Bounce house to big leagues: Giants’ Daniel Susac gets full-circle Sacramento return
Daniel Susac never would have expected this when he was celebrating birthday parties in the bounce house at Raley Field throughout his childhood.
The San Francisco Giants recalled Susac, a Roseville native and product of Jesuit High School in Carmichael, from the injured list on Friday and made him their starting catcher in the opener of the weekend series back in West Sacramento against the Athletics.
And if that wasn’t full circle enough, the former A’s first-round draft pick will have a chance to go against the team that left him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft over the offseason.
“It’s definitely an interesting scenario,” Susac said before Friday’s game in the visiting clubhouse at Sutter Health Park, formerly Raley Field. “I never thought when I was a kid, going to River Cats game for birthday parties, that it would be hosting big-league games, but it’s pretty cool to see.”
Susac said his fiancée would handle tickets for the weekend series. He expected roughly 20 to 30 tickets for friends and family members.
Will Susac be the new Giants starting catcher?
Susac has a chance to become the Giants’ everyday catcher after the team traded Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians earlier this month. Susac had been out since April 19 due to right elbow ulnar neuritis after a splashy Major League debut when he hit .478 in 11 games to start the season.
“We’ll see,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said before Friday’s game when asked if Susac will be the every-day catcher following Bailey’s departure. “I think in a long season, a really fun lineup — which I think we all know we have the potential to have — is when you don’t know (who) your No. 1 guy is.”
Susac continued hitting well during his five-game rehab stint, fittingly, with Triple-A Sacramento, who share the stadium with the A’s on an interim basis as the MLB franchise relocates from Oakland to Las Vegas. Susac went 9-for-17 (.529) in five rehab games while pain in his throwing elbow subsided.
It was considered somewhat of a surprise the A’s left Susac off their 40-man roster in the offseason and unprotected in the Rule 5 draft after posting an .832 on-base plus slugging percentage with 18 home runs and 68 RBI and seven stolen bases last season with Triple-A Las Vegas.
In the short term, Susac would have had a hard time carving out a role with the A’s while catcher Shea Langeliers leads the American League in batting average, entering Friday’s game hitting .340, and is second in MLB with 55 hits.
Familiar faces on A’s for Susac
Susac was roommates with former top prospects and current A’s Nick Kurtz and Henry Bolte while part of the organization.
Bolte made his MLB debut this week after being one of the most productive hitters in the minor leagues to begin the season. He went 3-for-6 over his first two games and started Friday’s game in center field.
“It’ll be fun,” Susac said of going against his former roommate. “I might have some words for him when he’s out there. He’s a great guy ... It’ll be a fun series.”
Susac starred at Jesuit, where he played varsity as a freshman under longtime baseball coach Joe Potulny and was also a backup quarterback on the football team as a junior before throwing for 1,685 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior. He went on to play baseball for the University of Arizona before the A’s selected him 19th overall in the 2022 draft. His brother, Andrew, spent six years in the Major Leagues and earned a World Series ring with the Giants in 2014.
Susac credited his time at Jesuit for forming into an eventual Major Leaguer, which could serve him as he tries to earn the every-day job starting for the Giants.
“I would say the two biggest things that probably formed me into the player today was my freshman year (of) baseball,” Susac said. “I felt like I was pretty uncomfortable at first being the only kid with a bunch of older kids. It was my first time playing with guys really older than me. I had to come out of my shell a little bit, which helped me for pro ball.
“And then probably my junior year for football, it’s the first time I had ever been a backup in anything. And it was at the time when you’re in high school, it felt like your whole life is crashing down on you, but you start to learn that you really love the game for the right reasons and not just because you know you’re a starter.”
