© John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Suarez’s last start was capped with a beer shower to celebrate his first big-league win.
Suarez was promoted to the Giants in early-April. He has made three major-league starts since, wrapped around a a brief Triple-A stint. In those big-league starts, Suarez is 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA, two walks allowed, and 18 strikeouts produced in 17.2 innings.
He has flashed signs of advanced intangibles and key physical traits that have impressed Giants catcher Nick Hundley.
“He has all the stuff, which is great, but I think his poise is what is going to set him apart,” Hundley said. “He is not rattled by the situation, and he can do a lot of things. He has a really, really good feel for pitching. His pitch-ability is off the charts. He can manipulate the ball as well as any young guy I have caught.”
Hundley’s praise of Suarez’s manipulation and pitch-ability refers to the 25-year-old lefty’s knack for adjusting grips and speeds while producing strikes.
In his last outing, a 4-3 win to cap San Francisco’s sweep of the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, Suarez threw 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out six batters, walked one, and produced three double plays.
Suarez has a five-pitch arsenal that he commands well. Opposing hitters are hitting .120 against his slider and .222 against his fastball, sitting at 92 MPH and topping around 94, which are his two most frequent pitches.
Suarez is one of San Francisco’s Triple-A transplants who have made the seamless transition to the major leagues as the Giants try to overcome a brutal injury bug that has swept the top of their pitching staff. The Giants have won four straight games entering Monday, and seven of their past eight, partly due to the contributions of unsung, inexperienced major league players such as Suarez.
“It will be interesting to see how well he progresses because I think the sky is the limit for him,” Hundley said. “He’s got a really fast, electric arm, and he has a feel on top of that. He can be special, for sure.”
