Let this be a lesson to all you pro-Ichiro Suzuki fans out there who were calling me a hater and giving me crap for ragging on the decision to sign him to a 2-year deal. When it comes to late-30s, slap-hitting outfielders with no patience and diminished bat speed, I know what I'm talking about. Ichiro's current batting line (.268/.301/.353, .286 wOBA) is almost identical to the .276 and .281 wOBA values he generated in his final year and a half in Seattle, and a lot of it has to do with the incredibly weak August he's had.
In 88 August PA, Ichiro is hitting .221/.239/.244. That's a woeful .216 wOBA and 27 wRC+, just 2 BB and 2 doubles in a full month's worth of work at the plate. I don't care who you are, what you've done, or how good you used to be, that flat out ain't cutting the mustard for 2 years and $13 million. Reaching the 4,000 hit plateau is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to Ichiro's career greatness, but that greatness is in the past and the Yankees are still on the hook for one more year of this. They made a decision against logic and the season-long sample size results have been exactly what the numbers predicted.
If Ichiro would just take a few more walks, he could maximize the value that his speed still brings on the basepaths. He's shown no signs of doing that though, and the Yankees are going to be left to figure out how to get the most out of him. If this minuscule production continues in September, there's no way Ichiro can be an everyday outfielder next year.
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