Iggy Suarez

From BR Bullpen

Ignacio Antonio Suarez

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.

BR minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Iggy Suarez has played over a decade in the minors, reaching AAA briefly.

Suarez was picked by the Texas Rangers in the 34th round of the 1999 amateur draft out of high school but opted for college. He played for the Wareham Gatemen team that won the 2002 Cape Cod League title. With Southwest Texas State that year, he hit .323/.402/.428 with 15 steals in 18 tries and 37 runs in 57 games. The Boston Red Sox took him in the 24th round of the 2003 amateur draft; the scout was Jim Robinson.

Iggy made his pro debut with the Lowell Spinners, hitting .222/.326/.285 with 12 steals in 16 tries and 32 runs in 58 games; he fielded .955 as their main shortstop. His 32 walks were one shy of the New York-Penn League's top 10, with Nyjer Morgan at 33. The New Yorker split 2004 between the Augusta Greenjackets (.270/.373/.362, 28 R in 38 G) and Sarasota Red Sox (.257/.331/.319 in 82 G). He was 7th in the Red Sox chain in runs, 7th in steals and tied Scooter Jordan for 9th in walks (52). He fielded .932 as the starting shortstop for the 2005 Wilmington Blue Rocks while hitting just .233/.287/.288.

Suarez opened 2006 with Wilmington and hit .265/.322/.372 in 94 games, backing up Jeff Natale at 2B and Jed Lowrie at 3B. Promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs, he went just 3 for 23 with 3 walks, 4 runs and a RBI. He began 2007 with the Lancaster Jethawks back in A (.379/.475/.530, 15 R, 15 RBI in 18 G) then spent most of the year with Portland (.253/.325/.347 in 105 G), backing up Lowrie at 3B and splitting second base with a couple others. In 2008, he hit .242/.307/.328 with 15 steals in 20 tries as Portland's main shortstop; he fielded .960 at short. In winter ball, he hit .247/.330/.278 for the Ponce Lions of the Puerto Rican League. He was 1 for 6 in the 2009 Caribbean Series, backing up Andy González at 2B.

In the summer of 2009, Suarez struggled as a backup infielder for Portland (.175/.286/.227 in 67 G) and the Pawtucket Red Sox (.167/.275/.250 in 20 G). Back with Ponce, he batted .300/.368/.330 in the winter. Let go by Boston, he hit .266/.368/.343 as the shortstop for the independent Somerset Patriots in 2010. He bounced around the Atlantic League in 2011, with stops with the Patriots (.136/.260/.152 in 23 G), Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (.275/.310/.350 in 10 G) and Lancaster Barnstormers (.250/.327/.309 in 61 G). He eked out a .212/.289/.321 batting line for the 2012 Sugar Land Skeeters. Joining the Colombian national team for the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, he went 1 for 2 with two walks to lead his team in OBP in his limited role. Backing up Edgar Renteria at shortstop, he drew a walk from Uber Paz late in a win over Nicaragua. He started at short against Brazil (with Renteria at DH) in an upset loss; he drew an Oscar Nakaoshi walk in the second and singled off him in the 4th then fanned against Gabriel Asakura in the 6th. In the 8th, Luis Sierra replaced him in the batting order and Donovan Solano moved from 2B to SS to replace him in the field. In 2013, Iggy hit .233/.309/.316 for the Bridgeport Bluefish.

Suarez became a player/coach for the Lowell Spinners in 2014 and moved over the the hitting coach position with the same team in 2015. He then became the Spinners' manager in 2016-2017. Suarez moved up to the Greenville Drive as manager in 2018 and has managed there through the 2023 season. After the latter year he managed the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. Suarez will manage Greenville once again in 2024.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs
2016 Lowell Spinners New York-Penn League 47-29 3rd Boston Red Sox Lost in 1st round
2017 Lowell Spinners New York-Penn League 33-42 11th Boston Red Sox
2018 Greenville Drive South Atlantic League 64-75 12th Boston Red Sox
2019 Greenville Drive South Atlantic League 56-82 13th Boston Red Sox
2021 Greenville Drive High-A East 67-53 4th Boston Red Sox
2022 Greenville Drive South Atlantic League 52-78 11th Boston Red Sox
2023 Greenville Drive South Atlantic League 63-69 9th Boston Red Sox League Champs
2024 Greenville Drive South Atlantic League 63-69 8th Boston Red Sox

Sources[edit]

Related Sites[edit]