Phillies prospect Ranger Suarez to debut Thursday: Who is he?

Before Ranger Suarez makes his major-league debut Thursday, learn all about the Phillies prospect and what makes him so promising.

After Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez started in Sunday’s doubleheader, the Phillies need someone to fill in Thursday against the Reds on the mound. Manager Gabe Kapler said before Tuesday’s game that Ranger Suarez will be called up from Triple-A to make a spot start.

Suarez’s start is already notable for the sole fact that it has been nearly two years since a lefty started for the Phils. 667 days to be precise. Adam Morgan was the last lefty to do so Sept. 28, 2016.

There is still much more to Suarez then being left-handed. He is one of the team’s top prospects, ranked seventh overall by Baseball America in their most recent team rankings. Suarez is still only the sixth-best pitching prospect in the system per BA, highlighting the team’s depth at the position.

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Suarez will be the youngest player on the major-league roster upon promotion at 22 years and 11 months old. Enyel De Los Santos, who debuted earlier this month, is the only player younger than Suarez on the 40-man roster.

Suarez started 2018 in Double-A Reading, posting a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts. He struck out 54 batters and walked 20 in 75 innings. He averaged over six innings per start, throwing seven or more innings in six of his starts. Suarez was then promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley at the end of June. He has given up just one run in three starts there so far, striking out 12 and walking four in 15.2 innings.

Suarez’s bread-and-butter pitch is his fastball that shows good sink and can run up to 95 mph.

He uses it to keep balls on the ground, producing a 50.7 percent ground-ball rate this year in Double-A. His best secondary offering is his changeup, which is a solid pitch and helps produce ground balls. Suarez’s slider can flash average but lags behind his changeup. He doesn’t show any command issues with a better than average walk rate.

Suarez doesn’t have the high-end potential of other arms in the system, but there is every reason to believe he can be a strong back-end piece. With the future of the major-league rotation much clearer, there isn’t as much pressure for Suarez to exceed his ceiling.

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Thursday will be an opportunity to get a good sense of what Suarez can do in the major leagues. While the Reds aren’t a great team, they still possess a good lineup that will be a strong first test for Suarez.

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