The final player to report to the Seattle Mariners Peoria sports complex training grounds this spring was none other than Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro, who transitioned from the Japanese to American League in 2001 has a trail of stats and awards that have been the envy of every major league team for the past decade.
Ichiro has been one of the only reasons that Mariners fans could stick with their team over some of the worst years in the team history.
However in 2011, the belief of Ichiro as the sure thing flew out the window as the most consistent player in history of the Major Leagues and future hall of famer had a slump that lasted three quarters of the season.
While some fans continue to believe that the 38 year old superstar will have a bounce back year, the one year dip in his dominate numbers have left some with a bad taste in their mouths.
What many fans fail to recognize is that Ichiro’s worst year was better than many players’ best years.
As he heads into the last year of his contract he holds a career .326 average with 2428 total hits as well as 423 stolen bases.
Do the M's want Ichiro to bounce back?
As the season rolls along there will be more and more speculation about a contract extension with Ichiro.
The M’s still owe Ichiro Suzuki 17 million dollars this season which basically boils down to $24,000 per at bat.
On top of his salary, Ichiro receives a vehicle, plane tickets for his family, a personal trainer and an interpreter.
The question is sure to rise if Ichiro is worth that amount of an investment for a team that could use the extra $18 Million to attract a power bat at the end of the season.
If Ichiro turns his game around the M’s will be faced with a difficult choice as to what to do.
If he performs at the same level of 2011 the choice will be easy.
So do you think the Mariners want him to bounce back or not?
Interested in more M’s articles? Check out our And the Seattle Mariners breakout performer for 2012 is article…
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Post tags: 2012, 2012 Seattle Mariners, Baseball Predictions, Eric Wedge, Ichiro, Ichiro Suzuki, M's, Marienrs, Mariners, Mariners blog, Mariners Predictions, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Mariners Blog, Seattle Mariners blogs, Seattle Mariners Prediction
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