September 18, 2007

Catching his biggest wave
Suzuki journeys from Hawaii to behind the plate in Oakland
By Nick Peters - Bee Staff Writer

OAKLAND -- When his friends were at the beach, playing volleyball and surfing on the shores of Maui, a determined Kurt Suzuki was honing his skills on a baseball diamond.

His perseverance and sacrifice paid off handsomely. With rows of pineapples as his field of dreams, Suzuki beat the odds and attained his boyhood goal of catching in the major leagues.

"I was thinking about the big leagues since about age 13," said Suzuki, the A's rookie who required 10 years to realize his dream. "I knew I wanted to play in the major leagues someday.

"I just liked baseball and playing sports. I mixed that in with going to the beach."

Although Hawaii has produced major leaguers such as ex-Giant Jerome Williams and Benny Agbayani, few come from tiny Maui. Suzuki, who turns 24 on Oct. 4, didn't really have athletic role models. He used self-motivation for inspiration.

Not offered a scholarship out of H.P. Baldwin High, where his opposition included present Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino, Suzuki would not allow the oversight to deter him. Aiming high, he enrolled at Cal State Fullerton and again defied convention. As a walk-on, he not only made the cut but was the regular catcher as a freshman and, eventually, an All-American.

By 2004, his final year at Fullerton, Suzuki was the Johnny Bench Award winner as the most outstanding collegiate catcher, batting .413 with 16 home runs and 87 RBIs while becoming a College World Series star.

Against Texas, his two-out, seventh-inning single broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Titans a 3-2 victory for the national championship.

Suzuki's confidence and determination are not lost on A's manager Bob Geren, a former catcher who contends the rookie receiver has what it takes for a long and productive career.

"(Last week), he had one of the best defensive games I've ever seen, catching Dan Haren," Geren said. "He had 12 to 15 split-fingers and curves in the dirt and was 100 percent on blocking every one of them. He showed athleticism, quickness, toughness."

The A's drafted Suzuki in the second round, and he climbed up the organizational ladder with averages of .297, .277 and .285, attaining All-Star distinction at Double-A Midland last year while throwing out 47 percent of base stealers.

With workhorse catcher Jason Kendall the Oakland regular, it was believed Suzuki would take over in 2008 after a year at Triple-A Sacramento, where he batted .280 with three homers and 27 RBIs in 35 games.

Then came the big surprise. On July 10, Kendall was traded to the Chicago Cubs, and Suzuki had shown enough in his brief Triple-A stint to be thrust into major-league duty.

A's general manager Billy Beane, of course, was enticed by Suzuki's penchant for getting on base (.392 on-base percentage in 2006 in Double A). He didn't hesitate throwing the young catcher into the mix.

"You never really know, but at some point you have to take a leap of faith and project what you think a guy will do," Beane said. "Kurt was a second-round pick and a guy we thought highly of from Day 1. When we traded Jason, we told Kurt we were going to be patient, and I think each day that patience is rewarded. ... Kurt keeps growing in leaps and bounds."

Not without some bumps along the way. In his first start, a dropped foul tip turned into a two-run double. He compounded the mistake by missing a tag as the second run scored on the double. After 21 games, he was batting .185.

"I was surprised a little bit," Suzuki said of the sudden promotion. "There was no time to be shocked. ... When they called my name to be the everyday catcher, that's what I had to do."

Soon, things started to click. As he adjusted to the pitching staff and big-league pitchers, his batting average started to climb. Since the aforementioned start, he's batting .298 (36 for 121).

A 4-for-10 weekend against Texas boosted his average to .254, and he has provided unexpected power with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBIs. He has three four-RBI games, including his first grand slam last week at Seattle.

"We've always thought highly of his bat, but what's surprised us is the power he's shown," Beane said. "As he gets older and more comfortable, it should only increase.

"He has some growing pains to go through, but as a rookie he's handled himself very well. He has a chance to be a real good all-around catcher."

Teammate Mike Piazza, a probable Hall of Famer as a catcher, offered his endorsement after observing the youngster for three months.

"He's going to be fine," Piazza said. "He's not the biggest guy (5-foot-11, 200 pounds), but he gets a lot out of his ability."