How Phillies’ Ranger Suárez is set to build on 2022 postseason dominance
Ranger Suárez’s postseason success sprouted from a career of consistency.
The left-handed pitcher from Venezuela has pitched well against lefties his entire big-league career. According to Baseball-Reference, Ranger Suárez has only allowed a batting average of .183 against left-handed batters. He also has only allowed 57 hits while earning 83 strikeouts against southpaw batters in his career.
Another important aspect of Suárez’s game is that he was not too reliant on his four-seam fastball in 2022. Baseball Savant recorded Suárez throwing his sinker 40.2 percent of the time, while he only turned to his four-seamer 17.7 percent of the time in 2022. This was the lowest percentage of any year of his career, and a big reason why he could gain command on the mound.
Suárez expanding to a six-pitch arsenal in 2022 — featuring a sinker, changeup, four-seam fastball, cutter, curveball, and a slider — made a huge impact on him reducing his reliance on his fastball.
Ranger Suárez, Wicked 77mph Curveball. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/ijHQhnbzOS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 2, 2022
Expanding from a four-pitch arsenal allowed Suárez to transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation. His desire to expand his game not only made it so Suárez could become a starter in the majors, but it has also allowed him to increase his potential as a ballplayer.
Suárez brings the Phillies something that can propel them past their National League East foes. Philadelphia will have four starters to lean on throughout the season, with the addition of Taijuan Walker. A stable rotation of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Suárez, and Walker not only has the potential to top the division, but also the entire National League.
While having flexibility on the mound is great, the flexibility Suárez provides on the books is another reason every Phillies fan should love the emerging star.
Ranger Suárez will likely make less than $20 million overall through 2025.
With the Phillies currently having $300 million and upward contracts of Bryce Harper and Trea Turner on the books, the club’s focus has become to find players who can perform on a team-friendly deal.
On top of owing more than $50 million to Harper and Turner in 2023, the Phillies will also pay the aforementioned trio of Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler, and Taijuan Walker an additional $58.5 million.
Part of what makes Ranger Suárez so valuable to the Phillies is that even after he clears arbitration, he will likely only make around $4 million for the 2023 season, according to Spotrac. The left-hander will not be eligible to become a free agent until after the 2025 season, and the odds of one of Suárez’s arbitration years reaching a price tag higher than $10 million are slim.
Payroll flexibility is something that will become more important to the Phillies front office in the coming years. The Phillies will need to bring more October baseball games to Philadelphia for the front office to keep handing out generous offers. After setting the expectation of winning a pennant, there will unlikely be a tolerance for players who underperform.
This is why it is so significant that Suárez played his best baseball when it mattered the most. Allowing zero runs, four hits, and striking out five batters in the World Series perfectly displayed what kind of player Suárez is and can continue to be.
Suárez’s ability to perform in the clutch — coupled with his adaptability and affordability — makes him a true rarity.
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