On Aug. 7, Ichiro Suzuki became the 30th member of the 3,000 hit club. By the time the 2016 season is over, Ichiro will likely end up 25th on baseball’s all-time hit list. If he comes back next season, Ichiro could end up cracking the top 20 of MLB’s all-time hit leaders. And while that’s a phenomenal feat for any player, Ichiro’s career could have somehow been even more legendary.
It cannot be stated enough: Ichiro’s career in MLB suffered because he was a rookie at age 27 after starting his career in Japan with the Orix Blue Wave of NPB. So while it’s easy to look at his career to date and marvel, it’s important to remember that we missed some of his prime seasons stateside.
A whopping 198 MLB players logged at least 800 hits before turning 27, which is how old Ichiro was during his rookie year. 67 of those players recorded at least 1,000 hits before 27. Sure, there are plenty of Hall of Famers among those 67, like Rickey Henderson, Stan Musial, and Frank Robinson, but there are also players like Elvis Andrus, Ruben Sierra, and Cecil Travis, generally not known as the best hitters of their time. It’s not remotely implausible to think that Ichiro could have picked up 800 hits in MLB before turning 27, and tacking another 800 on to his 3,000 puts him third on the all-time list, behind only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
To further harp on the age thing, Ichiro’s 3,000 hits from age 27 on are the second-most in MLB history, behind just Rose. 52 players in MLB history have recorded at least 2,000 hits in their age 27 season and beyond, but just six have recorded as many as 2,500 hits. Ichiro and Rose are the only ones to have notched 3,000. It’s legitimately difficult to stay productive as you get older, as history can attest, but Ichiro has hummed right along – even though 2016 is his first season since 2010 where his batting average has risen above .300.
Ichiro has also, incredibly, racked up all of these hits in a relatively short amount of time. Only Rose has joined Ichiro in tallying over 3,000 hits in the first 16 seasons of his career. 214 players in baseball history got 2,000 over their first 16 years, and 40 of those got to 2,500 – but none aside from Rose and Ichiro cracked 3,000. That’s incredible to think about, especially considering Ichiro debuted at 27, meaning that we’re essentially trading out six years of his prime for six suboptimal years in his late 30s and early 40s.
I think that over the years, Ichiro’s greatness has fallen through the cracks. He’s been reduced (including in this article) to just a guy that gets a lot of hits. That is true, of course, but he’s gotten a lot of hits over his career despite spending the early part of his career in Japan. He’s also stolen 507 bases over his career, making him one of just six members of the 3,000 hit club to crack the 500 steal mark. He’s a former AL MVP and Rookie of the Year, one of just two players to win both awards in the same season. He’s a ten-time All-Star, the third-highest total among active players (behind Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera). He’s won ten Gold Gloves, behind just Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays among all outfielders in MLB history.
Ichiro Suzuki isn’t just a slap hitter. He’s one of the greatest players in baseball history – and his career didn’t start until many MLB players are already established in the league. If Hank Aaron’s career started at 27, he only has 2,462 hits and 536 home runs instead of 3,771 and 755. Just look at what Ichiro has done…and realize that we missed some of his best seasons while he was in Japan. It’s truly remarkable to think about.
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