Robert Suárez

Note: This page is for P Robert Suárez who made his major league debut in 2022; for other with the same name, click here.

Robert Alexander Suárez Subero

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 210 lb.

• Debut April 7, 2022

• Born March 1, 1991 in Ciudad Bolívar, Bolívar Venezuela

BR page

Biographical Information

Robert Suárez is the brother of major leaguer Albert Suárez.

The right-hander was not signed as an amateur free agent. He worked in construction and played in semipro leagues. A friend told him that Mexican semipro leagues paid well so he went to pitch there. He did well enough to draw the notice of the Saraperos de Saltillo, who signed him for 2015. Taking over when closer Gary Majewski faltered, he was excellent, going 5-0 with 22 saves and a 1.72 ERA in 42 games, walking only seven in 47 innings. He tied Ramon Ramirez for fourth in the Mexican League in saves. Of the four other pitchers with 22 or more saves, three were former major leaguers, great company for a guy who was making his pro debut.

Suárez was then signed by Japan's Softbank Hawks. He was 2-6 with a save and a 3.19 ERA in 2016, striking out 64 in 53 2/3 IP. Only closer Dennis Sarfate pitched more games for the Hawks. His fastball was timed at 100 mph in the postseason.

Robert then was picked for the Venezuelan national team for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He allowed a hit and two walks while fanning one (Alex Liddi) in 1 1/3 IP over two games. He was one of two Venezuelan hurlers who did not allow a run (Silvino Bracho was the other, in 2/3 IP).

After five seasons in Japan, he was signed as a free agent by the San Diego Padres on December 1, 2021. When the 2022 season started, the Padres had designated him as their closer and he was immediately thrown into the drink on Opening Day, April 7th. Three Padres pitchers had held the Arizona Diamondbacks scoreless through the first 8 innings, and he came in to pitch the bottom of the 9th with a 2-0 lead. Things went horribly wrong, however, as he walked Christian Walker and Pavin Smith in succession, then hit Carson Kelly with a pitch to load the bases. Having failed to retire anyone, he gave way to Craig Stammen who completed the meltdown by throwing a wild pitch to allow a first run to score, and then gave up a walk-off three-run homer to Seth Beer to end the game. Robert was charged with the 4-2 loss. However, he did much better the rest of the year, going 5-1, 2.27 in 45 games. He did not hold on to the closer job, picking up just one save. Instead, the job went first to Taylor Rogers and then, after a mid-season trade, to Josh Hader, but he was an excellent set-up man. In the postseason, he pitched 6 scoreless innings between the Wild Card Series and the Division Series, both of which the Padres won, before giving up 3 runs in as many innings, including a pair of homers, in their loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. After the season, on November 10th, the Padres signed him to a huge contract extension worth $46 million over five years.

Sources

• El Universal
• Yahoo Deportes
• Japanese Wikipedia entry
• World Baseball Classic

Further Reading

• Jack Baer: "Padres reliever Robert Suárez goes from half-decade in Japan to $46 million contract extension", Yahoo! Sports, November 10, 2022. [1]

Related Sites

• Robert Suarez on mlb.com
• BR Register page