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2008 When the A's finally found a way to get rid of the grisly remains of Jason Kendall (and somehow get a decent prospect for him, to boot), Suzuki became the starting catcher, a position he will likely retain so for some time. What you saw in his first 68 big league games is real in the sense that he should be good for 10 to 15 home runs a year and a healthy walk rate, but based on his scouting reports and minor league track record, his batting average is more likely to be in the .280 range. Still, that makes him one of the better-hitting catchers in the American League. 2007 It was an up-and-down season for the former second-round pick, as Suzuki batted .362 in April, .238 in May, .341 in June, .215 in July, and then .333 in five August games before leaving to play for Team USA. He`s still on schedule to take over from Jason Kendall in 2008, which is particularly appropriate given Suzuki`s tendencies to draw walks, make a lot of contact, and hit the ball over the fence just occasionally. He made great strides throwing out baserunners this year. If the A`s are fated to have a Kendall-type backstop, at least he`ll be a cheap Kendall-type backstop. 2006 Suzuki doesn`t impress scouts very much, but unlike some of the other A`s prospects, he`s athletic and has other skills to round out his plate discipline. He has some upside in the mold of Ramon Hernandez, but it`s a bit early to be penciling him into the 2007 lineup. In person, he looks shorter than his listed height of 6`0`. He`ll get a fair shake in this organization.
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