This Padres player has quietly emerged as Team MVP in April

Everywhere you look,the San Diego Padres have been red hot to begin the 2025 season. Whether it's Fernando Tatis Jr. playing like an MVP, Manny Machado leading the squad, or the starting rotation dominating the opposition, it's clear that the Friars are the best team in baseball so far.

However, along the way, one somewhat surprising player might deserve the honor of April's MVP for San Diego over the likes of Tatis Jr. or Nick Pivetta. In 10 appearances, Robert Suarez has been perfect. That's right, perfect. He's yet to allow a run, going 9-for-9 in save opportunities, which is more than half of the Padres' total wins entering Monday (16). Quietly, Suarez deserves this honor.

His four-seam fastball-changeup-sinker mix has been untouchable, and Suarez has scattered three hits in 10 innings. He is dominant in every sense of the word through one month, and is among the best in the big leagues in average velocity, strikeout rate, expected batting average, and much more.

Of his nine saves, four have come in one-run contests, so he is getting the job done with or without pressure. Padres fans saw this coming last season when Suarez boasted 36 saves in 65 appearances, including a dominant postseason. He fired 3 1/3 scoreless frames, logging two saves.

It's obvious - and fair - to give all the credit to starting pitchers and the star hitters. They deserve it. But let's look at some other big-time closers around the league and they've fared through a month of games.

Devin Williams, perhaps the best closer coming into 2025, has allowed eight earned runs in eight innings. Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians has not been much better, handing out 20 hits and nine runs in 10 1/3 innings. In the National League, Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets has a 5.19 ERA. These are all postseason teams that are currently dealing with struggling closers. It makes you realize that you cannot take these guys for granted. The Padres certainly should not with Suarez.