1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Ichiro -- discuss

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by BB Bobcat, Sep 6, 2009.

  1. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    I covered Ichiro's 2,000th hit today, which got me thinking about his place in history. It's an interesting issue because he spent some time in Japan. Still, where do you think he stands? Think he'll get to 3k hits? (he's 35.)

    he's a first ballot HOF to me. Anyone disagree?

    Just thought I'd throw it out for debate, if there is one.
     
  2. da man

    da man Well-Known Member

    I'm not a baseball guy, but I'll take a shot at these questions.

    3,000 hits? No. Started too late and I can't imagine he'll still be cranking out 200-hit seasons at 40. Speed is a big part of his game and that's going to go eventually. I think.

    Hall of Famer? Abso-fucking-lutely.
     
  3. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    I agree with da man on both counts. Unless he can sustain something close to his current level into his 40s, It's going to be very difficult for him to get to 3,000 hits. But he is a Hall of Famer even without it.
     
  4. mocheeks10

    mocheeks10 Member

    Agree he's a HOFer right now; it is, after all, the BASEBALL Hall of Fame, not the AMERICAN Baseball Hall of Fame.

    And while I don't think he will reach 3K, I wouldn't rule it out. That's five more years, and he's beaten the actuarial tables to this point.
     
  5. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    Not meaning to dispute you here, just pointing this out to clarify just how amazing this guy's career has been: Ichiro did not just "spend some time" in Japan, in only 8 full seasons season there he had one of the greatest Japanese careers ever--winning several MVPs, several batting titles, a gold glove every year, and amassing around 1300 hits. It was after doing this that he STARTED his major league career.

    I witnessed some of it first hand, I spent a year in japan around 95-96, and saw Ichiro carry a small market small budget team (Orix) to the Japan World Series title, winning the series MVP along the way, I'd say he was probably the most popular athlete in Japan when I left. And, to my embarrassment, I remember voicing the opinion that he was too small and frail to have the same sort of success over here--needless to say, I was VERY wrong.

    He might be too old to get there now, but I've no doubt he'd have already passed 3k if he'd spent his career here. People might even now be talking about whether he has a shot at Rose.

    When you add his Major League career to his Japan career to his international career winning the first two World Baseball Classics, Ichiro has had one of the most uniquely successful baseball careers ever.
     
  6. Trey Beamon

    Trey Beamon Active Member

    I think his consistency -- and the sheer number of hits in such a short amount of time -- should earn him a place.

    Will it happen? I'm not sure.

    Also (this is for a friend :D):

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  7. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    I wasn't your friend any more.

    Until that.

    Re: Ichiro, it's sometimes surreal to me to remember how long he's been in the majors. Because I don't follow baseball that closely, time can slip by. It seems like it was just a handful of years ago he came over, and I remember all the hoopla. But now to kind of think about him being 35 and having been here so long is weird in trying to think about how his game might be affected as he gets older.

    That being said, I was a big fan even before I knew about the stretching. I hope he's a HOF guy.
     
  8. ServeItUp

    ServeItUp Active Member

    If Sadaharu Oh is in the Hall, Ichiro is a cinch. And I don't like the talk of him "possibly" getting to 3,000 hits. If he had 1,300 in Japan when he left and he has 2,000 in MLB now... well, even a moron like me can work that out.
     
  9. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Stoney, I don't mean to diminsh what he did in Japan. I'm just curious as to how relevance others give it.

    Frankly, he'd probably be a HOFer if he never played a game before arriving with the Mariners and never played another after this year.

    I actually think he will get the 980ish huts he needs to pass Pete Rose for the global record. I'm curious to see how people treat that.
     
  10. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Ichiro will join the elite class of "if he's not in the Hall they oughta close the fucking place down" players the second he completes his 10th big league season next September or October.

    And if I had to bet on 3,000, I'd bet he gets it.
     
  11. albert77

    albert77 Well-Known Member

    I think Ichiro will not only get to 3,000 hits, he'll probably get to 3,500. Even if he loses a couple of steps and starts to decline a little, with the way he takes care of himself, I can see him playing until he's 45.

    And his first-ballot Hall of Fame credentials shouldn't even merit a discussion.
     
  12. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Apparently it doesn't, which is cool.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page