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<img src="http://www.simgamingnetwork.com/blb/news/html/images/person_pictures/player_8624.png" width="180" height="270" style="float:right;margin-right:63px;margin-bottom:18px;margin-left:18px;border:2px solid black;">PORTLAND, ME — The distinguished Guides career of right fielder Steve Suarez becomes more impressive by the day.
Maine's 13th overall pick in the 1997 BLB Draft, the Dominican Republic native has made the Pine Tree State his home for the past 15 years.
"I really love playing here," Suarez says. "It was a little strange, at first, being so far from home—coming up here as an 18-year-old. Totally different, you know? But I feel like I've really come to fit in here."
Suarez first played at Old Port Park in 2001 as a 22-year-old, when he broke camp with the Guides and won the starting right field job.
Management took criticism from other executives at the time—executives who didn't believe the young outfielder was ready to play at the big league level.
Suarez responded by hitting .307 as a rookie. Guides fans quickly grew accustomed to his steady stroke at the plate.
Over time, as the youthful outfielder grew stronger, that stroke became more powerful.
This season looks to be Suarez's ninth consecutive campaign with at least 20 home runs. He peaked with 34 round-trippers in 2007, though it's worth noting he is on pace to eclipse that mark this season.
The now-33-year-old has garnered 2,128 hits (and counting!) during his 12 years with the club. He passed the 1,000 run milestone in May and sits eight home runs from the 250 mark.
As impressive as his hitting may be, however, his glove stands out as even more noteworthy.
Suarez captured his first Defense With Integrity Award in 2003 and has won every year since—nine straight awards, with a tenth appearing imminent at the end of this season.
Perhaps no player in the BLB's history has distinguished himself more defensively than Steve Suarez.
The right fielder currently boasts a career-best .342 batting average in 2012. Stout Slugger votes this year look likely.
His heroic performance in the Guides' 2006 championship run also stands out in the minds of fans. He batted .325 that postseason, swatting eight home runs and driving in 13 runs, while scoring 16 runs himself.
Probably no player has ever been a one-man offense on a championship team, but Suarez came close to deserving that distinction for the 2006 champions.
Suarez signed a three-year, $25.5 million extension last month that could keep him in a Guides uniform through the 2015 season. He became the club's all-time hits leader this season and will continue extending that record.
Most of all, he wants another ring.
"2006 was great," he says. "And we've had a great decade. But winning is the most important thing to me and I'd like to win a couple more titles here before I'm done. I think we've got the right players to do it."
Someday, Steve Suarez will step into the batter's box at Old Port Park for the final time. On that day, he'll probably get a base hit.
But that day won't be today, or tomorrow, or next year.
As always, Suarez is steady—and he isn't going anywhere.
Maine's 13th overall pick in the 1997 BLB Draft, the Dominican Republic native has made the Pine Tree State his home for the past 15 years.
"I really love playing here," Suarez says. "It was a little strange, at first, being so far from home—coming up here as an 18-year-old. Totally different, you know? But I feel like I've really come to fit in here."
Suarez first played at Old Port Park in 2001 as a 22-year-old, when he broke camp with the Guides and won the starting right field job.
Management took criticism from other executives at the time—executives who didn't believe the young outfielder was ready to play at the big league level.
Suarez responded by hitting .307 as a rookie. Guides fans quickly grew accustomed to his steady stroke at the plate.
Over time, as the youthful outfielder grew stronger, that stroke became more powerful.
This season looks to be Suarez's ninth consecutive campaign with at least 20 home runs. He peaked with 34 round-trippers in 2007, though it's worth noting he is on pace to eclipse that mark this season.
The now-33-year-old has garnered 2,128 hits (and counting!) during his 12 years with the club. He passed the 1,000 run milestone in May and sits eight home runs from the 250 mark.
As impressive as his hitting may be, however, his glove stands out as even more noteworthy.
Suarez captured his first Defense With Integrity Award in 2003 and has won every year since—nine straight awards, with a tenth appearing imminent at the end of this season.
Perhaps no player in the BLB's history has distinguished himself more defensively than Steve Suarez.
The right fielder currently boasts a career-best .342 batting average in 2012. Stout Slugger votes this year look likely.
His heroic performance in the Guides' 2006 championship run also stands out in the minds of fans. He batted .325 that postseason, swatting eight home runs and driving in 13 runs, while scoring 16 runs himself.
Probably no player has ever been a one-man offense on a championship team, but Suarez came close to deserving that distinction for the 2006 champions.
Suarez signed a three-year, $25.5 million extension last month that could keep him in a Guides uniform through the 2015 season. He became the club's all-time hits leader this season and will continue extending that record.
Most of all, he wants another ring.
"2006 was great," he says. "And we've had a great decade. But winning is the most important thing to me and I'd like to win a couple more titles here before I'm done. I think we've got the right players to do it."
Someday, Steve Suarez will step into the batter's box at Old Port Park for the final time. On that day, he'll probably get a base hit.
But that day won't be today, or tomorrow, or next year.
As always, Suarez is steady—and he isn't going anywhere.
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