It’s amazing that, at age 38, this is really the first time we’ve ever asked if we’ve seen the end of Ichiro Suzuki as we’ve come to know him. That’s what happens when you fail to record 200 hits for the first time in your 11 year career, when your .272 average appears on the third page of the Fangraphs leaderboards and when your career 11.0 Ultimate Zone Rating (a fielding metric) drops to -5.7. Is Ichiro done or was last year just one of those seasons we thought Ichiro was immune to?
To answer this question (number 96 in our Top 100 Offseason Questions series), I’ll start with a pretty telling stat, then mix in a few defensive stats and finally finish with my favorite Ichiro-related stat.
Isolated Power (ISO)
Several years ago, before the A’s got good under Billy Beane’s watch, no one really cared that much about on-base percentage (OBP). Then the A’s started winning, people began to realize the value of and/or care about th...
Via Fantasy Baseball 365
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December 05, 2011
Key Stats: Going back to 2006 (and probably further, but I don't keep records that far back) Ichiro Suzuki has not been ranked worse than 116 in any season. When we talk about the term consistency in fantasy baseball Ichiro is the standard which we based that term off of. Despite being on the worst offense for the second straight year in all of baseball, Ichiro has never had...
Via The Outside Corner
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December 05, 2011
With special thanks to Zach Sanders of FanGraphs for his input, I present to you the Seattle Mariners' Top 10.
This season didn’t exactly go very well for the Mariners. Having finished last in the AL West for the second straight season, the Mariners continue to look toward the future for hope because the present offers none. Fortunately, the minor leagues seem to...
Via seattlemariners.com
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December 05, 2011
Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Monday that Chone Figgins is looking to have a comeback season and compete again for the team's starting third-base job, but there are indications the club has talked to the Rockies about dealing the veteran infielder as the Winter Meetings opened in Dallas.
Via Fox Sports
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December 06, 2011
Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge says he's still figuring out where to bat longtime leadoff man Ichiro Suzuki.
The 38-year-old Suzuki is coming off a season in which he hit .272 with a .310 on-base percentage, by far the lowest marks in his 11-year career with the Mariners.
Suzuki has hit exclusively in the leadoff spot for several years. Wedge says he's met with the...
Via seattlemariners.com
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December 06, 2011
When Mariners vice president of international operations Bob Engle is honored as one of Major League Baseball's Scouts of the Year on Wednesday night at the Winter Meetings, he'll actually have to stop moving long enough to be recognized.
Via seattlemariners.com
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December 06, 2011
Mariners manager Eric Wedge indicated on Tuesday in his meeting with the media at the Winter Meetings that Ichiro Suzuki's role could indeed be changing after 11 seasons almost exclusively as the club's leadoff hitter.
Via Mariners Minors
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December 04, 2011
Arizona Fall League (FINAL):
RF Chih-Hsien Chiang: 20 G, 76 AB, 9 R, 20 H, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, SB, 15/9 K/BB, .263/.337/.368
RHP Steven Hensley: 1-1, 11 G, 11.30 ERA in 14.1 IP, 23 H (2 HR), 18 R, 15/16 K/BB, 2 HB
LHP Danny Hultzen: 1-0, 6 GS, 1.40 ERA in 19.1 IP, 16 H (HR), 3 R, 18/5 K/BB, 2 WP
SS Nick Franklin: 24 G, 89 AB, 15 R, 23 H, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, SB, 25/11...
Via Seattle Times
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December 05, 2011
Not much going on yet as far as deals go here at the baseball winter meetings in Dallas, but the Mariners are laying the groundwork to get some deals done that do not involve Prince Fielder.
One of the areas the team would like to upgrade is third base. Wil Polidor, the agent for former Mariners infielder Carlos Guillen, told me he'll be meeting here with all interested parties...
Via Seattle Times
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December 05, 2011
Just got done speaking with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik up in his suite and as you all know, he's very reluctant to discuss free agents by name when it comes to who his team is looking at. But sometimes, it's not what you say directly, but how you respond to questions.
Based on what Zduriencik told us, I'd say he's in a holding pattern on Prince Fielder for now...
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