Kurt Suzuki

4.1. Draft and minor leagues

The Oakland Athletics selected Suzuki in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, as the 67th overall pick. He signed with the team on July 16, 2004, and began his professional career that year with the Single-A Short Season Vancouver Canadians. In 46 games with Vancouver, he batted .297 and committed only one error.

His first full professional season was in 2005 with the Single-A Stockton Ports. Playing in 114 games, Suzuki posted a .277 batting average, hit 12 home runs, and recorded 65 RBIs, with a .440 slugging percentage. Despite recording 15 errors and 19 passed balls, indicating some defensive difficulties, he was recognized as the Best Defensive Catcher for the second consecutive year and was ranked as the team's 10th prospect (up from 9th the previous year) by Baseball America.

In 2006, Suzuki advanced to the Double-A Midland RockHounds, where he played 99 games, batting .285 with a .392 OBP and an .807 OPS. His strong performance earned him a spot in the 2006 MLB All-Star Futures Game and a selection to Baseball America's Double-A All-Star team. At the end of the season, he was ranked as the third-best prospect within the Athletics organization and was named Best Defensive Catcher for the third consecutive year. Suzuki started the 2007 season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. Over his four years in the minor leagues, he maintained a career batting average of .283, an OBP of .380, and an OPS of .799.

4.2. Oakland Athletics

Suzuki was called up to the major league club on June 9, 2007, following the trade of backup catcher Adam Melhuse to the Texas Rangers. He made his MLB debut three days later, on June 12, as a pinch hitter in an extra-inning game against the Houston Astros. His first major league hit came on June 14, also against the Astros, a single to right field. On July 16, Suzuki was promoted to the starting catcher role after veteran catcher Jason Kendall was traded to the Chicago Cubs. The following day, July 17, he formed the first-ever Hawaii-born battery in MLB history with fellow Hawaii-born Japanese American pitcher Shane Komine, who entered the game as the fifth reliever. On August 16, 2007, Suzuki hit his first career walk-off home run against the Chicago White Sox. He followed this on September 10, 2007, by hitting his first grand slam in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners.

For the 2008 season, Suzuki became the Athletics' undisputed starting catcher, with Rob Bowen serving as his backup. He started 18 of the first 20 regular season games and ended the season with a .279 batting average across 148 games. Defensively, he led the league in games caught with **141**, recorded a 37% caught stealing percentage (ranking fifth in the American League), and limited passed balls to five and wild pitches to 23. In the 2009 season, Suzuki achieved career highs with 15 home runs and 88 RBIs, while batting .274 in 147 games. He led the Athletics in RBIs, becoming only the second catcher in the franchise's history to do so. He also led the team in hits (156), doubles (37), and total bases (240), and was second in home runs and runs scored behind teammate Jack Cust. For the second consecutive year, he led American League catchers in games caught, with **135** appearances behind the plate.

On July 23, 2010, Suzuki signed a four-year contract extension with the Oakland Athletics, reportedly worth 16.25 M USD. He finished the 2010 season with a .242 batting average, 13 home runs, and 71 RBIs. He ranked third among American League catchers in games caught, with 123. The following season, 2011, he batted .237 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs, again ranking third among AL catchers in games caught with 129. In 2012, Suzuki visited Japan as part of the Athletics' roster for the MLB Japan Opening Series in Tokyo. During the preseason games held at Tokyo Dome, he hit home runs against the Yomiuri Giants (off Levi Romero) and the Hanshin Tigers (off Randy Messenger). Notably, he invited relatives from Fukushima Prefecture who had been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake to attend these games.

4.3. Washington Nationals

On August 3, 2012, Suzuki was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor league catcher David Freitas. Following the trade, he played in 43 games for the Nationals, batting .267 with 5 home runs and 25 RBIs. In the 2013 season, Suzuki primarily platooned with Wilson Ramos. On May 12, 2013, he was ejected from an MLB game for the first time in his career by umpire John Tumpane after arguing a strike-three call. He appeared in 79 games for the Nationals in 2013, recording a .222 batting average, 3 home runs, and 25 RBIs.

4.4. Return to Oakland Athletics

On August 22, 2013, Suzuki was traded back to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor leaguer Dakota Bacus, marking his second stint with the team. He played in 15 games for Oakland during this period, batting .303 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. Following the 2013 season, he became a free agent.

4.5. Minnesota Twins

As a free agent, Suzuki signed a one-year contract worth 2.75 M USD with the Minnesota Twins on December 23, 2013. On May 20, 2014, he hit his first career running home run in a game against the San Diego Padres. His strong performance led to his first career selection to the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, where he finished the game alongside his Twins battery-mate, Glen Perkins. On July 31, 2014, Suzuki agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Twins, valued at 12.00 M USD, which included a team option for 2017. In his first season with Minnesota, he achieved a career-high batting average of .288, along with 3 home runs and 61 RBIs. He played in 131 games as the starting catcher, reaching the required plate appearances. Defensively, he maintained a .995 fielding percentage with only 4 errors, and his caught stealing percentage was 25% (21 of 85 attempts).

In 2015, Suzuki continued as the Twins' primary catcher, appearing in 131 games for the second consecutive year. His offensive numbers dipped to a .240 batting average, 5 home runs, and 50 RBIs. He ranked second among American League catchers in games caught (**130**), with a .997 fielding percentage, but his caught stealing percentage was 15%. The 2016 season saw him play in 106 games, where he batted .258 with 8 home runs and 49 RBIs, though his season was shortened due to injury. Notably, on June 18, he hit a pinch-hit home run against Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees, marking his first pinch-hit homer in eight years, off a fastball clocked at 102 mph (approximately 103 mph ^{(165 km/h)}). Defensively, he played 99 games as catcher, recording 5 errors and a .993 fielding percentage. He also appeared in 4 games as a designated hitter. Suzuki became a free agent on November 3, 2016.

4.6. Atlanta Braves

On January 30, 2017, Suzuki signed a one-year contract worth 1.50 M USD with the Atlanta Braves. He primarily platooned with Tyler Flowers during his tenure. In 2017, he set a new career high in home runs, hitting **19** in just 276 at-bats, along with a .283 batting average and 50 RBIs. Despite his offensive success, he experienced defensive challenges, recording a career-worst **10** passed balls, particularly while catching R.A. Dickey's knuckleball. Before the season concluded, on September 23, 2017, Suzuki and the Braves agreed to a one-year contract extension valued at 3.50 M USD. In 2018, he played in 105 games (83 as a starter), batting .271 with a .332 on-base percentage and a .444 slugging percentage, adding 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. He became a free agent on October 29, 2018.

4.7. Washington Nationals (second stint)

On November 20, 2018, the Washington Nationals announced they had re-signed Suzuki to a two-year contract worth 10.00 M USD, marking his return to the team after six years. In 2019, he appeared in 85 games, sharing playing time with Yan Gomes. On September 3, he hit a dramatic walk-off grand slam against the New York Mets, securing a victory after the Nationals trailed by six runs in the ninth inning. While he suffered right elbow inflammation on September 7 against the Braves, it was not severe, and he returned to action within two weeks. He finished the 2019 regular season with a .264 batting average, 17 home runs, and 63 RBIs. However, his caught stealing percentage was 10%. In the postseason, he went hitless in four games during the NLDS and was hit by a pitch near his face in Game 5. He recorded his first postseason hit in Game 3 of the NLCS.

During Game 2 of the 2019 World Series against the Houston Astros, Suzuki made history by becoming the first Hawaii-born player to hit a home home run in the World Series, a decisive blast off Justin Verlander. Although a hip flexor strain forced him out of the remaining games of the series, the Nationals ultimately won the championship in seven games, earning Suzuki his first World Series ring. In the shortened 2020 season, Suzuki allowed 28 stolen bases, which tied for the National League lead. He became a free agent on October 28, 2020.

4.8. Los Angeles Angels

On January 15, 2021, Suzuki signed a one-year contract worth 1.50 M USD with the Los Angeles Angels. On April 20, he became the 16th catcher in MLB history to record 10,000 career putouts at the position. Six days later, on April 26, he notably caught for Shohei Ohtani in a game against the Texas Rangers, helping Ohtani secure his first pitching win in 1072 days. Primarily serving as a backup catcher, Suzuki played in 72 games during the 2021 season, batting .224 with 6 home runs and 24 RBIs. He became a free agent on November 3, 2021. On March 16, 2022, Suzuki re-signed with the Angels on a one-year contract worth 1.75 M USD. On September 20, 2022, he announced his plans to retire at the end of the season. His final professional appearance took place on October 4, his 39th birthday, against his original MLB team, the Oakland Athletics.

10.1. Batting statistics

10.2. Fielding statistics