Albert Suarez 2024

[Tony-OH]

I'm a little surprised he got the call overall since he has no options, but he's a nice story. It will be six years since he's been in a major league game. Quite the comeback story.

He hasn't been very good in 2 of his 3 starts this year in Norfolk, and got beat around in his last one for 10 hits and 5 ERs in 4.1 IP, so I guess we'll see. He did pitch well until the 4th and 5th innings when the wheels feel off on him, so maybe he's strong for three.

With an offday tomorrow, this is probably going to be a bullpen game and they probably think Suarez gives them the best chance over the first time through the order. 

He did hit 97 MPH in his last start so the velocity is there, but he also only threw 44% of his pitches in the zone so command has been a problem. 

[Moose Milligan]

Yeah, just hope he can get through the order once.  Twice or more, that'd be amazing.

[CaptainRedbeard]

Interesting point about his zone rate since he only has the 1 BB in his AAA innings this year, and very good BB rates in Spring Training too. In watching him in Spring Training he was living above the zone with his fastball, which IIRC has mediocre IVB but exceptional horizontal movement. That could explain the low in-zone rate if he was continuing to live up and out of the zone but get chases there.

Based on this Spring Training results, the new & improved stuff he’s carried and and his small sample AAA numbers (bad ERA, but great K/BB), I think there’s a pretty good chance he’s a solid MLB pitcher. I’m skeptical he’s going to be a proper SP since it was really only his fastball that looked like a true plus offering, but I like that he’s getting a shot at that first. So long as he gets moved to the pen and not DFA’d when he gets bumped from the rotation. 

[Tony-OH]

37 minutes ago, CaptainRedbeard said:

Interesting point about his zone rate since he only has the 1 BB in his AAA innings this year, and very good BB rates in Spring Training too. In watching him in Spring Training he was living above the zone with his fastball, which IIRC has mediocre IVB but exceptional horizontal movement. That could explain the low in-zone rate if he was continuing to live up and out of the zone but get chases there.

Based on this Spring Training results, the new & improved stuff he’s carried and and his small sample AAA numbers (bad ERA, but great K/BB), I think there’s a pretty good chance he’s a solid MLB pitcher. I’m skeptical he’s going to be a proper SP since it was really only his fastball that looked like a true plus offering, but I like that he’s getting a shot at that first. So long as he gets moved to the pen and not DFA’d when he gets bumped from the rotation. 

If/when he's bumped, it will be interesting who the Orioles send down if it's not him. Only Akin, Tate and Cano have options. This is why I'm surprised he's the guy and not Zimmerman who does. Let's say Suarez pitches well enough to be a bullpen option? Who goes? 

Can't send Akin, he's the 3rd lefty and has pitched very well. It's not going to be Cano. So it seems like Tate will have to go back and wait his turn despite pitching well.

 

[DirtyBird]

3 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Can't send Akin, he's the 3rd lefty 

Who is the 2nd?

[spleen1015]

This is a Suarez that owned the Phillies. We gonna be ok.

[CaptainRedbeard]

9 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

If/when he's bumped, it will be interesting who the Orioles send down if it's not him. Only Akin, Tate and Cano have options. This is why I'm surprised he's the guy and not Zimmerman who does. Let's say Suarez pitches well enough to be a bullpen option? Who goes? 

Can't send Akin, he's the 3rd lefty and has pitched very well. It's not going to be Cano. So it seems like Tate will have to go back and wait his turn despite pitching well.

 

5 whiffs on 6 swings on 8 fastballs all up in the zone, averaging 96.1. Against some pretty solid hitters. I don’t know how the rest of this game is going to go or how they’ll make space for him in the pen, but that’s a pretty electric fastball. Whatever they do, they can’t DFA a guy who has that ability.

More whiffs on the 4 seamer in 8 pitches than Irvin has on his 4 seamer in 47 pitches this year!

[CaptainRedbeard]

 

[Aristotelian]

The lack of options is interesting. That would suggest they are thinking of this as more than an emergency start. Four shutout innings so far vs a guy we talked about trading for as a TOR guy.

[spleen1015]

24 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

The lack of options is interesting. That would suggest they are thinking of this as more than an emergency start. Four shutout innings so far vs a guy we talked about trading for as a TOR guy.

Wells is out for at least 2-3 starts so this makes some sense, eh?

[backwardsk]

This is what makes baseball so great. What an incredible performance.

[RZNJ]

He might get more starts but I am thinking about him in the bullpen eventually.   

[Gunnar]

i really hope he gets the win

[G54377]

I think he stays in to start until Wells/Means are back and will replace whoever is stinking in the pen if necessary at that point.

[RVAOsFan]

1 hour ago, RZNJ said:

He might get more starts but I am thinking about him in the bullpen eventually.   

I wonder what he could crank that velocity up to in a relief role.  I hope he has success as a starter but I also like the thought of him in the bullpen.