suzuki

most of the  so - called  "experts"  didn't even rate  this  kid  in the  top  20 catchers  at the beginning of the year .

the work he has done in the off-season  ....  with his defensive skills  and  his  game calling  ...  will lend itself  to increased confidence  when he steps up to the plate  , this year  and  beyond .

i'd  give  him  an  all-star  spot  .

but , if  you're a true  A 's  fan  ,  then  screw  the rest of the world  ....  as  long  as  we  know  ,  that's  all that  matters .

3 years from now  ,  when all the  band-waggoners  are  donning  their  new  caps  ,  we'll  still  know .

or would you rather belong  to the  Red Sox nation  ,  where  varitek  is  their  captain  ?

I think the kid is going to be solid for years to come. Defense is his strong suit at this early stage in his career, but I believe his bat will come around nicely (and so far this year it's been way beyond anyone's expectations, huh?). He's already demonstrated that he's got some discipline and doesn't strikeout very much, so just wait until he's had a couple years of getting to know the pitchers around the league... and when he gets back to hitting in the seventh or eighth slot, he'll probably be even better as he'll have less pressure than leading off.

My prediction in the near future: When people see or hear the name Suzuki, they will be talking about Kurt, not Ichiro!