Suter spent off-season bulking up
PHOENIX – Brent Suter, a Harvard graduate, made it to the big leagues more through brains than brawn. But that didn’t stop him from hitting the weights hard over the winter.
To the tune of 20 extra pounds of muscle.
“I wanted to be stronger,” said the 28year-old left-hander, one of the pleasant surprises of the Milwaukee Brewers’ breakthrough 86-victory season in 2017.
“I wanted to be stronger so I can get through the third time of the (opponents’ batting) order better. I want to eliminate any fatigue factor, so I really got after it.”
Suter, a 31st-round draft pick in
2012, went 3-2 with a 3.42 earned run average in 22 games last season, including 14 starts when the rotation was thinned by injuries.
A finesse pitcher whose fastball tops out at 85-86 mph, Suter did have problems getting through batting orders more than twice. He held opponents to a .191 batting average over his first 25 pitches, but slipped to .255 over the next 25 pitches and .329 from pitches 51-75.
Determined to avoid such fades this season, Suter set up a personal gym in the basement of his home in Cincinnati and dedicated himself to a strict regimen of workouts to build strength.
“I bought a bench, a squat rack and a ‘pull’ gym system for like 200 bucks,” Suter said. “It was like the best deal I’ve ever seen. I also bought an Olympic barbell set. I had almost everything I needed. I set up some music down there and went to town. My wife, Erin, was at work, so I was there by myself.
“My day revolved around it. I’d wake up, set a timer for three hours later. That’s the best time to (work out). It went well. I did four days a week lefthanded. The other two were body care, yoga, stuff like that. I do feel different – stronger.
“I think it’s going to help a lot, even if I’m relieving, because sometimes I might get called to do multiple innings a couple of times a week. I just wanted to get stronger and eliminate the fatigue factor.”
Suter had his eye on another area of improvement, focusing on improving his changeup in pre-camp throwing sessions. He continues to work on that pitch, with hopes of keeping righthanded hitters honest. Suter limited left-handed hitters to a .192 batting average but righties hit .287 against him.
“I think that will help me go deeper in games,” said Suter, who pitched a quick 1-2-3 inning Monday against Cleveland. “It’s a big pitch against right-handed hitters, giving them something going away from them.
“It’s just another weapon to use. It helps to have something like that when you’re a finesse pitcher. I’m working on maybe using different sequences, also.”
For those who haven’t figured it out by now, Suter is always looking for an edge to make up for his lack of velocity. He pitches with a quick tempo, sometimes quicker than hitters think should be allowed, and is not afraid to pitch up in the strike zone to get hitters to chase.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with Harvard,” manager Craig Counsell said of Suter’s ability to out-smart hitters. “I think it’s more stylistic and how he’s wired. It works for him. He makes hitters uncomfortable in a unique way.
“He doesn’t do it the same way everybody else does, so it’s not as obvious how it works. Some pitchers do it with velocity; some do it with a wipeout slider. He does it with unique movement on pitches; he does it with pace. You combine all the things he does together and it makes him a successful pitcher.”
Suter will get a chance to make the starting rotation this spring, and if there’s no room there, possibly a job in the bullpen. One thing is for sure: He is giving himself every chance to succeed, with no regrets.
“There will be a lot of competition for jobs but that’s a good thing because it will make everyone better,” Suter said. “I’m super excited, ready to get going.
“I was mostly happy with the progress I made how the team came together last year, but definitely not satisfied. I want to get better.”