X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Poetry in Motion: The Ageless Wonder of Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki is still fantasy-relevant. That's probably the least bold statement I've made to start any article in this weekly series, but it's still quite surprising if you fully understand the context. Ichiro has been all over the news this week and rightfully so. His 4,257 hits as a professional baseball player (yes, Pete Rose, Japanese baseball counts as professional and no, people still don't care what you think) make him the most prolific hitter in the history of humanity. He also is approaching 3,000 hits as a member of Major League Baseball, which puts the exclamation point on his already assured Cooperstown reservation. But I'm not going to write about that. Ichiro career retrospectives are aplenty these days, but this isn't the place. In this piece, we'll see why Ichiro is and will continue to be a useful fantasy baseball player in 2016.

Let's start by stating the obvious - his time wearing pinstripes in New York didn't end on a high note. Hitting the age of 40 in 2014, Ichiro hit .284 with 42 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. Not bad for his advanced age, but nothing resembling the Ichiro of old, just old Ichiro. Last season in Miami, he somehow went from a veteran bench presence to leading the outfield in games played. In 398 AB, he only managed a .229/.282/.279 line and was only helping on the defensive front. Despite none of the Marlins' regular outfielders suffering from long-term injuries, Ichiro has already logged 121 AB this season. Here we are a third of the way through and Ichiro is slashing .347/.410/.388. How is it that he is maintaining such a high average after staying so low last season in the same lineup?

First, he is putting everything into play. Funny thing about that BABIP stat - it doesn't work without the BIP part. Ichiro is currently rocking a .365 BABIP, which might seem due for regression except that it's not much higher than his .340 career BABIP. If anything, last year's .257 was the anomaly. Ichiro has great bat control and he can still leg out an infield single with the best of them.

Ichiro infield hit

There's no need to talk at length about speed because we know he won't steal 30 bases any more, but don't think he won't still be swiping a few bases here and there. He should still be good for close to 15 SB by year's end.

Ichiro steals third

Even more impressive than what he's doing by making contact is what he's not doing - striking out. Ichiro has always been a contact hitter, obviously, but his current 4.4% K% is by far the lowest of his career. Of those 121 AB, he has struck out a total of six times. That number had spiked up to 17.7% in that last season with the Yankees, so it's another trend that he has managed to reverse. His 2.17 BB/K is over three times higher than 2015 and six times higher than 2014.

Ichiro walks

By far the most exciting play in any major sport. Or is it? The walk in baseball or extra point in football? Discuss...

Let's also not shortchange Ichiro by assuming that all he does is walk and leg out infield hits. His LD% is up to 27.8%, also a career high, and he is hitting ground balls at the lowest rate of his entire 15 year MLB career. Yup, he is on steroids getting stronger with age. He hasn't homered yet this season, so it's not as if he's suddenly going through a power surge. He's just making better contact and hitting the ball harder. Just to drive the point home, his Hard% is 24.3%, the second-highest of his MLB career.

Ichiro line drive

Pretty sure Ichiro has a trademark on the term "seeing-eye single" from his days in Japan.

We all love Ichiro these days (except for those few disgruntled Yankees fans that are always out there). He is an all-time great to be sure, but what does that matter to fantasy owners in 2016? Unless you play in some weird league that doesn't count AVG or OBP, it sure seems like someone who is hitting around .350 might be useful. If he stays atop the Marlins lineup and Giancarlo Stanton ever decides to start hitting again, the run-scoring potential isn't bad either. Throw in double-digit steals too, as he already has five to this point. Stanton and Christian Yelich are not exactly iron men, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Ichiro stay in the lineup on a regular basis. I can't go so far as to say he should be starting in all leagues, but NL-only owners should have been playing him for weeks now. Deep mixed league owners with an extra OF or Util spot and a bit of nostalgia in their hearts can surely find a place for him as well. Congrats to the all-time hits leader!

Ichiro record-breaker

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Senzel4 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray4 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele4 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons6 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler7 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson7 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele7 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle7 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans7 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic7 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric7 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney7 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga7 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant7 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith8 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen8 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara8 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele8 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes8 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson8 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic8 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar8 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton8 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rudy Gobert8 hours ago

Might Miss Friday's Game
Tyus Jones8 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday
Zeke Nnaji8 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Minnesota
Jaden Ivey8 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee8 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Anthony Edwards8 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Chidi Njokuani9 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson9 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo9 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley9 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque9 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez9 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler10 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel10 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley10 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal11 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes11 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis11 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer13 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw13 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler13 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager13 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz13 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds15 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano17 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad18 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov18 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto18 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin18 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard18 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins18 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist18 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear18 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson1 day ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen1 day ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers1 day ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT2 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn2 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield2 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen3 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad3 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF