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.

Not only was he effective but durable as well. He was also Bob Melvin's most trusted reliever to use with runners on base. Melvin has indicated that it has been hard filling that void since Walker moved into the closer role. That will not cause a change in roles for the 29-year-old pitcher. Rather, the Giants will need to find a replacement to use in those spots.

Walker's sinker-slider combination is one of the best in baseball. The sinker does a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, whereas the slider is a true out pitch. Opposing hitters tallied just a .157 batting average against it last season. The slider gets above-average horizontal movement that plays up due to his cross-body release point.

The Giants are still figuring out who will fill which roles in the bullpen in 2025. However, Walker has a firm grasp on the closer role, thanks in large part to a pretty effective slider. And at least one very good hitter agrees.