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When the Padres re-signed Robert Suarez to a five-year, $46 million deal in November 2022 while Josh Hader had only one year remaining until free agency, the thought was that the organization viewed Suarez as its closer of the future.

The future is now.

Suarez, 33, entered this season with only one career save, and manager Mike Shildt never officially named a closer this spring. But it is now clear that Suarez is the guy in the ninth inning, and he’s taken the reins like a boss.

Suarez is one of only five pitchers with double-digit saves (10), and he’s the only one of those who has yet to blow a save opportunity.

“He’s been tremendous,” Shildt said. “We had a good idea that he was going to be the guy at the end of the game. He was provided opportunities and has done nothing but reward that with how he’s performed.”

Suarez’s bread-and-butter pitch is his fastball, which has an average velocity of 98.3 mph to rank in the 97th percentile in MLB. He has leaned on that offering much more heavily this season, throwing the pitch 90% of the time (78% four-seamer/12% sinker), down from 62% (38% four-seamer/23% sinker/1% cutter) last year.

“It’s just a part of me executing my pitches,” Suarez said via interpreter Pedro Gutierrez. “And [the fastball] is my best pitch, so it’s been by design that I’ve gone to it more this season and I’ve been able to get a little more outs.”

That fastball mixed in with a wipeout changeup has allowed Suarez to post an expected ERA of 2.73 (84th percentile) and an opponents’ expected batting average of .186 (90th percentile).

“He’s been throwing a lot of quality strikes, dominating early counts,” Shildt said. “He’s attacking. He’s convicted in what he’s doing, and he’s been able to use an elite fastball to be his calling card to establish himself and get quick outs.”

It was a long and winding road for Suarez to reach this point. He signed his first Major League contract with the Padres in December 2021 as a 30 year old after spending the previous five seasons pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

Over six seasons in the NPB, Suarez recorded a 2.81 ERA and 209 strikeouts to just 70 walks in 191 career appearances between the Hanshin Tigers (2020-21) and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2016-19). The Bolivar, Venezuela, native also spent 2015 pitching for the Saraperos de Saltillo in the Mexican League, going 5-0 with 23 saves and a 1.71 ERA in 43 appearances.

“My path was a little bit different, but I have no disappointment,” Suarez said. “I was able to pitch in Mexico in professional baseball, and that was the right spot at the time. That success allowed me to go to Japan, and I was successful there, and that opened the door for me [in MLB]. So it was an unusual path, but I’m just glad I had the opportunities that led me here.”

And, man, the Padres are equally glad he’s here.

“Robert’s been great,” said president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. “Obviously he’s taken to the closer’s spot, pitching in the back of the bullpen. He throws strikes and he’s doing it at elite velocity. I think he’s been a real impact for us at the back of the bullpen.”