Philly Leader

Ranger Suárez began his contract year with a minor scare during his first spring start at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. In the fifth inning, he attempted to barehand a ball, resulting in a nicked fingertip. Manager Rob Thomson and Trea Turner expressed their disapproval on the mound, while Alec Bohm playfully threw his glove at Suárez after confirming he was unharmed.

Despite this incident, Suárez delivered two scoreless innings against New York in the Phillies' 12-3 Grapefruit League loss. He allowed one hit and achieved two strikeouts with his changeup. Although his velocity was down, including a four-seam fastball clocking at 89.8 mph, Suárez reassured observers by stating, "Just remember, I never threw fast."

This season is pivotal for Suárez as he approaches free agency. A strong performance could lead to significant financial rewards, whereas inconsistency might cause teams to hesitate. Last year started promisingly for Suárez; he went 10-2 with a 1.83 ERA before injuries affected his performance.

Suárez acknowledged that back issues were particularly troublesome last year but emphasized efforts to avoid similar setbacks this season. "It’s about being healthy for the whole year," he said through an interpreter.

The Phillies plan to monitor Suárez's workload carefully throughout the season. Despite being the last starter to appear this spring, no concerns have been raised regarding his progress.

Having signed with the Phillies as a teenager from Venezuela in 2012, Suárez has spent nearly half of his life with the team and expressed a desire to remain: "It’s about staying in Philly... All I think about is staying here."

Alongside J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber, Suárez will enter free agency after this season. The Phillies may have anticipated possible departures by acquiring Jesús Luzardo from Miami and preparing top prospect Andrew Painter for potential rotation inclusion later this year.

In preparation for future negotiations, Suárez enlisted super-agent Scott Boras during the offseason. Boras typically guides clients toward free agency.

For now, Suárez aims to excel within what could be baseball's best rotation and hopes for World Series success: "It’s a tremendous group of pitchers... All of our guys are great." His goal remains consistent performance throughout October while maintaining health: "We all know to get a Cy Young you need to pitch really well for a whole season... Remain healthy."