The Angels have hired longtime catcher Kurt Suzuki as a special assistant to GM Perry Minasian, the team announced. Suzuki moves into this new phase of his baseball career just months after ending his on-field endeavors, as he retired after the 2022 campaign.
Suzuki spent the last two of his 16 Major League seasons with the Angels, and he was also a member of the Braves in 2017-18 when Minasian was hired as Atlanta’s assistant general manager in September 2017. When Suzuki announced his retirement in September, he said that he’d be interested in a new role “wherever I can help out” within the Angels organization.
The hiring continues Suzuki’s longstanding ties to the SoCal area, as beyond his two seasons with the Angels, he also played his college ball at Cal State Fullerton. He made the move up to Northern California when he was a second-round pick for the Athletics in the 2004 draft, and Suzuki ended up playing 718 of his 1635 MLB games in an Oakland uniform. Suzuki’s career highlights include an All-Star selection as a member of the Twins in 2014, and a World Series ring with the 2019 Nationals as Suzuki and Yan Gomes split catching duties for the champs.
Class act and a great clubhouse guy. Great mojo to bring him back.
His bogoted class act has made him a persona non grata in his home state of Hawaii.
Make the Angels great again!
Got dissed in Hawaii? So what?
Kurt Suzuki will do well in that role.
Great guy. Will always respect his charitable contributions.
I would like it better if he worked with O’Hoppe, Thaiss, and Quero
He’s there in Spring Training.
Future manager
Great guy. High baseball IQ and a steal for any major league front office.
With few exceptions, I’m always glad when ex-players become part of the Organization.
It’s about time.
Good to see this. Hope he can help Perry with determining who is good to sign/keep and or to move on from or avoid. And especially with our catching situation. Help O’Hoppe get to his potential to be a full time starter
Its been said a couple of times already on here but it bears repeating. He is a class act. A genuinely great guy. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the game and will add a great deal to the Angels organization. He will make a great manager someday.
16 seasons in the league and the only two times Suzuki was ever traded was from Oakland to Washington and from Washington back to Oakland, all within 1 year and 20 days apart. Kurt could be in line for Nevin’s job when the Angels inevitably fire him
I heard this guy’s name every year since like 2005
First player to ever hit 2 home runs off CC Sabathia.
Love him !