Daniel Shawn Susac (born May 14, 2001) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Oakland Athletics organization.

Daniel Susac
Susac with Arizona in 2022
Oakland Athletics – No. 73
Catcher
Born: (2001-05-14) May 14, 2001 (age 23)
Roseville, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Amateur career

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Susac attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, a suburb of Sacramento, where he played football and baseball.[1][2] As a junior in 2019, he hit .378.[3] He played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field that summer.[4] His senior season in 2020 was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] He originally committed to play college baseball at Oregon State University, but switched his commitment to the University of Arizona.[6]

Susac immediately became Arizona's starting catcher as a freshman in 2021, playing in 61 games with sixty being starts.[7] He slashed .335/.383/.591 with 12 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 24 doubles, earning the title of Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year as well as being named All-Conference and to the All-Defensive Team.[8] He was selected to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that summer.[9] He also played for the Lincoln Potters of the California Collegiate League.[10] Susac returned as Arizona's starting catcher in 2022 and entered the season as a top prospect for the upcoming draft.[11][12] On March 14, 2022, he was named the National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper as well as Pac-12 Player of the Week after he batted .526 with three home runs and 11 RBIs over four games.[13] He finished the season having appeared in 64 games, compiling a .366/.430/.582 slash line with 12 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 100 hits.[14] Following the season's end, he traveled to San Diego where he participated in the Draft Combine.[15]

Professional career

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Susac was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round with the 19th overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[16] He signed with the team for $3.5 million.[17]

Susac made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Athletics and was promoted to the Stockton Ports after two games.[18] Over 27 games between both teams, he batted .298 with one home run and 15 RBIs.[19] Susac opened the 2023 season with the Lansing Lugnuts.[20] He was promoted to the Midland RockHounds in late August.[21] Over 112 games between the two teams, he slashed .300/.365/.428 with eight home runs and 62 RBIs.[22]

Personal life

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Susac's older brother, Andrew, has played six seasons of Major League Baseball.[23] His cousin, Anthony, also plays on the Arizona baseball team.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Lev, Michael (June 18, 2021). "Baseball bloodlines bind Arizona's 'Baby Bombers,' Jacob Berry and Daniel Susac". Arizona Daily Star.
  2. ^ Lopez, Julian; Davidson, Joe (October 15, 2019). "Bee's section football rankings: Small-school rankings increase from 10 to 15". The Modesto Bee.
  3. ^ "Susac Family Fun Time: All Aboard Jesuit Baseball's Hype Train". SportsStars Magazine. March 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Collazo, Carlos (July 22, 2019). "5 Standout Prospects From The 2019 Under Armour All-America Workout". Baseball America.
  5. ^ Salerno, Cameron; Davidson, Joe (March 16, 2020). "A lasting prep memory for 2020? Jesuit beats national No. 1 De La Salle in baseball". The Sacramento Bee.
  6. ^ Krueger, Henry (May 1, 2020). "A season cut short, a career still budding". PLANK.
  7. ^ Lev, Michael (February 24, 2021). "Arizona freshman catcher Daniel Susac showing he can handle whatever's thrown at him". Arizona Daily Star.
  8. ^ Kelly, David (June 18, 2021). "Susac called Arizona Baseball's shot". KVOA.
  9. ^ Lev, Michael (June 24, 2021). "Arizona's Daniel Susac, Jacob Berry to play for USA Baseball Collegiate National Team". Arizona Daily Star.
  10. ^ Georgeson, Jordan (June 19, 2021). "Potters legend Daniel Susac returns to Lincoln for third season". Gold Country Media.
  11. ^ Lev, Michael (February 11, 2022). "Arizona's Daniel Susac is ready to handle the hype and whatever else comes his way". Arizona Daily Star.
  12. ^ Lev, Michael (February 23, 2022). "Arizona would like to give catcher Daniel Susac a break, but it's easier said than done". Arizona Daily Star.
  13. ^ "Arizona catcher Daniel Susac named National, Pac-12 Player of Week; Wildcats beat host Pacific". Arizona Daily Star. March 14, 2022.
  14. ^ "Pitching depth is Arizona Wildcats' top priority after NCAA Regional exit". Easternprogress.com.
  15. ^ "Everything you need to know: Draft Combine". MLB.com.
  16. ^ Kawahara, Matt (18 July 2022). "A's top 2 picks: Arizona catcher Daniel Susac, Palo Alto's Henry Bolte". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Signed, sealed, delivered!". Twitter.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Elephant Rumblings: Daniel Susac 3-for-3 in pro debut". 5 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Daniel Susac Stats, Fantasy & News".
  20. ^ "Where the A's Top 30 prospects are starting season". MLB.com.
  21. ^ "Lugnuts Make Roster Changes". 30 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Daniel Susac Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News".
  23. ^ Salerno, Cameron (May 11, 2020). "Daniel Susac could be the next member of the family selected in the MLB draft". The Sacramento Bee.
  24. ^ "Susac cousins shine as Wildcats beat New Mexico State 15-5 in Las Cruces". Arizona Daily Star. April 26, 2022.
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