New Angels manager Kurt Suzuki (8) greets his players during pregame introductions on April 3, ahead of the team’s 2026 home opener in Anaheim. After a 15-year playing career that included a World Series title, the All-Star catcher and Cal State Fullerton alum looks to lead the Angels back to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.
Former Cal State Fullerton star Kurt Suzuki returns to OC as the new manager of the Angels.
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
RAFU SPORTS EDITOR
Surrounded by a gaggle of reporters and cameras, Kurt Suzuki wondered out loud how he’d get accustomed to the daily scrum of reporters.
“Don’t worry, I enjoy it,” he reassured the press corps.
It was a relaxing set of questions and answers, an hour or so before the final game of Spring Training on March 24 at Dodger Stadium. Suzuki was back in his familiar Angels uniform, but this time in a far weightier role.
Suzuki, 42, has taken the reins as the new manager in Anaheim, and it’s more than a passing homecoming. He wrapped up his stellar major league career with the Angels in 2022, one that saw him earn a World Series championship with the Washington Nationals in 2019 and selection to the All-Star Game in 2014 as a member of the Minnesota Twins.
His connection to – and stardom in – Orange County came well before he touched a major league field, however. The Maui native was thrust into the national spotlight as a key part of the Cal State Fullerton squad that won the 2004 national championship, thanks in large part to his RBI single late in the final game of the College World Series.
“It definitely wasn’t scripted. I obviously grew up playing sports in Hawaii, loving baseball included,” Suzuki recalled. “It’s something we did for exercise and all those types of things; it was more going to the beach, surfing and fishing.
“As I got older and towards high school, it became a little bit more serious. Obviously, here we are now, but it wasn’t really something I’d say that I planned out when I was a young kid, saying I’m gonna be a major league player and then the manager.”
Suzuki finds himself tasked with guiding a club that, despite having some of the best players in the bigs on its roster, has sputtered over the last decade.
As a former catcher, Suzuki has a keen sense of his pitching staff, which this year includes Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
The Angels’ last playoff appearance was in 2014, and they haven’t posted a winning record since 2015. Over that span, the team has boasted the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Albert Pujols, Jered Weaver and Suzuki’s former teammate and current Angel Mike Trout.
Last year, the Angels finished with a record of 72-90, and near the major league bottom in pitching and offense.
“For the public, it’s wins and losses,” he conceded. “For us, we’re in it from February in Spring Training, all the way throughout the season, and we need to think about how have we improved right as a club and have have we gotten better?
“I’m saying have we gotten the best out of our players because we always feel like if we as coaches do our job, the players do their job, the front office and so on, the talent in the room is enough to be successful. The other teams are really good, too. You could have a great year and not make the playoffs.
“I think the measure of success is in have we gotten the best from the players, and have the players exceeded expectations. There’s a lot of different factors.”
Two Japanese American managers led their clubs when the Angels faced Dave Roberts and the Dodgers during Spring Training in Arizona.
While he has no managing experience at the major league level, that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker in this age of analytical data and micro-managing statistics. The Angels selected him to lead the club after considering other candidates, including Pujols and former Angel Torii Hunter.
Suzuki said even with the extensive list of responsibilities he’ll have over the course of a 162-game regular season, the weight of the moment has not been lost on him.
“I know it sounds kind of corny, but it’s the truth. When you put on this uniform, it’s a sense of pride, and you want to do everything you can in your power to help players and help the organization be successful.”
As a former catcher, Suzuki has shown an especially keen sense of managing his pitchers, bucking the recent trend of strictly limiting starters’ pitch counts in favor of reading their performances in the moment.
So far, his instincts have proven reliable. Heading into Wednesday, the Angels were off to a respectable 6-6 start, including taking two of three games in their opening home-stand against the defending AL West champion Seattle Mariners.
Suzuki said his journey that has led him to becoming a major league manager rode on the waves created by those who supported him every step of the way. That backing was on full display at Angel Stadium for the home opener; when introduced to the crowd, his rousing reception was comparable to Trout’s.
“It’s definitely a blessing, and I’m very fortunate. It’s a lot about … sacrifices that people have made to help me with my career. It wasn’t just myself. It was my coaches, my parents, my family members, my wife, my in-laws, my kids. A lot of people sacrificed and all to help me get to where I am today.”