Ichiro Suzuki (65)

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Stance: Has a slightly open stance, but keeps his hips closed. Keeps his hands at head level and close to his body with his arms at shoulder level and also close to his body. Uses a small stride where he keeps his body and hands back and moves his entire body with his swing in an effort to get a running start as soon as he makes contact with the ball.

Approach: Great small ball hitter, who has great strike zone awareness and pitch recognition. Has the ability to hit any pitch in any location. Does a great job of dragging at-bats out and battling at the plate. Likes the ball belt high on the inside or outside of the plate and down and in the middle of the plate. Struggles to hit balls up and away.

Hitting Ability: A slap hitter who uses his speed by hitting the ball on the ground. Does a great job of hitting the ball to all fields. Hits both LHP and RHP’s equally as well.  Doesn’t strike out all that often, and walks a decent amount.  No longer an elite hitter who hits well above .300 every year, he is still capable of hitting between .280 and .300 annually.

Power: Average power, that doesn’t play as frequently as it could as Ichiro is willing to sacrifice power numbers for a high average. A slap hitter who can get around on a ball and take one out. Capable of hitting 5-10 homeruns annually. His power plays in any ballpark, but plays up significantly in Yankees Stadium. His power is almost strictly to the pull field.

Running: Above average speed that has declined slightly from the game changing speed he once had. Still capable of stealing a base at any time off of any pitcher. Capable of stealing 20-25 bases per year. Has improved his success rates as he now does a better job of picking his spots and reading pitchers instead of simply relying on him elite speed.

Fielding: Well above average defender, with range in all directions. Does a great job of making catches on the run, and uses a quick transfer to improve his already strong arm. Strong defensively around the wall and playing balls off of the wall. Above average arm strength with above average arm accuracy, was at one time one of the most elite outfield arms in the league, still strikes fear into base runners.

Physical Description: Undersized frame, with great weight distribution and strong unnoticeable muscle definition throughout his frame. Has athleticism and wiry strength. No need to add or subtract weight and absolutely no concern over adding weight.

Projection: All-Star level hitter and defender who has begun to show the signs of age. Was at one time a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate who was always among the league leaders in hits. Still a very strong top of the order bat who will get on base and use his speed. Above average defender with a plus arm.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.