The Oakland A's called-up the top catching prospect Kurt Suzuki to take over the back-up duties to Jason Kendall. Given Kendall has been awful so far and is a free agent at the end of this season, Suzuki carries more interest than the typical back-up receiver. On the strength of good plate discipline (~60 BBs) and good contact rates (~86%), he became a prospect to watch. When Kendall's contract situation is considered, Suzuki becomes a player that is likely to be given the opportunity to provide inexpensive ABs at catcher.
His drop-off in AAA is a concern. Across the board, everything has worsened while in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season. Fortunately, the weakness in AL catching makes Suzuki a quality #2.
| Year | Team | Lg | Age | Level | AB | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Vancouver | Nwest | 20 | A- | 175 | 16 | 3 | 31 | 18 | 26 | 0.297 | 0.394 | 0.440 | 85.1% |
| 2005 | Stockton | Calif | 21 | A+ | 441 | 43 | 12 | 65 | 63 | 61 | 0.277 | 0.378 | 0.440 | 86.2% |
| 2006 | Midland | Tex | 22 | AA | 376 | 34 | 7 | 55 | 58 | 50 | 0.285 | 0.392 | 0.415 | 86.7% |
| 2007 | Sacramento | PCL | 23 | AAA | 211 | 12 | 3 | 27 | 21 | 41 | 0.280 | 0.351 | 0.365 | 80.6% |