Los Angeles Angels catcher Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday he plans to retire at season’s end following a 16-year career.
“I feel like it’s time,” Suzuki said, according to the Orange County Register. “I’ve had a great run, won a World Series, All-Star Game. Played 16 seasons. I’ve accomplished a lot of things I never would have dreamed of. I felt like it’s time for the next chapter. My three kids, all they’ve known is baseball.”
Suzuki, in his second season with the Angels, is batting .179 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 48 games this season. He has not played since Aug. 28, before he went on the bereavement list. The Angels are slowly working him back into action and in the meantime have used his time away to give Matt Thaiss some reps behind the plate.
The Angels finish their season with a three-game series in Oakland, where Suzuki started his career.
The Angels are his fifth MLB organization. In addition to the Athletics, Suzuki has also played for the Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves. He had two stints each with Oakland and Washington, winning a World Series with the Nationals in 2019. He is a career .255 hitter with 143 homers and 729 RBIs and made his lone All-Star Game appearance in 2014 as a member of the Twins.
According to the OC Register, Suzuki is interested in having some sort of role within baseball and plans to speak to Angels general manager Perry Minasian about “wherever I can help out.” But first, Suzuki said he’s going to do some coaching in “Torrance Little League.”