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Ichiro? Cooperstown? Yeah, Right?
June 23, 2008 ? Print this post ? Email this post
The other day I was listening to the radio when two sports writers who were on the panel began discussing the Seattle Mariners, and of course, Ichiro Suzuki?s name came up. How couldn?t it, this man is the face of the franchise, and, as everyone would love for you to believe, one of the greatest baseball players of the last decade, if not, all-time. After making the obligatory remarks about the Mariners struggles thus far, the talking heads started discussing Ichiro?s credentials, and both of them agreed that Ichiro should start carving his plaque, because he?s a, no-questions asked, first-ballot hall of famer.
I may be in the minority here, but forget first ballot, I?m not even sure this man belongs in the same halls as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and all the other great hitters the game has seen, or, let alone, just off the property with Pete Rose. This is a guy that has never hit 35 doubles in season, or drove in 70 runs. He?s had an OBP over .400 once, and has never slugged above .457. In his defense, Ichiro is something of an unstoppable hits machine, but then again, how valuable are 200 singles when they come from a position where offense isn?t exactly at a premium? If he were doing what he does as a shortstop or a second baseman, he?d be fantastic, as a right fielder, not so much.
Ichiro isn?t a dangerous hitter. I mean, seriously, what?s the worst he could do? Hit a single? The guy isn?t going to beat you, you don?t get scared with the game on the line when Ichiro gets to the plate. With a runner on first, if he makes contact, it?s not like he?s really going to advance a runner more than a base. Due to lacking secondary hitting skills, which means the ability to take a walk or hit for power, he needs to hit .350 or higher to be effective. Some season?s he does that, in others he doesn?t.
His career OPS+ is just 118, which I?m aware doesn?t take steals or defensive efficiency into account, but we aren?t talking about Rickey Henderson here. Ichiro is trying to make up for his inefficiencies thus far by trying to swipe more bags, but he?s going to have to steal about 70 bases to really be a difference maker. In an attempt to put things into perspective, he?s only 43rd among active hitters in OPS+ , right between Mike Sweeney and Eric Chavez. Not very elite company if you ask me.
This year that figure is at 99. It?s not hard for anyone to see that Ichiro has lost a step, he?s only reaching base on 10 percent of his infield hits, where his career average was once 12.2. His defense is still at a premium level, but at this point, how valuable is he? He?s only reached base 118 times, with a mere 14 of those going for extra bases, and drove in 19 runs and scored 53 times. How much does that really help the Mariners? His .288 average isn?t very impressive either.
Right now, there?s a .218 hitter who has reached base 108 times with 26 extra base hits, 43 RBI, and has scored 38 times. His OPS is 126. Going by those figures it?d be hard to make a case for Ichiro against the .218 hitter. His name: Adam Dunn.
If Dunn isn?t more effective than Ichiro, there isn?t much of a gap between the two. Sure, they are cut from a different cloth, Dunn has the secondary skills, but lacks the ability to hit for average, and Ichiro is the complete opposite. The point is, they are both lacking in one area of another, but Dunn makes up for it by taking walks and helping his team win games with his bat. Ichiro?s skill set just puts others in a position to excel, he isn?t a difference maker. Now I wouldn?t ever suggest that Dunn is a Hall-of-Famer, but for some reason everyone is damn sure that Ichiro is one of the best players in the game despite gobs of evidence proving otherwise. If you want to get crazy, what really makes Ichiro?s bat that much better than Placido Polanco?s?
Simply put, Ichiro is a solid ballplayer that I?d classify as good. He?s can hardly be considered a stud, and he doesn?t deserve that MVP he?s toting around, let alone a plaque in Cooperstown. The fact that he has as many MVP awards as guys like Albert Pujols, Chipper Jones, and Ken Griffey Jr., drives me crazy, when he?s never, ever, for even a single season, been as effective as those guys. You could argue that John Olerud, Bret Boone, and Edgar Martinez were all more effective than Ichiro during the 2001 season and win, but that?s a different article.
I won?t argue the effect that this man has on the game. He deserves his global popularity. He hits for average and runs the bases extremely well, and his defense is outstanding. There?s no denying that he?s worth the attention he gets. However, through the prism of talent and on-field performance, he is not.
Cooperstown? He wouldn?t get my vote.
Ichiro? Cooperstown? Yeah, Right?
June 23, 2008 ? Print this post ? Email this post
The other day I was listening to the radio when two sports writers who were on the panel began discussing the Seattle Mariners, and of course, Ichiro Suzuki?s name came up. How couldn?t it, this man is the face of the franchise, and, as everyone would love for you to believe, one of the greatest baseball players of the last decade, if not, all-time. After making the obligatory remarks about the Mariners struggles thus far, the talking heads started discussing Ichiro?s credentials, and both of them agreed that Ichiro should start carving his plaque, because he?s a, no-questions asked, first-ballot hall of famer.I may be in the minority here, but forget first ballot, I?m not even sure this man belongs in the same halls as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and all the other great hitters the game has seen, or, let alone, just off the property with Pete Rose. This is a guy that has never hit 35 doubles in season, or drove in 70 runs. He?s had an OBP over .400 once, and has never slugged above .457. In his defense, Ichiro is something of an unstoppable hits machine, but then again, how valuable are 200 singles when they come from a position where offense isn?t exactly at a premium? If he were doing what he does as a shortstop or a second baseman, he?d be fantastic, as a right fielder, not so much.
Ichiro isn?t a dangerous hitter. I mean, seriously, what?s the worst he could do? Hit a single? The guy isn?t going to beat you, you don?t get scared with the game on the line when Ichiro gets to the plate. With a runner on first, if he makes contact, it?s not like he?s really going to advance a runner more than a base. Due to lacking secondary hitting skills, which means the ability to take a walk or hit for power, he needs to hit .350 or higher to be effective. Some season?s he does that, in others he doesn?t.
His career OPS+ is just 118, which I?m aware doesn?t take steals or defensive efficiency into account, but we aren?t talking about Rickey Henderson here. Ichiro is trying to make up for his inefficiencies thus far by trying to swipe more bags, but he?s going to have to steal about 70 bases to really be a difference maker. In an attempt to put things into perspective, he?s only 43rd among active hitters in OPS+ , right between Mike Sweeney and Eric Chavez. Not very elite company if you ask me.
This year that figure is at 99. It?s not hard for anyone to see that Ichiro has lost a step, he?s only reaching base on 10 percent of his infield hits, where his career average was once 12.2. His defense is still at a premium level, but at this point, how valuable is he? He?s only reached base 118 times, with a mere 14 of those going for extra bases, and drove in 19 runs and scored 53 times. How much does that really help the Mariners? His .288 average isn?t very impressive either.
Right now, there?s a .218 hitter who has reached base 108 times with 26 extra base hits, 43 RBI, and has scored 38 times. His OPS is 126. Going by those figures it?d be hard to make a case for Ichiro against the .218 hitter. His name: Adam Dunn.
If Dunn isn?t more effective than Ichiro, there isn?t much of a gap between the two. Sure, they are cut from a different cloth, Dunn has the secondary skills, but lacks the ability to hit for average, and Ichiro is the complete opposite. The point is, they are both lacking in one area of another, but Dunn makes up for it by taking walks and helping his team win games with his bat. Ichiro?s skill set just puts others in a position to excel, he isn?t a difference maker. Now I wouldn?t ever suggest that Dunn is a Hall-of-Famer, but for some reason everyone is damn sure that Ichiro is one of the best players in the game despite gobs of evidence proving otherwise. If you want to get crazy, what really makes Ichiro?s bat that much better than Placido Polanco?s?
Simply put, Ichiro is a solid ballplayer that I?d classify as good. He?s can hardly be considered a stud, and he doesn?t deserve that MVP he?s toting around, let alone a plaque in Cooperstown. The fact that he has as many MVP awards as guys like Albert Pujols, Chipper Jones, and Ken Griffey Jr., drives me crazy, when he?s never, ever, for even a single season, been as effective as those guys. You could argue that John Olerud, Bret Boone, and Edgar Martinez were all more effective than Ichiro during the 2001 season and win, but that?s a different article.
I won?t argue the effect that this man has on the game. He deserves his global popularity. He hits for average and runs the bases extremely well, and his defense is outstanding. There?s no denying that he?s worth the attention he gets. However, through the prism of talent and on-field performance, he is not.
Cooperstown? He wouldn?t get my vote.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption>Has Ichiro done enough to be a slam dunk for the Hall? (Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>