A key to Wander Suero’s success this season is consistency, yet that doesn’t mean sticking to the same pitch.
The right-handed reliever threw his cutter for 81.1% of his 381 pitches in 2020. He went with his changeup 13.6% of the time, and his curveball only 5.2%. As Suero prepares for his fourth Major League season, he is focused on delivering those secondary pitches with greater frequency.
“I’ve been able to basically compete at the highest level with that one pitch,” Suero said. “But this spring, I think the biggest difference is my secondary [pitches]. My offspeed pitches have developed and gotten much better, and that’s where you see the biggest difference.”
Suero posted a 3.80 ERA with 20 hits and 28 strikeouts over 23 2/3 innings last year. In Spring Training, he has recorded nine strikeouts, three hits, one run and a walk over six one-inning appearances through Tuesday. His ERA sits at 1.50 with a 0.67 WHIP.
“I love where he's at right now,” manager Dave Martinez said. “He's worked hard, and the biggest thing with him is consistency. I talked to him about that … being consistent in the strike zone. His stuff plays, as we all know, but when he's throwing strikes the way he is, he's tough to hit.”
Last Monday, as an example, Suero fanned the side with 15 pitches in the Nats’ 4-2 loss to the Cardinals. It was his final out against Max Moroff that grabbed Martinez’s attention.
“He threw a 3-2 changeup for strike three, caught looking, and I thought, ‘That shows me he understands who he is. He understands that he can throw strikes with every pitch,’” Martinez said. “If he can maintain that, he's going to be a force in that bullpen."
There is a possibility the Nationals could turn to Suero for extra late-inning relief this season should Will Harris, who was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right arm, miss significant time. Last season, Suero made 11 appearances in the sixth inning, compared to eight in the seventh and only two in the eighth. His ERA was 1.26 in the fourth through sixth frames versus 7.71 in the seventh through ninth.
“His maturity level has been growing,” said catcher Yan Gomes. “He’s starting to kind of [pitch] like, ‘OK, I can’t just throw pitches out there and hope they work.’ I think he’s starting to realize what kind of pitches do work, how he can work his cutter. For the amount of cutters that he throws, guys are going to start looking for it.
“But when you get guys having to work off of two extra pitches other than his mid-90s cutters, he’s going to be a big piece to our bullpen.”