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

In honor of Ichiro Suzuki, who decided to hang up his cleats after playing in the final game of a two-game set against A’s in Japan, let’s make a case for why he’s arguably the greatest hitter of all time.

Before ever stepping on a big league field, Ichiro Suzuki had already established himself as one of the premier hitters on the planet. Nine years before making his MLB debut, Ichiro started his baseball career with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan’s Pacific League.

While there, in nine seasons, Ichiro had a ridiculous .353 BA, .421 OBP, and .522 SLG. This got the attention of big league clubs.

Ultimately, the Seattle Mariners won the right to negotiate with Ichiro by paying the Orix Blue Wave over $13M. In the end, Ichiro would sign a 3-year deal with the Mariners and prove to be an integral part of the record-breaking 116-win 2001 team.

That season, Ichiro’s transition from Japan to the US was seamless. The “Wizard,” as he would later be called, had arrived.

Today, some may argue that Ichiro is the greatest hitter of all time. I tend to agree.

That is why in honor of his retirement, we have decided to highlight all of his accomplishments in MLB. So, without further ado, let’s begin with his first major accomplishment.

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.

There are many records that seem unfathomable in today’s game. Cal Ripken Jr.‘s consecutive games played streak (2632), Joe DiMaggio‘s consecutive games with a hit streak (56), Barry Bonds‘ single-season home run record (73) to name a few.

Then there’s Ichiro Suzuki’s single-season hits record.

In baseball, we have a tendency to glorify the home run and are mesmerized when a hitter can smack 50, 60, 70 dingers in a single season. In 2004, however, Ichiro had the baseball world fascinated by his ability to hit the ball.

That season, Ichiro broke an 86-year-old record set by George Sisler, who amassed 257 hits in 1920. By season’s end, Ichiro had amassed 262 hits, a record that will most likely remain unbroken for at least another 86 years.

What’s more, in 2004, Ichiro lead MLB in batting average for the second time in his career. At .372, the closest hitter to the “Wizard,” not named Barry Bonds, was Todd Helton. His batting average was a full .25 points lower than Ichiro’s.

The accomplishments don’t end there, however. Let’s take a look at some other major accomplishments for the future Hall of Fame player.