Poor pitching has consequences, and Jose Suarez learned that the hard way last season when the Los Angeles Angels demoted him.
It took a demotion for the reliever to understand something needed to change.
“Now, my mentality is way different,” Suarez said. “When I’m in a game, it’s more serious.”
Suarez arrive in Tempe this spring 20 pounds lighter and ready to work. Rather than experimenting with new pitches, he’s sticking to what works – fastball, changeup and slider.
“If (a demotion) never happened, it’s never a part of your mindset,” manager Ron Washington said. “Now it happened to you, it puts you on alert. And you should be on alert. That’s for any player. He’s on alert now. Now he’s making certain that he’s the way he’s supposed to be.”
The 27-year-old has struggled in recent seasons after a promising start to his career.
In 2021, he recorded a 3.75 ERA over 98.1 innings, followed by a 3.96 ERA across 109 innings in 2022. Those performances earned him extended opportunities with the Angels, but he has since struggled over the past two seasons.
Enough was enough when Suarez gave up five runs to the San Francisco Giants in one inning and he was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake City.
When the Angels brought him back up in September, the switch was flipped. He finished the season with a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings and the Angels kept him on the 40-man roster all winter.
Suarez allowed a solo homer over two innings in his Cactus League debut Monday, but Angels’ bench coach Ray Montgomery, who filled in for Washington, said he came away impressed.
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“I like the way he attacked the zone,” Montgomery said. “He left the one pitch up. I don’t have a problem with that. Just his mound presence, his tempo, his rhythm, I thought it was good. Used the heater. Commanded the fastball. I thought it was good.”
When it comes to Suarez’s role this season, that is to be determined. He is out of options and will need to win a spot most likely as a long reliever.
“This year is very important,” Suarez said. “I feel really good. I lost a lot of weight. I worked real hard because I want to pitch really well, better than last year. I want to be like ’21 and ’22.”