Ranger Suarez has arrived in Clearwater, gives a positive update about his first start
Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez has finally made it to Clearwater, Florida.
Suarez had trouble obtaining his Visa back in Colombia. He officially received it last week and reported to Phillies spring training this morning. Players all across the league faced similar problems to Suarez, mainly because of Major League Baseball’s 99-day lockout.
Although Suarez arrived later than everyone else on the Phillies, he still believes that he’ll be ready for his first start. Ranger Suarez said he had people to play catch with back in Colombia, with a little help from Phillies assistant GM Jorge Velandia.
Ranger Suarez was a bright spot of the Phillies pitching staff throughout the 2021 season. It’s almost unheard of to see a player post a sub-1.5 ERA in over 100 innings pitched, and Suarez did just that. He was the “Swiss Army Knife” for the Phillies, appearing in both the starting rotation and bullpen.
Suarez tallied just 16 earned runs allowed in 106 innings pitched, recorded 107 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.00, a 9.1 SO9 ratio, and 3.24 strikeouts per walk. His strikeout percentage was the highest of his career, sitting at 25.6%. He tallied a 58.2 ground ball percentage and finished the season with a 5.6 WAR.
The Phillies starting rotation is predicted to be one of the best (if healthy) and Ranger Suarez is going to play a big part in that. If Ranger Suarez is ready for his first start, I believe he’ll be the third arm in the rotation. With Zack Wheeler out with the flu, and still recovering his arm from last season, it seems like Aaron Nola will start on Opening Day. If Zach Eflin can’t pitch his first start, Ranger would be the #2 to start the season, if healthy.
Phillies baseball is back. The team will play their first Spring Training game on Friday vs the Detroit Tigers. Friday’s game will not be televised, with Michael Kelly starting the first game of Spring. Aaron Nola will get the start on Saturday vs Toronto, the team’s first televised game of the season.
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Mandatory Credit: John Clark
[…] Big beefy boy Zach Eflin opened the game today in his first outing since undergoing surgery on his knee in early September. This is a great sign for a Phillies rotation that has multiple question marks entering the season. Zack Wheeler has already dealt with general soreness in his throwing arm followed by flu-like symptoms and Ranger Suarez was late arriving to camp as he was dealing with visa issues in Colombia. […]