Ichiro could do everything on the field except walk. He could run, hit and field. In fielding he could get the ball and had a good arm. I think one sports writer thought he should have hit for more power, and from what I saw I think he easily could have hit for more power. However, the way he played, especially in the early day, was probably more effective.
I thought about giving some pioneer points but didn’t. He seemed to be well loved when he came here to play baseball. Especially in the Seattle area. He didn’t have to face anything like the early Blacks and Latin players had to face. Still he didn’t come to America until age 27 and he still got 3,000 hits. He could easily be rated higher.
One interesting thing he isn’t highly rated by WAR his last nine years. I count 5.1 WAR his last nine years. That means he had 54.9 WAR his first 10 years, very impressive. His first 10 years he was an all star every year, won a gold glove every year and received MVP votes 9 or the 10 years. He didn’t get any of those awards the last 9 years. Of course, he was 37 when his 11th season started.
I had a friend send me an Ichiro bobblehead after his rookie season. It is on my dresser next to my Minnie Minoso bobblehead.
