, of course. But if they haven't already, it's certainly past time for the Mariners to step in and at least nudge him toward making the decision.

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