The Rockaway Wave
Originally Published July 5, 2024
Even though he’s from the Bronx, Christopher Suero wants to make one thing very clear — he did not grow up a Yankees fan.
“That was my dream, to sign with the Mets,” Suero said. “Never really been a Yankees fan, so let that be known. I’ve always wanted to be with the Mets just cause of that too. The colorway, being back home, and now that I’m here, it’s great, it’s a great feeling.”
Suero grew up in a Dominican household, and his dad and grandfather were never Yankees fans. Instead, they were Red Sox fans, and Suero grew up looking up to David Ortiz on the Boston teams of that era.
He attended All Hallows High School in the Bronx and played for Mark Bonilla, who is now the coach at Monsignor Scanlan High School.
“Chris was a great kid,” Bonilla said. “Always had a smile on his face, great teammate, kids loved him, and he was a pleasure to be around.”
Bonilla only had him for one year though, because Suero moved to the Dominican Republic to help advance his baseball career. By moving, he could go through the international signing process instead of the MLB Draft.
“Being from New York is a little tough, being from the east side, the East Coast, we don’t really get that exposure as most people do,” Suero said. “I had the advantage that I come from a Dominican household, come from Dominican parents, so I had that opportunity to go over there and I took it. I took that risk, and I just felt like that was the best thing for me at that moment.”
Suero said having to adapt to living in a new country was tough, doing so when he was just 15 years old turning 16. He said his mom would go down there and give him support which was a big help, but it was still hard for him.
“I had to grow faster than how most people do,” Suero said. “It definitely made me the person that I am today, helped me out a lot in being the man that I am. I’m definitely grateful for that experience.”
Bonilla has had a handful of players take the route Suero did, including Yohairo Cuevas who is currently also in the Mets organization at Single-A St. Lucie. He said for players who go that route, it becomes baseball first. Baseball essentially turns into a full-time job, and for 15- and 16- year-old kids, that’s not easy.
Suero signed with the Mets in 2022 at 18 years old and has now played parts of three seasons in the organization. After 38 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2022 and 22 games in the Florida Coast League in 2023, Suero began the 2024 season in Single-A.
In 25 games, Suero hit .265/.390/.434, a .824 OPS, with nine extra-base hits. He earned a quick promotion to High-A Brooklyn at the same time as Nick Morabito, and both players expressed how happy they were to be promoted together.
Suero is now a catcher, but Bonilla said he actually didn’t want to catch back in high school. His opportunity to get on the field was either at catcher or in the outfield Bonilla said, and he did both, but was a little more resistant to catching at first. The team came first though, he said, and Suero did it.
“The catching position was where we really were gonna need him to help us,” Bonilla said. “And he did it, it just wasn’t his first love.”
He’s a catcher first, but Suero is playing all over the field this season. Between both levels, he has 29 starts behind the dish, 18 starts at first base and 15 starts in left field. It’s a high workload for Suero, playing both the infield and outfield in addition to catching. He grew up playing the outfield, but first base has been a completely new position for him to learn.
“It’s a little hard to try to put work in at every position, every day, but it’s been working well for me, thank God,” Suero said. “I’ve been able to distribute myself well, and it’s definitely a great feeling just to have that trust that they’ve put in me, and finding me playing time.”
Cyclones manager Gilbert Gómez said the organization wants Suero to be a catcher, but his defensive versatility brings extra value.
“I feel like it’s a challenge for us as coaches too, making sure that he’s getting enough reps everywhere,” Gómez said. “We do want him to develop primarily as a catcher, that’s the most important thing for us. But the ability to play multiple spots gives him more at-bats. The biggest thing for him right now is for him to find at-bats and play everywhere.”
Suero is bilingual, which is an advantage — especially as a catcher. He said he’s able to communicate well with both American guys and Latin guys, helping build that relationship between pitcher and catcher.
He also had the opportunity to learn from Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez when he was on his rehab assignment in Brooklyn, but wants to keep it close to the vest.
“I don’t want anybody picking up on what we’ve got going on, but I’ve definitely been learning some stuff,” Suero said.
Suero has had his ups and downs at the plate since he joined the Cyclones. Through 40 games, he’s hitting .207/.351/.311, a .662 OPS, with four home runs and two doubles. Three of those home runs have come at home in the notoriously pitcher-friendly Maimonides park.
In just 15 home games, Suero is already tied for second on the team in home runs at home. His .898 home OPS is also second on the team, trailing just Nick Lorusso. His walk rate is also in the top 10 in the South Atlantic League among players with at least 50 plate appearances, and Gómez was complimentary of his approach.
For Suero, playing in Brooklyn also means a return to playing baseball in the boroughs of New York.
“It was a surreal moment for me, especially me telling my parents and telling my family that I’m coming back home,” Suero said. “It was a different feeling because this has been a dream come true, to play back home. And I’m not done yet … but just being able to take that first step has been amazing.”
Gilbert Gómez said it’s big for Suero that he’s able to play so close to home.
“It’s cool, you don’t get that opportunity a lot in baseball to be able to be able to play at an affiliate in your backyard,” Gómez said. “So the fact that he’s able to do it, I know that it brings a different level of excitement for him.”
A self-proclaimed “New York baby,” Suero is now playing professional baseball less than an hour away from where he played his high school ball — and he’s doing it for the organization he always wanted to play for.
“I was always asked who I’d want to go to, and it was definitely the Mets,” Suero said. “… I love the colorway, the blue, the orange. It was definitely a dream come true. I wanted to go with them, and now that I’m here, it’s been amazing. I love this organization, the way they’ve treated me, the way they’ve brought me, it’s something that I can’t take for granted for sure.”
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