Landmark · August 20, 2026
A Thousand Driven In
Rejected before his signing, a kid from Ciudad Piar reaches 1,000 career RBI — back in Cincinnati.
1,000 career RBI · CIN
The 60
At 17, Eugenio Suárez had been rejected before — told he lacked speed — and college looked more likely than professional baseball. He went to one final Tigers tryout in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, prayed beforehand, made the defensive plays and the hits, and then ran the 60-yard dash well enough to finish first. Detroit signed him on October 9, 2008. He made his major league debut with the Tigers on June 4, 2014.
He was born in Puerto Ordaz and raised in Ciudad Piar, a mining town in Bolívar state, where his father Alejandro — an amateur ballplayer — started taking him to local fields at age six. Around 14 or 15, Suárez picked baseball over soccer because he thought he had a better shot at it. He idolized Omar Vizquel growing up, and during his 2014 rookie season with the Tigers, Vizquel was on the staff as an infield coach.
The Road Back
Thirteen seasons later, on August 20, 2026, Suárez collected his 1,000th career RBI — in a Cincinnati Reds uniform, the city where he spent seven seasons and won the Ernie Lombardi MVP award in 2018 and 2019. He has hit 343 home runs across those 13 years. His first All-Star selection came in 2018. His second came in 2025. By then he had moved from Cincinnati to Seattle, to Arizona, and back to Seattle. The Reds brought him back this season.
During a tough 2020 stretch after shoulder surgery from a pool dive, teammate Kyle Farmer gave him a Good Vibes Only T-shirt. Suárez wore it on Zoom interviews and kept the phrase. Teammates and coaches have described him as a positive clubhouse presence who uplifts others daily. When he was traded back to Seattle in 2025, he boarded the team plane to cheers and a party atmosphere from players, coaches and staff. He hugged everyone on board, nearly breaking infield coach Perry Hill's back.
At 35, he is a designated hitter for the Reds, with 18 home runs this season.
Reporting: La Vida Baseball, Our Esquina, The Athletic, Forbes, The Seattle Times, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.