Ichiro . . . HOF Candidate? (1 Viewer)

[David Yudkin]

Given that Ichiro just had his 200th hit for the 8th year in a row, what do people think of his HOF credentials. By the end of the year, he will have 1800+ hits in that time with a .331 lifetime average and an .807 OPS. He'll be 35 in a few weeks although it doesn't appear his skills are erroding much if any at this point.

 

[Spartans Rule]

He's a lock IMO.

I'm as much of a stat nerd as anybody and Ichiro's OPS isn't great for an OF, but he's a great baserunner, has won a Gold Glove every year he's been in the majors, almost never misses a game, has just about every intangible you can think of, and is an iconic figure both here and in Japan.

Playing in the steroid era will certainly help Ichiro's case... power numbers that outweigh his all-around game are viewed with extreme suspicion, and purists will point to him as a guy who represented everything right with baseball while it was going wrong.

You might be able to make a case that OPS should keep him out, but I wouldn't. And if I wouldn't, HOF voters sure as hell won't.

 

[Oh Yes!]

He's a lock IMO.I'm as much of a stat nerd as anybody and Ichiro's OPS isn't great for an OF, but he's a great baserunner, has won a Gold Glove every year he's been in the majors, almost never misses a game, has just about every intangible you can think of, and is an iconic figure both here and in Japan.Playing in the steroid era will certainly help Ichiro's case... power numbers that outweigh his all-around game are viewed with extreme suspicion, and purists will point to him as a guy who represented everything right with baseball while it was going wrong. You might be able to make a case that OPS should keep him out, but I wouldn't. And if I wouldn't, HOF voters sure as hell won't.

 

[Michael Brown]

Once he gets the requisite 10 years, he's a lock.

 

[oso diablo]

i think he's one of the more interesting cases to debate (although the poll results indicate that there's not much debate in this forum), given his late start in MLB and the chances that he won't hit "historic" milestones. Although...

Ichiro turns 35 next month and currently has just under 1800 hits. He has 8 MLB seasons, and has surpassed 200 hits in each of those seasons, including the all-time record he set in 2004. It's not hard to imagine that he can go at least another 5 years at a level not far removed from this season (the speed will likely drop off, but the contact rate will remain). Another six seasons and he's knocking on 3000. :lock:

I don't think he has a profile currently for HOF induction, but it won't be long.

p.s. Will voters give him any credit for his time in Japan? Is that even allowed by the voting rules?

 

[TitusIII]

He's a lock IMO.I'm as much of a stat nerd as anybody and Ichiro's OPS isn't great for an OF, but he's a great baserunner, has won a Gold Glove every year he's been in the majors, almost never misses a game, has just about every intangible you can think of, and is an iconic figure both here and in Japan.Playing in the steroid era will certainly help Ichiro's case... power numbers that outweigh his all-around game are viewed with extreme suspicion, and purists will point to him as a guy who represented everything right with baseball while it was going wrong. You might be able to make a case that OPS should keep him out, but I wouldn't. And if I wouldn't, HOF voters sure as hell won't.

Agree