Former Miami Marlins OF elected into the Hall of Fame

Was Ichiro Suzuki the best overall player to have ever played for the Miami Marlins? He was expected to make it into the MLB Hall of Fame this year...and he did! It's a well-deserved honor for the legend, who will wear a Seattle Mariners cap into the Hall. I'm really happy for him and see it as a well-deserved honor for this legend of the game.

Former Miami Marlins OF Ichiro Suzuki has been elected into the MLB Hall of Fame.

Ichiro Suzuki isn't really a legend with the Miami Marlins. He didn't actually play for The Fish for that long of a time, but he was still a legend throughout his career. Most of Suzuki's career has of course come with the Seattle Mariners. He actually won the American League Rookie of the Year award for his amazing 2001 season. In that season, he managed to bat .350/.381/.457, with 8 home runs and 69 RBI in 157 games and 692 AB. He was actually worth 7.7 WAR for that season.

From 2001 to 2011 with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro batted .326/.370/.421. He was worth a very impressive 55.5 WAR for that stretch. During that time, he was one of the best right fielders in the Major Leagues. He was an elite defender, and an elite contact hitter. He was also the best lead-off hitter in the game. He split the 2012 season between two teams, the Seattle Mariners and then the New York Yankees.

Ichiro Suzuki's time with the Miami Marlins finally came in the 2015 and 2017 seasons. During that time, he batted .229/.282/.279, with a home run and 21 RBI in 153 games and 398 AB. He was actually sadly only worth just -1.1 WAR. In the 2016 season, Ichiro batted a much improved .291/.354/.376, with a home run and 22 RBI, in 143 games and 327 AB. He was then worth a much better 1.6 WAR as a bench player.

Ichiro Suzuki finished his career with the Seattle Mariners, but that was a pretty poor run. At the end of the day, Ichiro well-deserved the induction.