Knuckleball new to Suzuki, but he’s learning to catch it quickly

As much as the Atlanta Braves were looking for a new face at catcher following the departure of A.J. Pierzynski, developments with the pitching staff produced a bit of a pressing need.

The Braves had signed R.A. Dickey, a veteran knuckleballer. While Tyler Flowers was already in the mix to start if no big names could be acquired, there was already a need for a second catcher, someone who could rotate in. But the Dickey addition meant the Braves needed someone who could handle the unpredictable pitch, as well.

In January, the Braves’ front office came up with an answer.

The team signed Kurt Suzuki, a 10-year major league veteran who was a free agent following three seasons with Minnesota. His offensive numbers weren’t earth-shattering, .258 with eight home runs and 49 RBI last year, but the Braves weren’t looking for a long-term situation: Suzuki was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal that has an additional $2.5 million in incentives built in, according to reports at the time of his signing.

The kicker? Suzuki had never worked with a knuckleballer before.

“This is my first time,” Suzuki said.

During spring training, Suzuki worked with Dickey, going behind the plate on the days Dickey was pitching. Was it a learning process? Certainly.

Suzuki caught four Dickey starts in Florida, and they also did some bullpen work.

“It’s going pretty good,” Suzuki said. “There will be your good days and your tough days. But for the most part, the more I get back there the more comfortable I’ll be. We’ll kind of see where it goes.

“I’ve enjoyed (working with Dickey). Sometimes he’ll play tricks on you. He’s kind of mental, psych yourself out. I try to embrace it. It’s the first time in my career that I get to catch the knuckleball; I’m just going to try to go with the flow and have fun with it.”

Flowers had just slightly more playing time than Suzuki during spring training, with Flowers taking 40 at-bats in 16 games to Suzuki’s 13 games and 35 at-bats. They might wind up in a true platoon situation, with Flowers entering his ninth major-league season and his second in Atlanta.

With similar years of service in the big leagues, there is a sense of familiarity between the two catchers.

“I’ve known him for a long time, just playing against each other and being competitors,” Suzuki said of Flowers. “We’ve kind of had that relationship, just because we’re catchers, we understand things that go on. He’s been doing it for a long time, and I have. We can shoot ideas at each other. It’s been great. I have a lot of respect for him, what he’s done and what he’s doing.

“The respect is mutual. We’re just trying to have fun, and we’re trying to win ballgames.”

The first potential regular-season appearance of the Dickey-Suzuki combination could be Friday, when the Braves open a three game-set at Pittsburgh. The regular season opens Monday, when staff ace Julio Teheran is scheduled to start at the New York Mets.

“I’m just game for whatever,” Suzuki said. “It’s good that I can catch him. If he asks me to catch him, I can catch him, and that’s how it’s going to work out.

“At this point of my career, I want to win. I’m just doing whatever it takes to help the team win. If (Flowers) gives us the best chance to win that night, I’m all for it. And if I do, I’m sure it will be the same thing.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2017 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Knuckleball new to Suzuki, but he’s learning to catch it quickly."