Ichiro Suzuki
Shohei Ohtani is arguably the most important free agent signing that the Los Angeles Angels have made in their history. With his unique two-way talent along with his ability to bring in a whole country’s interest to the Angels, how he is handled is very important.
This could be a perfect opportunity to send out one of the heroes of Japan and one of the best players the game has seen over the last 20 years while he can be a mentor to Ohtani with his experiences in the major leagues.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Suzuki cleared 3,000 hits in major league baseball in 2016, when he hit .291/.354/.376. He struggled to a .255/.318/.332 line in 2017 with the Marlins. However, with the chance to combine his influence on Ohtani, his draw at the ticket office, and his chance to continue adding to his legacy as a hitter could be a huge bonus for the Angels, even at 44 years old.
Ichiro is currently 22nd in major league history with 3,080 hits. Even in his struggle season in 2017, he collected 50 hits. That number would bump Ichiro up to #20 overall. Simply being able to slap 80 hits in 2018, and Ichiro collected 91 and 95 hits in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, so 80 is feasible, would allow Ichiro to move all the way up to #16 overall on the career hits list.
Ichiro is a huge fan favorite, and with the Japanese population in the Los Angeles area, there would be plenty of draw at the gate for Suzuki and likely also in merchandise as well.
Whether the Los Angeles Angels go big for Gonzalez, go for the perfect fit of Smith or Jay, or get another option, a left-handed bat is certainly needed by the Halos for 2018!