Albert Suarez finds another MLB stop with Orioles

HOUSTON — Orioles pitcher Albert Suarez recently walked up the steps to the dugout at Minute Maid Park, watched the Astros take batting practice and watched the hitters go in and out of the cage.

He watched intently as Astros star Jose Altuve, 34, finished his round of batting practice. Suarez then waited for his fellow Venezuelan near the cage to greet him with a smile and a hug.

Both players had humble beginnings in Venezuela. However, they took different paths to reach the major leagues. Suarez, 34, made his major league debut at the age of 26. Now, he has overcome adversity to return to the major leagues.

“It was a real ordeal,” Suarez said. “I thought, ‘If I’m lucky enough to be part of an organization, I’ll have a chance to make it to the big leagues.’”

Albert Suarez remembers his bus trips

His father, José Alberto, wanted his two sons to participate in sports. Albert Suarez and his brother Robert Suarez, the Padres’ best player, started playing baseball together. José Alberto worked as a crew member on a cargo ship. He stayed home for 15 days, then traveled for the next 15 days.

When José Alberto was home, he would take Albert and Robert to their baseball practices and games. Laura Suarez, the boys’ mother, would take it upon herself to take her two boys to practice when José Alberto was away at work.

Laura didn’t have a vehicle, so she took the bus with her boys to get to their training sessions. The bus ride usually took 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes it was longer, depending on traffic. Once the bus dropped them off at their stop, the Suarezes would walk 8 to 10 minutes to the stadium.

“We always fell asleep on the bus,” Albert Suarez said. “No matter what, we always fell asleep. Then she would wake us up as soon as we got to the stop closest to the field.”

“For me, that’s always one of the things that’s on my mind. How we would get the bus, the train, and then the games. Twice a week for training, and then once or twice on the weekend. For us, it was like something we were used to, and it was fun.”

Long trip

Albert Suarez has continued to overcome obstacles throughout his baseball career. A native of San Felix, Venezuela, he signed as an international free agent at age 16 with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006. After six seasons in the Rays’ farm system, he opted for free agency.

Suarez signed with the Angels in 2014. A year later, he signed with the Giants in 2015. After 10 years in three different organizations, Suarez made his major league debut with the Giants in early May 2016. He allowed only one hit during a scoreless inning.

He’s dealt with a variety of injuries with the Rays, Angels and Giants. Suarez has undergone Tommy John surgery, knee issues, Lyme disease, an oblique injury and a right shoulder strain.

MORE FROM OUR ESQUINA

Anthony Santander deserves a spot in the All-Star Game

Astros Make the Right Choice, Extend Jose Altuve’s Contract

Jaelyn Bracamonte proudly represents Venezuela

“I had a lot of injuries,” he said. “Six injuries would have required six surgeries. That’s what kept me from getting into the league earlier. When I got selected to the 40-man roster, I was 19. That’s something that said, ‘Okay, I can do this.’ But you know, in any sport, the main thing is to stay healthy.”

Suarez found himself mentally while playing overseas. Suarez played three years (2019-21) in Japan with the Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League. He finished with a 10-8 record, a 3.00 ERA and 134 strikeouts in three seasons with the Swallows.

Japan, South Korea

In 2022, the hard-throwing right-hander signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). Suarez went a combined 10-15 with a 3.04 ERA and 247 strikeouts over his two seasons with the Lions. Additionally, he finished with 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9), the most of any league he pitched in.

After playing his final season with the Lions, Suarez was considering a return to the major leagues.

“I started thinking, ‘OK, I can go back to the big leagues,’” Suarez said. “I just needed to change a few things, a few details in my mechanics. Like what I want the ball to do on the track map. So I had to change those details a little bit to be able to come back to the United States. Like any organization in the United States. That was my goal.”

Albert Suarez signed a minor league contract with the Orioles at the end of the 2023 season. He was invited to MLB spring training as a non-roster player. The 6-foot-3 right-hander learned more about pitching patterns through data and analytics. He wanted to learn and discover a new way to attack hitters.

Suarez began the 2024 season with Class AAA Norfolk. However, he was quickly called up to the major leagues. Suarez didn’t waste any time with the Orioles.

The Orioles have dealt with a number of pitching injuries early in the season, with starting pitchers John Means, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells out for the remainder of the season.

Suarez has been the unsung hero of the O’s starting rotation. He is 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 45 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .236 against him in his 17 games. Suarez has started 10 games this season.

“Albert helped us,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Suarez. “We’ve had our fair share of pitching injuries. Having Albert keep us in the game almost every time he’s been in the game has helped us pick ourselves up a little bit when we needed to.”