Nothing about Ichiro Suzuki suggests “minor signing.” He is a 10-time All-Star with a Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player award to accompany 10 Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers. Nonetheless, Suzuki – one of the game’s top leading men for more than a decade – has been cast in a supporting role with the Miami Marlins.
Suzuki playing behind a Giancarlo Stanton-Marcell Ozuna-Christian Yelich outfield all but eliminates him from best actor contention. Yet keep in mind even perennial leading men like Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington have Oscars for Best Actor in a supporting role on their curricula vitae.
The Marlins are getting a twilight year of the future Hall of Famer for about $1.5 million over the new $505,700 major league minimum. Suzuki, 41, during his first 14 seasons averaged an annual salary of about $10.6 million. Based on projected playing time and being 156 hits shy, the Suzuki countdown to 3,000 is unlikely to begin in earnest until 2016.
“When I met these team executives [Wednesday] I felt the incredible enthusiasm,” said Suzuki, adding he was extremely humbled Marlins’ officials traveled to Tokyo for the press conference. “My feeling then was that somehow I really wanted to respond to them. I believe that’s something I’ve been looking for the last two years. I’m needed by this great organization as a player. That’s the most important aspect to me and also a very good driving force to be a good player for this team.”
While the Marlins aren’t counting on benefitting from the publicity that will accompany that pursuit, having Suzuki in their uniform no doubt will help their brand in the Pacific Rim, a part of the world where they’ve had a minimal presence.
“It’s no secret we were one of the last few teams to have a Japanese player,” team president David Samson said via conference call late Wednesday night, before team officials joined Suzuki to address Japanese media. “The reason we came to Tokyo is MLB and the new commissioner, Mr. [Rob] Manfred, such an important initiative is international baseball. Baseball is so important in Japan and so important for the worldwide growth of baseball. To not come here and give it the proper import would not have been smart for the Marlins or Major League Baseball.
“From our standpoint, the number one thing he brings is the quality of player he is. It’s a bonus the quality of person he is. It’s a bonus he’s a Hall of Famer and a Japanese player, but the way we evaluated him was he would give us the best chance to win as many games as possible.”
President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill said after the first of the year the possibility of landing Suzuki increased and negotiations intensified.
While Suzuki will get a handful of starts when manager Mike Redmond feels one of the aforementioned three is in need of a mental break, most of his at-bats are likely to come as a pinch-hitter and perhaps as a designated hitter during interleague road games. His experience in a pinch-hitting capacity is limited.
Of Suzuki’s 9,581 career major league plate appearances, just 47 have come as a pinch-hitter. In those turns he’s hit .286 with no extra-base hits, four walks, seven strikeouts and a .634 on-base plus slugging percentage. With the Yankees in 2014, Suzuki went 6-for-13 (.462) when called upon in those situations.
“[Suzuki] understands going into camp he’ll be valued as a left-handed bat off the bench and fourth outfielder,” general manager Dan Jennings said. “This guy’s age says he’s 41. His body says he’s about 30 or less. Tremendous shape…He can help you if it’s pinch-hitting late, if it’s pinch-running late, if it’s double switches or starting in any of the three outfield spots.”
Added Hill: “He prepares himself every day to play and we have zero reservations that when we do put him in the lineup he’ll be the player he’s always been…You never can predict what’s going to happen over the course of 162 games. The bottom line, we wanted to create the deepest 25-man roster we possibly could. When you can add one of the greatest all-time Japanese players ever to play the game, it made so much sense for us.”
With Marlins’ pitchers and catchers reporting Feb. 20, Hill said he was happy with the composition of the roster so far, to which Jennings added: “We’re always flipping rocks looking for the next deal.”
jcrodriguez@tribpub.com or @JCRMarlinsbeat on Twitter.
