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You know, he could hit a little bit early in his career - at least for a catcher - so maybe he's not the best basis for any conclusions, but am I crazy for thinking there's been a number of catchers lately who became pretty good hitters, for the first time in their career, after the age of 30?
Suzuki from age 23-29: .253/.309/.375 (86 OPS+)
Suzuki from age 30-present: .267/.324/.405 (98 OPS+)
Discipline stays the same. Just a bit more average and some more power on top of that. And there's nothing extraordinary about that pattern, somebody becoming a better hitter as they get older until it stops when they get OLD. But that second part is a real issue for post-30 catchers. Yadier Molina warmed up to being a pretty good hitter too, though his trend started in a bit more traditional late-20s sweet spot.
Anyhow, this isn't an interesting observation really. It's just that if you told me a decade ago that a pretty good, smart team would be throwing a multi-year, eight-figure contract at a 35 year old Kurt Suzuki, I wouldn't have guessed it'd be to get his bat in the lineup.
I have no other opinions on this. It's probably a bad idea, unless it's not. Maybe Spencer Kieboom could just be good instead? I think that, given his name, that would be the best possible outcome for everybody. The homerun call is built in. He just has to... hit... homeruns. ______________________________
"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"
--Walleye's Dad
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