Ichiro Suzuki: Why He Might Be the Greatest Hitter of All Time

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 21: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners looks on during player introductions prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics during the 2019 Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome on Thursday, March 21, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Alex Tratutwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

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Mandatory Credit: Ronald Martinez/ALLSPORT /

54 years after Fred Lynn became the first to do it, Ichiro Suzuki became only the 2nd player in the history of baseball to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player award in the same season.

The year was 2001. Ichiro had finally come over from Japan to play in the majors with the Seattle Mariners, and without skipping a beat, he put together one of the greatest seasons of all time, smacking 242 hits while hitting .350 with a .838 OPS.

Many would argue that perhaps he didn’t deserve the AL MVP award. Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez had higher bWARs than Ichiro and astronomically larger OPSs. However, given the time, advanced stats were still something kept relatively under wraps, it’s no surprise that the Silver Slugger award winner with impeccable defensive ability would get the award.

What’s more, in his rookie season, Ichiro had managed to etch his name in the record books, having the 10th best single season in terms of hits.

Now, in terms of the Rookie of the Year award, there’s no question that Ichiro Suzuki deserved the award. Especially considering that the 2nd highest vote-getter, CC Sabathia‘s bWAR was 4.9 points lower than Ichiro’s.

Many would be intimidated at the prospect of having to follow a rookie season the likes of Ichiro. For the “Wizard,” however, it would only be a preview of what was to come.

And three years later, Ichiro accomplished his second major accomplishment.

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