Hit Man?
One interesting question we were talking about before last night's game centered around Ichiro Suzuki - is he a great hitter and what defines a great hitter?
Yes, he certainly has the stats, averaging 226 hits in his five big league seasons. The notion of hitting has certainly changed since I started, when you heard much more talk about the "cheap hits" and "nubbers" that are really the staple of Ichiro's game. His strategy is to put the ball in play and use his legs to get on base. He's really something to watch with the way he moves around the batter's box. Hawk noted that he uses more space there than the rest of the league combined.
The other side will argue that for as high as his average is with runners in scoring position, he's never even driven in 70 runs with all those hits. That definition of a great hitter means more than just getting on base.
I probably side with Ichiro on this one, since to me he has a plan and carries it out each year. It's one of those arguments that make our game so much fun.
DJ
Comments
Conincidence, they were discussing this on Around The Horn, and Jay Marrioti said that Ichiro is the most overrated player in baseball.
Posted by: Joe Lazar | May 4, 2006 2:33 PM