Admitting a star player’s decline is perhaps the most difficult public relations situation that a franchise can encounter. That’s especially true when the player is the face of the franchise, the one drawing fans to the ballpark and attracting attention to the team from outside its market.
The Mariners are facing that dilemma heading into the 2012 season, with Ichiro Suzuki coming off by far his worst campaign in the United States. Ichiro logged a .272/.310/.335 triple slash last year, failing to reach the 200-hit mark for the first time since coming over from Japan. Now 38, Ichiro is losing the speed and acceleration out of the box that are vital to his slash-and-dash approach. With that decline, his overall value plummeted from 3.2 WARP in 2010 to -0.7 WARP in 2011.
Manager Eric Wedge conceded on Thursday that he thought about moving Ichiro out of the leadoff spot in his lineup last season, but ultimately decided to leave him there, with the costs outweighing the p...
Found January 30, 2012 on
Baseball Prospectus:
PLAYERS:
Ichiro Suzuki,
Eric Wedge,
Dustin Ackley,
Felix Hernandez,
Jesus Montero,
Derek Jeter
TEAMS: Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox
TEAMS: Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox
Original Story:
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