Seiya Suzuki is on a different level right now.
Suzuki was already on the short list of players you could call the best in Japan, but the Hiroshima Carp’s star outfielder has found another gear during the second half of the season. Suzuki has been on top of his game for the past several weeks, breathing new life into the Central League home run race and turning up the heat on the Yomiuri Giants in the chase to reach the postseason.
If the CL handed out a second-half MVP award, Suzuki would be the choice. He was good in the first half too, putting up solid numbers before a rough patch to start interleague play and then contracting COVID-19 in May. Suzuki returned from his virus-induced exile in time to help Japan win the gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics in August and was ready to go when the NPB season resumed later in the month.