Is Ichiro Suzuki a Hall of Famer?
Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki #51 of Seattle Mariners hits during in the top half of the first inning during MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. (March 28, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
Ichiro Suzuki is a man of many accomplishments.
For one, his fame has spread so wide you only need his first name to indicate who you're talking about. That puts him in the company of the likes of Ringo, Prince and LeBron.
But more importantly, he now has 2,500 hits in the Major Leagues, stroking the milestone single in the first inning of Tuesday's game against Arizona. The Mariners speedster entered Wednesday with 2,503 hits in just his 12th season in the big leagues.
Ichiro, however, is in the last year of his contract with the Mariners, and is in the midst of a decline. Because of a lengthy Japanese career, Ichiro didn't arrive in Seattle until 2001 when he was already 27 years old. After 10 seasons of 200+ hits and an average over .300, Ichiro slumped to 184 hits and a .272 average in 2011. This season, at age 38, he has 75 hits in 68 games and his average is down to .265.
If he doesn't sign a contract for 2013, or even if he plays for another season, is Ichiro a Hall of Famer?
Here are his current career totals:
Hits: 2,503
Runs: 1,161
RBIs: 630
Home runs: 99
Stolen bases: 432
Average: .323
On-base percentage: .367
Wins above replacement: 54.8
How would you vote?
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