Ichiro Suzuki

2013

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2012

For the first time in his 11-year career, Suzuki finally looked human. He failed to collect his signature 200 hits and bat higher than .300 for the first time stateside. The conventional wisdom is at age 37, Ichiro lost a step. He didn't seem slower on the basepaths, though, where he stole 40 bags, the fifth highest total of his career, on an 85.1-percent success rate, his third highest mark. And though Ichiro's 36 infield hits were off his 2010 pace, they were still more than he legged out in 2003 and 2005 and nearly the same as he had in three other years. It would only be natural if he lost some speed, but he was also very unlucky last season. His BABIP checked in at a career-low .295, far off his career pace. Ichiro is 38 this year, but it wouldn't be shocking if, with a little more luck, he rebounded from last year's disappointing season to return to being a .300+ hitter.

2011

Suzuki produced routine Ichiro numbers last season, reaching 200 hits for an MLB-record 10th consecutive season and finishing fifth in the AL in stolen bases. The latter feat was especially heartening after he posted a career-low 26 stolen bases in 2009. Ichiro endured a 30-game summer slump (.236/.276/.268) but rebounded to hit .329/.361/.412 from Aug. 3 on. The slump depressed his final batting average, which probably depressed his owners who gauged his fantasy value with a high average in mind after he hit .352 in 2009. Ichiro is 37 this season but shows no signs of slowing - he led baseball in infield hits last season with 59, 20 more than the next closest player.

2010

Suzuki missed as many games last season, 16, as he had in his previous eight years combined. He still finished with 225 hits, the fourth most of his career, and his 31 doubles were his most since his rookie season. He also reached double digits in homers for the third time in his career with 11, all the while batting .352, second only to batting champ Joe Mauer. Makes you wonder what he could have done with a full 162-game slate. The only downside to his season was his drop in stolen bases. He swiped a career-low 26 bags, attempting only three in his final 35 games. Perhaps he was saving his legs, or maybe it was merely an aberration. Whatever the case, it's something to consider before selecting him on draft day.

2009

Suzuki tied Wee Willie Keeler's record of eight consecutive seasons with 200 hits last year, but 2008 wasn't vintage Ichiro. He posted a career-low .747 OPS, and his .311 batting average was the second lowest of his career. Extra running might have had something to do with it. After nearly three months of going wild on the basepaths (35 attempts in 76 games) and covering extra ground in center field because of incompetent corner outfielders, Ichiro stopped stealing (12 attempts in his last 86 games) and moved to right field in late June. He proceeded to hit .333 the rest of the way, raising his average from a late-June mark of .285. His legs were never 100 percent healthy, as he battled hamstring issues and leg pain late in the season, but playing right field from the start this year should save on the wear and tear. A better lineup around him will help, too. Seattle's No. 9 hitters grounded into an MLB-high 19 double plays last season.

2008

Another typical year for Suzuki: he had 238 hits, the third most of his career; hit .351, the second-highest mark in the majors; stole 37 bases, the third most of his career; and won his seventh consecutive Gold Glove. Along the way, he was named All-Star Game MVP, and he inked a five-year contract that likely means he'll finish his career as a Mariner. Manager John McLaren, though, apparently thinks Ichiro's usual feast has become too pedestrian. He challenged Ichiro to hit .400 this year and steal 80 bases. The latter is likely impossible for runner as cautious as Ichiro on the basepaths. As for the former, well, if anyone can do it, it's Ichiro. And even though Ichiro doesn't have much power (though he still had more XBH than Mariners DH Jose Vidro), he totaled the fifth-most runs created (119.8) among outfielders last season.

2007

The big news in 2006 for Suzuki was that he finally agreed to move to center field. He started 38 games in center toward season's end and is slated to start there this season. More fantasy relevant, Ichiro rebounded from a disappointing (for him) 2005 by hitting .322, the third-highest average of his career, and stealing 45 bases, the most since his rookie year 56. An August slump (.233, two SB) depressed his numbers, but fantasy owners shouldn't grumble too loudly. He posted the second-highest batting average among major league outfielders and his 116 runs created were third-most among American League outfielders. Expect Ichiro to run as much as he did last season, which will help justify a high draft selection, especially if his average dips.

2006

Ichiro hit .303 last season and became the sixth player in major league history to collect 200 or more hits in five consecutive years, but his 2005 was still considered a disappointment coming on the heels of his record-setting 262 hits the previous year. The drop in hits is partly explained by the Mariners' encouragement for him to take more pitches. In 2004, Ichiro had 52 first-pitch hits. Last season, he had 13. Still, Ichiro's 2005 wasn't that out of whack for his career. Two of his five years (2001, 2005) were statospheric, while the remaining three years he's averaged .312 with 208 hits. To justify an early round selection, though, Ichiro needs to hit for a high average because other than steals (33.4 the last four years after 56 in 2001), he only offers runs, which are team dependent.

2005

Ichiro had an amazing 2004 even by his standards. Not only did he break the all-time record for hits in a season with 262, he finished fourth in OPS (.869) among AL right fielders with at least 400 AB, had the highest OBP (.418) among all leadoff hitters in the majors, and led the AL with 19 intentional walks, the first leadoff hitter to lead the league since Wade Boggs in 1991. He also stole 36 bases, the second-most in his career and third in the AL, and was successful on 76.5 percent of his attempts. Importantly, he didn't fade down the stretch as he had done in previous years, though he still had a slow April (.255). Expecting a repeat of 2004 is a little much, but Ichiro will still be a great fantasy play.

2004

Suzuki has posted three consecutive 200-plus hit seasons, only the third major leaguer to reach 200 hits in his first three years. His 662 hits in that span are second only to Lloyd Waner's 678 in 1927-29. Ichiro stumbled out of the gate last season and faded down the stretch, dropping his average to .312. The Mariners' anemic lineup had something to do with that and Ichiro said the pressure of expectations got to him, too. Still, a .312 average, 111 runs and 36 stolen bases are solid fantasy numbers. Expect another Ichiro-esque year.

2003

Ichiro-mania hits year number three, but his sophomore season saw his average, runs batted in and steals go down. New manager Bob Melvin said he has no intention of removing Ichiro from the leadoff spot. The key though is to see if Melvin will run Ichiro a bit more - he went from 56 to 30 stolen bases last season. He's also in a contract season.