Ranger José Suárez (born August 26, 1995) is a Venezuelan baseball pitcher who now pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Suárez, a native of Pie de Cuesta, was signed as an international free agent by the Phillies in 2012. A drug ban cut short his debut season in the Venezuelan Summer League (VSL), but he returned to pitch in the VSL for two more seasons.
He began to gain the attention of the Phillies organization in 2014, after giving up only one walk for the whole season, and he was promoted to the Rookie League the following year.
In 2016, Suárez’s profile continued to improve as he pitched a no-hitter for the Williamsport Crosscutters. In 2017 and 2018, he progressed through the Phillies’ farm system, earning time in Double-A and Triple-A as a strikeout-prone starting pitcher.
Suárez spent most of his professional baseball career as a starter until rotating between the bullpen and various positions with the Phillies from 2019 to 2021, including long reliever, set-up man, and closer.
However, due to a lack of depth and injuries in their rotation, the Phillies shifted Suárez to the starting pitching rotation in late 2021.
Suárez’s pitch repertoire changes depending on his role: as a starter, he prefers to throw a slider, while as a reliever, he uses a sinker and changeup combo. Suárez’s fastball averages 93 mph (150 km/h), which helps him strike out a lot of batters.