Ken Suarez

Kenneth Raymond Suarez (April 12, 1943 – July 29, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers from 1966 to 1973. After his All-American college baseball career with Florida State University, Suarez signed with the Athletics. He later played for the Indians and the Rangers. When he attempted to negotiate a raise with the Rangers, he filed for salary arbitration. The Rangers traded him and he retired. Early life Kenneth Raymond Suarez was born in Tampa, Florida on April 12, 1943. He attended Jesuit High School. As well as being the catcher for the Jesuit Tigers, Suarez played for West Tampa's American Legion team with Lou Piniella and Tony La Russa. Suarez attended Florida State University, and took over catching duties for the Seminoles baseball team as a sophomore in 1963. After leading his team to the College World Series in 1963, Suarez erupted his junior year. He batted .404 with 44 hits, six home runs, thirty runs batted in, 25 runs scored and 21 walks, all tops on his team. He was named a 1964 First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He represented the United States in baseball at the 1964 Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport in Tokyo.