Ichiro (under consideration?)

[Old#5fan]

I will not be happy if Ichiro is signed.

Me either. He should just hang up his spikes.

[srock]

.284 ba last year is heavily driven by .346 babip which is way out of line with his recent history.

Strike out percentage soared last year too.

He is done unless a Nippon team wants to trot him out there like a 2 headed donkey at the state fair.

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[MurphDogg]

.284 ba last year is heavily driven by .346 babip which is way out of line with his recent history.

Strike out percentage soared last year too.

He is done unless a Nippon team wants to trot him out there like a 2 headed donkey at the state fair.

His 2014 BABIP was out of line with his BABIP from 2011-2013, but was right at his MLB average and actually below his BABIP from 2010 and 2009. His 2014 line drive percentage of 20.4 percent was higher than 2013 (20.9 percent) and 2011 (19.1 percent) (but not 2012), while his fly ball percentage was his lowest since 2004. I'm not sure that his 2014 BABIP was a total mirage. While I doubt it will be .346 again, he has always been a slap hitter and quick to get out of the box. The 2011-2013 .300 and below BABIP's could be outliers as well.

His strikeout percentage was certainly elevated last year, but he is adjusting to not playing every day for the first time in his career. Anecdotally, I would expect him to be a less patient hitter if he was only getting 16 plate appearances a week instead of 30. I just don't know that I have enough data to say that he is definitely finished as a Major League player.

[crawjo]

I think if used correctly he could provide some value. He's not an everyday player but I think he can still get his base hits and play respectable defense. It would be fun to see him end his MLB career in an Orioles uniform.

[Nevermore]

No, we do not need an elderly guy like him. Bring back Delmon Young instead.

[DrungoHazewood]

I've always liked Ichiro, at least until he went to New York. He's truly a unique player, someone who maybe shows us what baseball used to be like before bat speed became (essentially) the only thing scouts look for. He's actually an inner-circle HOFer who never walked and hit 8 homers a year while often playing a corner position.

But he's 41 and has become David Lough. But probably not as good as David Lough. And we have two of them (including De Aza) already.

[BohKnowsBmore]

Nothing's wrong with me, because I understand how an MLB schedule works. If he gets traded to the Yankees, and the Yankees are playing that day in Seattle, what's he supposed to do? Refuse to play for his new team until they leave the city?

According to this article, the Seattle fans gave Ichiro a 45-second standing ovation before his first at-bat, and he bowed and doffed his helmet to them. Yeah, sounds like M's fans were really pissed at him.

First of all, Ichiro may have asked to be traded to a contender, but I can't find any indication that he specifically asked to be traded to the Yankees. Or that he specifically asked to be traded on the exact day the Yankees were in Seattle, just to piss off the fans. Also, the Yankees/Mariners rivalry certainly isn't the same thing as Orioles/Yankees.

Didn't bud Norris and LJ Hoes cross dugouts?

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[srock]

His 2014 BABIP was out of line with his BABIP from 2011-2013, but was right at his MLB average and actually below his BABIP from 2010 and 2009. His 2014 line drive percentage of 20.4 percent was higher than 2013 (20.9 percent) and 2011 (19.1 percent) (but not 2012), while his fly ball percentage was his lowest since 2004. I'm not sure that his 2014 BABIP was a total mirage. While I doubt it will be .346 again, he has always been a slap hitter and quick to get out of the box. The 2011-2013 .300 and below BABIP's could be outliers as well.

His strikeout percentage was certainly elevated last year, but he is adjusting to not playing every day for the first time in his career. Anecdotally, I would expect him to be a less patient hitter if he was only getting 16 plate appearances a week instead of 30. I just don't know that I have enough data to say that he is definitely finished as a Major League player.

The 2011-2013 numbers are the trend. 2014 the fluke.

He won't work for less money they David Lough but he will produce less.

Classic OH refrain: Just say no to old fart knockers.

[waroriole]

I've always liked Ichiro, at least until he went to New York. He's truly a unique player, someone who maybe shows us what baseball used to be like before bat speed became (essentially) the only thing scouts look for. He's actually an inner-circle HOFer who never walked and hit 8 homers a year while often playing a corner position.

But he's 41 and has become David Lough. But probably not as good as David Lough. And we have two of them (including De Aza) already.

Modern day Ty Cobb, without the racism.

[DrungoHazewood]

Modern day Ty Cobb, without the racism.

The batting style was probably similar. Or at least nobody today looks more like Cobb probably batted than Ichiro. But Cobb had much more power (140 ISO vs 094) despite playing in huge parks with soggy baseballs in a depressed run environment. In 1918 Cobb hit .382 with a .954 OPS in a league that OPS'd .642. It would be very interesting to put them both in a time machine and see how they'd stack up. A 28-year-old Ichiro would probably hit .500 in the 1890s.

[TheDirtyBird]

This would be an odd move to say the least. I'd much rather have Pearce, Lough, De Aza and even Chris Davis in the outfield over Ichiro