Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki heaps praise on hard-throwing SF Giants reliever
Power-hitting Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is entering his fourth season in the majors in 2025. He has seen a lot of pitchers at this point and was asked who has the best breaking ball, to which he indicated that it is SF Giants closer Ryan Walker.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki heaps praise on hard-throwing SF Giants reliever
Yakyu Cosmopolitan provided the transcription. Suzuki praises Walker’s slider, fastball, and cross-body delivery. The delivery adds a good bit of deception to what is already a strong arsenal.
That is quite the compliment coming from the veteran bat. He put together a strong nine-year run with the Hiroshima Carp of the NPB before coming stateside to join the Cubs prior to the 2022 season. Since then, Suzuki has put up solid numbers at the plate, slashing .278/.354/.470 (129 wRC+) with a 10.2 percent walk rate, 24.8 percent strikeout rate, and .192 ISO. He has also reached the 20-homer mark in each of the past two seasons.
Suzuki has seen a lot of breaking pitches in his career, but Walker’s gets the nod. The hard-throwing reliever has quickly emerged as one of the better relievers in baseball.
Walker was tabbed as the team’s closer late in the 2024 season, and he did not look back. He converted 10 straight save opportunities following this move. Overall, he recorded a 1.91 ERA, 2.52 FIP, 1.08 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, and 5.50 SO/W rate in 76 outings with the Giants in 2024.
