Kurt Suzuki of Maui to become first MLB manager from Hawaiʻi — for Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels are hiring 42-year-old Kurt Suzuki, a 2001 graduate of Baldwin High School on Maui, as manager, according to Suzuki’s former high school coach Kahai Shishido.

Suzuki played catcher for 16 seasons for five teams in Major League Baseball, winning a World Series title in 2019 with the Washington Nationals and finishing out his career with the Angels. He played his last game on Oct. 4, 2022, his 39th birthday. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.

“He called me yesterday to let me know that he got the position,” Shishido said Tuesday morning.

Shishido coached Suzuki at Baldwin form 1998 to 2001 before Suzuki went to Cal State Fullerton, where he won an NCAA championship in 2004. Suzuki also was named the Johnny Bench Award winner that year as the best catcher in college baseball.

Suzuki often said that he did not have managerial aspirations after his playing career ended in 2022, but that changed with recent reports linking him to the San Francisco Giants job, as well as the Angels. 

“It is just amazing that he is going from the player to manager,” Shishido said. “It just shows the respect that he’s earned, not only from the Los Angeles Angels, but from Major League Baseball. To be a person without managerial experience, it is just a credit to him and we are all just so proud.”

Suzuki will become the first MLB manager from Hawai’i.

“He continues to amaze everyone in his accomplishments and the thing is he remains so humble and such a good person,” Shishido said. “I guess I will have to start watching baseball again.”

Suzuki will inherit a team that finished last in the American League West, with a 72-90 record. In June, manager Ron Washington stepped away from the club to undergo a quadruple bypass to remove blockages from his heart valves. He never returned, with bench coach Ray Montgomery taking over as interim manager.

Shane Dudoit — an associate scout with the Texas Rangers organization, head coach for the Kamehameha Schools Maui baseball team and deputy director for Maui County Parks and Recreation — said Suzuki’s gargantuan leap to the Angels helm does not surprise him.

“I was talking with him a few weeks ago when his name was in the hat for the Giants head coaching position and he mentioned he wanted to go to the Angels,” Dudoit said. “It is something that he has always wanted. We’ve always talked about it. He said if he’s gonna do any kind of coaching at the next level that’s gonna be head coach (manager) or nothing at all.”

Dudoit said the news will only help the already impressive Maui baseball community.

“Big time, dude, big time,” Dudoit said. “You open a lot of doors for a lot of people … guys can dream a little bigger. To have somebody like him give back to the game of baseball is an awesome thing.”

Suzuki held the All-PONO Baseball Clinic for Maui youths for 12 years at Maehara Stadium, from 2009 to 2020. Suzuki retired from Major League Baseball 32nd all-time in games caught, with 1,540 games behind the plate. Suzuki is also 25th all-time in MLB innings caught, with 12,969 2/3.

Among Hawaii-born major leaguers, Suzuki is the all-time leader in hits (1,420), games (1,633), plate appearances (6,160), at-bats (5,561), walks (387), doubles (295), home runs (143) and RBIs (729).

“He never forgets where he came from,” Dudoit said. “He’ll come home and drive his dad’s 4Runner. He’s such a mellow guy. His demeanor and his intelligence and the years of catching guys like Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, all these arms that he’s worked with … I think he’s gonna do a good job.”

Dudoit added: “I’m not sure what the Angels roster looks like, but he’s the right guy to put something together.”

Suzuki lives 45 minutes away from Angel Stadium with wife Renee and their three children. He spent the past three years as a special assistant to Angels general manager Perry Minasian after finishing his playing career there during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Suzuki was a backup catcher with the Angels and was lauded for his handling of the pitching staff. He now becomes the organization’s fifth manager since Mike Scioscia ended a 19-year run in 2018. Suzuki follows managers Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington, and interim manager Montgomery.

“It’s awesome to see Kurt do his thing,” said Kanekoa Texeira, the AAA manager for the Gwinnett Braves in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Texeira, a 2004 Kamehameha Kapalama graduate who currently lives on Moloka’i, grew up in Kula and has known Suzuki since they were both young baseball players. 

“He played for a long time, now he gets to manage kind of his hometown team,” Texeira said. “He lives in SoCal. It’s very exciting for Hawaiʻi. For Maui, we got one of our own out there in the big-time.”

Texeira is just 39 years old and hopes to become the second MLB manager ever from the state.

“Hopefully one day I get the same call that Kurt got,” Texeira said. I’m just so proud of Kurt. He always represents Hawai’i so well. It ain’t that easy to do what he’s about to do. I know he works hard. He’s very smart. He knows the game. I know he’s gonna be great at it.”