ANGRY MIKE
Chris Suero is yet another Mets hitting prospect who enjoyed a successful 2025 season, that was capped off with a very productive stint in the Arizona Fall League. Suero has always been known for his high-energy motor, but in 2025, Suero delivered several clutch performances that not only helped to establish his potential as an impact bat, but also a player who has a knack for delivering clutch hits when the game is on the line. In at least 7 games Suero delivered either a game-tying hit or a go-ahead hit, that resulted in a win. He had several walk-off hits, and several big home runs that were directly responsible for putting a win on the board.
CHRIS SUERO AFL LEAGUE STATS:
Best way to show how productive Suero was in the AFL, is to compare his numbers to Kevin McGonigle, the #2 Overall prospect in the MLB:
C. SUERO -> | 0.288 BA | 5 HR | 8 SB | 14 RBI | 14 R |
| 2 2B | 0.920 OPS |
K. MCGONIGLE -> 0.353 BA | 5 HR | 3 SB | 19 RBI | 22 R |
| 5 2B | 1.210 OPS |
I’m not trying to say Suero is a superior player or point out he out-performed one of the best prospects in the league, but it speaks volumes that Suero’s numbers are in the same ballpark in several key offensive categories. Combined with his regular season statistics, Suero became the first Mets catching prospect to join the exclusive club:
21 HR || 43 SB
What’s impressive about Suero’s 43 SB is that he was only caught, 8 times, giving him an 84% success rate, that’s better than Nick Morabito and second only to A.J. Ewing.
Not bad for a catcher…
Suero isn’t a normal catcher, he is a true “Swiss-Army Knife” on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he hits for power, draws a ton of walks (more than Benge), steals a ton of bases bases, and has a knack for coming up with the clutch-hit. Defensively, Suero continued to log the majority of starts as the team’s #1 catcher, but also logged 16 starts at 1B and 21 starts in LF, where he recorded 3 outfield assists, and didn’t record a single error at 1B or LF.
Suero also posted a 31% K-Rate, and led all Mets prospects with a 139 K’s, which is something he’ll have to work on cutting down, if he wants to have any chance of developing i to anything more than a utility player off of the bench. The raw tools are there to provide an exciting blend of athleticism and baseball skills, making him a prime candidate to serve as Alvarez’ backup and potentially utility player for the Mets as early as 2027, if Luis Torrens leaves as a free agent after the 2026 season as expected.
Here’s what we know about the man, the myth, the legend, Chris Suero:
-> The athleticism is real, he moves well in LF, has the reflexes and instincts to be a serviceable defender at 1B, and his defense behind the plate is improving.
-> The speed is real: the only other catcher to steal 35 SB in a season is Mariners top prospect Harry Ford.
-> The power is real: Suero has been seen hitting mammoth blasts all over the field.
-> His ability to draw walks is real: Suero had an incredible 16% BB rate in 2025 | 14% BB-Rate in 2024.
-> The “clutch gene” is legit: Suero has continued to come up big in clutch moments all season long.
Suero got off solid start and was quickly promoted to AA Binghamton, which might have been a tad aggressive, but he more than held his own. Despite flashing some exciting tools, he is still quite raw, but there is no reason to think he can’t improve in areas of need with more experience and the discipline that comes with it, to make himself a more complete player.
2025 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
23 Multi-Hit games
49 Games he was on-base multiple times
16 games he drew 2+ Walks
Mashed RHP -> 0.385 OBP | 0.812 OPS | 15 HR
1.056 OPS | 0.565 OBP | 0.273 BA -> when ahead in the count
0.243 BA | 0.383 OBP -> in August shows he has the ability to make adjustments against advanced pitching.
17 Multi-RBI games
RISP STATS -> were top-notch:
0.262 BA | 0.409 OBP | 0.886 OPS | 53 RBI | 7 HR
2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:
Suero should be ticketed back to Binghamton for the 2026 season, and unlike in 2025, I expect him to spend the entire season there unless he he goes on a rampage offensively. We’ve seen the Mets accelerate a prospect’s arrival to the upper levels of the minors, only to then implement a more conservative approach from then on so that the player can continue to develop areas that need to be refined. Clifford is a great example, as he made his debut in AA as a 20-year old, only to spend 1.5 seasons there prior to his promotion to AAA in 2025. Suero would definitely benefit from a similar approach, giving him time to work on cutting down the strikeouts, improve his numbers against lefties, and continue improving his defense behind the plate.
Suero’s greatest value is as a #2 catcher, as the Mets would have an exciting duo of Alvarez and Suero capable of providing a considerable amount of thump over a 162 game schedule if he can continue developing a more patient approach at the plate. The fact he can play multiple positions gives the Mets increased roster flexibility, but having a backup catcher who can score from first on a double or steal a base and get into scoring position is quite rare and would be a true asset lte in games or for Alvarez off-days. Even being able to utilize Suero as a pinch runner for Alvarez late in games and being able to save Acuna or another speedster for a different situation also might come in handy.
Suero is an exciting talent and his development has made it easier on fans to help move past the fact former 1st round pick Kevin Parada has not shown any signs of ever turning the corner. Suero reminds me a little of Alvarez in that he is a clubhouse leader, he plays the game hard, will do the little things to help a team win, and he doesn’t take crap from anybody. His type of energy and flare would be a welcomed addition in Queens and I look forward to watching him form a dynamic duo with Alvarez for years to come after he finally arrives in Queens.
10 comments:
My favorite quote from a teammate last season
"Suero would die for us out there on the field" .
LOVE Chris
Let's play a game...
Let's say that Francisco Alvarez stops getting dinged, turns what baby fat he has left into muscle, and goes on to be a star catcher... meaning, everyone will be blocked in becoming the starting Mets catcher.
Now, let's say Jorge (or Julio... whatever) Polanco turns out to be another Stearns bustorama. The Mets will need someone that can play first defensively (check), hit for power (check), steal bases (check) and team controlled (check).
Get the drift?
The flexibility & athleticism of our premier prospects is so refreshing. Creates optionality & room to maneuver. Hope he can cut down his K%.
This is precisely the kind of player that Stearns wants to build with: Versatility, athleticism, and a great work ethic. And the most important part is that the FO is defining the way they want to play baseball and that approach is being taught throughout the minors, which increases the likelihood that when our prospects arrive in Queens, they will be as prepared as possible to play in the majors and to fit the schemes.
So they develop individual talent but also a shared understanding of how the game is to be played.
If you are looking for a stark contrast, think of the issue that every Syracuse University basketball player under Boeheim (who admittedly was a terrific college coach) had to face defensively when drafted to the NBA -- going from an exclusive 2/3 zone defense to the variety of man-to-man coverage schemes in the NBA.
Plus robo umps, different strike zones and different ⚾️
I will tell you why Chris Suero is my kind of guy…
…he got hit by pitch 22 times in 475 PAs, an .050 OBP just from HBPs, and 14 times the year prior. A guy with speed should want to get on base any way possible. He must have read the Mark Canha HBP playbook. Canha likely extended his career by years because his OBP% was strong because he embraced the HBP. Plunked once every 28 times up. Many hitters are wimpy and don’t want to endure the pain. Baty has been HBP less than 0.6% of his PAs. Vientos? 1%. Suero last year? A superior 5%.
He also is willing to CATCH, which many soft prospects are not willing to try to make the big leagues. Catching skills are definitely a strategic advantage for a player to make the show.
Smart dude. Athletic for sure. Driven? Sure seems so.
Hire some lefty pitchers to help these prospects like Suero better hit lefties, for Pete’s sake.
As I read this great piece by Mike, I was asking myself:
1. Is hitting in the clutch random or a true talent? Some people are better than others but the Mets spent much time trying to improve it last year.
2. Would Suero become a Todd Ziele or Craig Biggio player to come out from behind the plate to have a longer and better career, or is he like John Wathan who couldn’t hit too much so he stayed behind the plate?
3. Robo umps will help, but with only a few challenges per game, framing still has a place and pop times will be the final catching stat. How is he there?
4. Wouldn’t the Mets benefit more by making this player a full time position player at either a corner infield or corner outfield? Honestly, I think Baty is sort of clumsy looking out there dont know if he can get better.
I will address 4.
Yes, they should. At first. He also is a very good defensive LEFT fielder. Amazing video went around last season on an incredible, almost impossible grab at the wall
This is an amazing talent to have on your roster. You can carry a 3rd catcher if needed and he can fill in at least 4-5 times a week at different positions.
Twice ar catcher
Once at first
1-2 times in corner outfield.
Gives everyone a rest once in awhile.
Also love the idea of him pitch running for Alvarez late in games and keeps him Alvy away from sliding in hands first and getting hurt.
Hopefully we see what he can do in triple a by end of season, so we have a better idea when he can come up?
Zo
I think Suero will turn out to be far too talented to be a Swiss army knife
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