There was an interesting article in the AJC yesterday about him. Here is part of it.
It’s hard to fathom what’s prompted such exuberate results, but some credit goes to Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who altered Suzuki’s practice swing.
“I used to do a one-handed finish in batting practice, and I wouldn’t do it in the game, and I’d tell myself mentally in the game to do it, to let go with one hand, and I couldn’t do it,” Suzuki said. “So (Seitzer) said, ‘Why don’t you just practice the way you hit in the game?’ So I went and hit and I probably hit about 150 balls that day. I just tried to be loose and finish with two hands until it became a habit. I can’t let go now, it’s hard for me to let go with one hand. So it’s instilled now.”
Suzuki is a bargain at $1.5 million. But his contract is set to expire, and the lure of being closer to his family in California and home in Hawaii may be too powerful to forgo.
The incoming pay day will play a role as well. Alongside Jonathan Lucroy and Matt Wieters, Suzuki heads an otherwise scarce free agent market for catchers. Safe to assume he won’t have to wait through the dog days of January to find his next destination this time around.
“Yeah, I don’t see why not,” Suzuki said about re-signing. “It’s a great place. I like all the guys here and stuff. But there’s a lot of factors: family, my kids starting school (in California), proximity to home (Hawaii). There’s a lot of things you can factor in, but you know, this is a place I’ve grown to love.”