Miami Marlins Ichiro Suzuki Moving Up The Chart

Will Manso’s alleged lack of interest aside, it’s well known to all South Florida baseball fans that there is at least one feel good, worth covering story with these 2016 Miami Marlins.  The kind of story that as we enter the Dog Days of Summer will be sure to garner national interest as well.  Sure, there will be snide comments about Jeffrey Loria, and fun had at the expense of local sports fans.  But that should by no means diminish what could easily end up being a once in a lifetime experience for Marlins fans, a great moment for baseball fans throughout the country, and the icing on one heck of a cake for one of the best players to ever play the game.

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Obviously, if the featured image didn’t already give it away, we’re talking about Ichiro Suzuki.  And no matter which side of the fence you landed on in respect to Adam Kuperstein’s glib over/under Tweet, fan opinion or intelligence bears no influence whatsoever on this reality: with the exception of Miguel Cabrera, Ichiro is the best player to ever wear a Marlins uniform.

That’s career-wise, of course- before I start hearing about how I’m stuck in the past, and he’s not even one of the ten best players on an average team.  He isn’t, and Justin Bour will be touched you’ve noticed him.  But when you look at the entire body of work to date, the point isn’t even debatable.

Ten Gold Gloves.  Ten All-Star nods.  Ten seasons of over 200 hits.  Eight seasons where he showed up to work 160 times or more, and five more in the 150 plus range; that last stat alone should silence the fans who have Giancarlo Stanton‘s name on their lips in challenge to the argument above.  Ten seasons of over 200 hits– at this rate, Stanton is a reach bet to get 200 hits this season and next combined.  Oh, and 500 career stolen bases don’t hurt the resume either.

Where does he stack up all-time though?  A much fairer question as he climbs up the hit chart.  So since he joined up with the Fish, every few names the “age-less wonder” passes, we take the time to size up how Ichiro stacks up against the greats in question.  I’ll give my thoughts, and invite you to support or lambast me on social media with yours.  So without further ado, let’s see who’s been lapped so far in 2016 in the race for 3000.

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