TEMPE, Ariz. -- As Kurt Suzuki begins his stint as Angels manager this spring, he’ll see some familiar faces in his opponents’ dugouts during Cactus League play.
Suzuki was teammates with Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (2007 A’s), Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt (‘13 A’s) and Padres manager Craig Stammen (‘12-13 Nationals). Suzuki said he still communicates with them and has leaned on Kotsay and Vogt for advice, while Stammen is also in his first year in charge.
“It’s really cool,” Suzuki said. “As you play with guys, you can kind of get a sense of who would be a good manager. So it’s just neat to see guys who played with me being able to get the chance to manage.”
Kotsay, who has managed the A’s since 2022, goes back the longest with Suzuki, as he was in his 11th season in the Majors when Suzuki made his big league debut with the A’s in ’07. But Kotsay was already plenty familiar with Suzuki by then, as they both starred at Cal State Fullerton. Kotsay was a first-round Draft pick of the Marlins in 1996 and Suzuki was a second-rounder of the A’s in '04, both after leading Fullerton to the College World Series title.
“I just remember punishing him, along with [former catcher] Jason Kendall,” Kotsay said with a smile. “But I tried to save him from Jason Kendall a lot, too. But [Suzuki] was just a wide-eyed young kid that was excited about baseball and loved the game. And had a lot of knowledge about the game as well.”
Stammen, a rare former reliever turned manager, threw to 24 catchers during his 13-year big league career, but he ranked Suzuki near the top. He had a 2.33 ERA in 69 2/3 innings with Suzuki behind the plate over parts of two seasons with Washington.
“He was one of my favorite catchers I ever threw to,” Stammen said. “We really saw eye to eye on pitch calling. And he just really understood what made you tick and then got the best out of you. And he's just a good person. He's good at relationships, good at communicating; all those are great qualities for a manager.”
Vogt played only a month with Suzuki late in 2013 after Suzuki was traded from Washington to the A’s, but Suzuki made a lasting impression on him as a fellow backstop. Vogt was only in his second season, and Suzuki served as a mentor.
“He helped me just learn how to be a catcher,” Vogt said. “And he was very integral to my development, and I couldn't be more thankful for him. He’s not only a great baseball mind, but he's an unbelievable person and leader and always has been.”
Vogt, who came from a similar path as Suzuki with little coaching background before being hired by Cleveland before the 2024 season, said he believes Suzuki’s 16 years of catching experience in the Majors will serve him well.
“You make 170 in-game decisions every night as a catcher,” Vogt said. “They're different, but you know more about the speed of the game. So Kurt's going to come in, and it’s going to be seamless for him.”
Kotsay also pointed out that Suzuki had been a special assistant with the Angels for the past three years. He believes that will be key, because Suzuki already knows the organization and has a strong relationship with general manager Perry Minasian.
“It’s important when you take one of these positions to have a working relationship with the person you're going to see and talk to every day,” Kotsay said. “And I think they have that.”
Vogt said the biggest change is just how much time you have to devote to others in the role as manager. And Stammen noted just how much communication is a part of the job, with countless meetings and conversations with coaches, front-office staff, players and even media members.
“I think the biggest challenge is [that] everything is new,” Stammen said. “You don't quite know what this job entails until you experience it. We had a little chat at the Winter Meetings, and we were laughing about how much we’re on the phone now.”
So while the four managers are all excited for the upcoming season, they all want to win, which means they’ll be looking to beat each other when the time comes. Kotsay jokingly said he takes it personally that Suzuki missed his initial phone call to congratulate him on the job, and he is excited to compete with his American League West rival.
“It's going to be fun,” Kotsay said. “It's a friendship that goes back 20-plus years, and so from that standpoint, I want to beat him.”