Ichiro

akuracy503

I got to thinking after responding to the thread "what decade did you start collecting".
2001 sparked my interested to collect again all because of Ichiro.

Living in Oregon the Mariners are my team since it is the closest MLB presence we have.
For many years I watched Ichiro's games and stats religiously, next to Ken Griffey Jr he was the greatest hitter i've had the chance to watch in my waking life.
Too bad he did not have a contending organization to back him.

Those days seem to have dwindled and now all I read in the news is how Ichiro's time has come.

What's the best thing for Ichiro to do at this point? Retire or (only Ichiro knows) does he have it in him to bring some consistency back into his game.

Is it circumstances or old age that has brought us to this subject?
It seems like just a few short seasons ago he was still hitting over 200 in a season and still a viable all star.

Dodgerfanjohn

I mean its up to him...but he is still pretty good in the field and can still hit some. Old man Pete Rose hit .325 and went to the world series, and he continued to function as a singles hitter in part time roles for a few more seasons. I have no reason to believe that Ichiro wouldn't be a great pinch hitter/4th outfielder for a lot of teams.

jmmiller777

I think Ichiro can still produce, and he only needs a couple more years to hit the 3,000 hit plateau. I'm not sure the Yankees are going to be his best bet, perhaps a small town team would suit him better. But he can still get around pretty good for a 40 yr old.

GoDodgersFan

I would love to see Ichiro reach the 3,000 hit milestone. Needs two more solid years.

grote15

I'd like to see him get to 3,000 hits, too, but his skills are declining rapidly. An OBP of .297 and an OPS+ of 75 is rather pitiful to be kind. Hopefully, he can bounce back in 2014.

dtkk49a

I have enjoyed watching Ichiro play. I know its a long shot, but I hope he gets number 3000 as a Yankee.

akuracy503

A part time, benched Ichiro is just a hard pill to swallow.
Although I know it is the nature of baseball for the aging players.

I'd rather see Ichiro retire sooner than later with no damage done to his career batting average.
Leave people talking on what "could have been".

I wonder if Ichiro has any interest in coaching after it's all said and done.
I'm sure the Mariners could use another hitting coach.

hyperchipper09

Would be nice to see him get 3000 in NY. Lock Hall of Famer regardless.