[ HAWAII GROWN ]
Honors continue to roll
in for Suzuki
The honors keep getting bigger for 2001 Baldwin High graduate Kurt Suzuki, college baseball's most accomplished walk-on, who later earned a scholarship.
In the space of two hours yesterday, Suzuki -- junior catcher for Cal State-Fullerton -- was named first-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball and one of the three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award for college baseball's best catcher.
On Monday, Hawaii Grown reported exclusively in Hawaii that Suzuki was the No. 1-rated college baseball catcher in next week's Major League Draft by Baseball America magazine.
Last week Suzuki was honored as Big West Conference Player of the Year and was chosen second-team All-America by Baseball America magazine.
Today, Suzuki and his Cal State-Fullerton teammates will open play in the 64-team NCAA Division I Championship tournament in a game against Minnesota at Fullerton at 4 p.m. (HST).
The draft will be held Monday and Tuesday. Suzuki, draft eligible because he is a junior, says that he will sign this summer if he receives a satisfactory offer.
He ranks No. 5 in the nation in batting at .438 and is in the top 3 in the Big West Conference in 10 offensive categories. Baseball America rates him as the third-best defensive player -- at any position -- in college baseball.
Being a Bench award finalist means Suzuki will realize one of his life-long dreams.
In his biography in the Cal State Fullerton media guide, Suzuki lists Bench as the person he'd most like to meet.
That will happen on June 30 when the three finalists -- Suzuki, South Carolina's Landon Powell and North Carolina's Chris Iannetta -- gather in Wichita, Kan., for the announcement of the winner.
Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench will present the award.
Suzuki also hopes to be in Wichita on June 18-28 for the College World Series.
Baseball America's Top 100 Draft Prospects list rates one catcher -- Neil Walker of Pine Richards High School in Gibsonia, Penn. -- higher than Suzuki.
Suzuki is No. 48 on Baseball America's draft prospects list and the 14th position player. The other 34 are pitchers.
Four shortstops and five outfielders are rated ahead of Suzuki.
Allan Simpson, one of Baseball America's draft gurus, wrote in a chat room: "Suzuki has become one of the hot names in the draft this year. He's a solid defender and has really stepped it up with the bat.
"He's come a long way in all areas after being a walk-on as a freshman. He has a very good chance of being a sandwich pick, which would make him ripe for the A's, who have two sandwich picks (between the first and second rounds). And I've heard he's one of (A's general manager) Billy Beane's favorite players."
Simpson, however, predicted Suzuki would be the third catcher chosen. His predictions: Walker, Jason Jaramillo (Oklahoma State), Suzuki, Devin Ivany (South Florida) and Landon Powell (South Carolina).
Jaramillo, the top-rated college catcher at midseason, is No. 50, two places behind Suzuki, in Baseball America's latest ratings. But the magazine rates him as having the strongest arm among college players and being the best college defensive player.
Baseball America rated Suzuki the No. 1 catcher in "strike-zone judgment" among college players (he leads Fullerton this season with 26 walks) and the third best college defensive player (he has a total of three errors in three years).