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Marlins Ichiro Suzuki and Reds Pete Rose – Evening the Field

By Bobby Mueller

Jun 15, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) tips his helmet after hitting his 4257th professional hit with a double against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) tips his helmet after hitting his 4257th professional hit with a double against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 6, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (31) prepares to take a pitch in the batters box during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.The New York Yankees won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (31) prepares to take a pitch in the batters box during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.The New York Yankees won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Ichiro After the Mariners

After the mid-season trade brought Ichiro to New York from Seattle, he seemed rejuvenated. He hit .322/.340/.454 in 67 games with the Yankees in the regular season, then hit .275/.310/.400 in the playoffs. The Yankees beat Baltimore in the ALDS, but lost to Detroit in the ALCS. Ichiro hasn’t been back to the post-season since.

At this point, Ichiro was 39 years old and no longer the hitter he’d once been. He was transitioning from a guy who played every day and regularly had more than 700 plate appearances per season to a fourth outfielder type. Ichiro was still able to put the bat on the ball, but they didn’t find the holes like they once had.

Over his career, Ichiro’s production has been highly dependent on his Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP). Over his first 10 years with the Mariners, his BABIP was .357 and he never had a season with a BABIP below .316. In his split-season with the Mariners and Yankees in 2011, his BABIP was .295 (.279 with the Mariners and .337 with the Yankees). He followed that up with a .285 BABIP in 2013 (hitting .262/.297/.342), then got it back up to .346 in 2014 (hitting .284/.324/.340).

The trend continued with the Miami Marlins. Ichiro was a free agent prior to the 2015 season and was still 156 hits away from 3,000 hits in the Major Leagues. He signed with the Miami Marlins and had his worst year with the bat, hitting .229/.282/.279, with a career-low .257 BABIP. It was the fourth time in the previous five seasons Ichiro had a BABIP at .300 or worse. He was still an asset in the field and in the clubhouse, but his weak hitting made him a below replacement-level player, according to Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. If the Marlins had decided not to re-sign him heading into his age 42 season and coming off his worst season, it would have been a justifiable decision.

Instead, they signed him to a one-year deal with a team option for a second year and they have been rewarded with a good season so far. Ichiro seems revitalized, like he found the fountain of youth in Florida. Ponce de Le-Ichiro. Ichiro de Leon. This year, his BABIP is back up to .350. He doesn’t have the power he used to have, but his average and on-base percentage are reminiscent of the Ichiro of old.

Next: Comparing Ichiro to Pete

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