#46 Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki
OF
2001-2019
10 Time All Star, 10 Gold Gloves
MVP, Rookie of the Year

This list is the 100 best MLB players after World War 2, if it were the 100 best baseball players, Ichiro is top 10, maybe 5. He spent NINE standout seasons in Japan before he got the major leagues, tearing up what is generally considered the second best league on the planet.

He was 27 by the time he got here and still racked up 3000 hits, 10 all star appearances, 10 gold gloves, and 2 batting titles. He is a .311 career hitter and set an MLB single season record for hits with 262 in 2004.

He was a phenomenal right fielder with an absolutely electric arm. He ran well and hit for high average. He only hit 117 MLB home runs but there are many tales of him sending balls to the upper deck in batting practice, he valued his approach in games and got on base like few in history. He had 10 straight seasons with 200 hits. 

There had been Japanese players in the bigs before, Hideo Nomo had started an all star game. The level of superstar that Ichiro was however cannot really be equated. He had Japanese media following him his entire career here and is by far the most decorated major leaguer in Japan's proud baseball history.

His 3,089 hits is good for 24th all time and his 509 steals is good for 53rd. You have to wonder what he would have accomplished had he gotten here 6-7 years earlier.

As is he's a shoe in for Cooperstown and more than belongs here.



Anthony Leonelli is a 37 year old College Baseball Coach and amateur baseball arguer. If you wanna know how this list came together check here criteria. He thinks that George Brett winning batting titles in 3 decades is pretty awesome. 




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