Ichiro in Center

by appleshampoo on Jul 3, 2006 3:28 PM PDT

I haven't been a mariner's fan for very long, why is it such a rare occurance for Ichiro to move over to CF? It seems like a smart move, he has the speed and the arm for it. But I figure there is just some history I have missed...

300 character Chuck Norris fact: Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. (A classic but still my favorite)

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The reason is

he is the best defensive RF in the game why move him from there to have a worse RF (Ibanez in RF etc...) He also has the best arm on the team.

This was the case when Reed was healthy and when we had Cameron.

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 3, 2006 3:31 PM PDT 0 recs

Well

tools-wise I think no one doubts whether or not he can do it.

Yet, whether or not he can do it, and whether or not it will affect his performance elsewhere is yet to be seen.

He might need to put in extra time preparing defensively and might need to cut down on his BP, affecting his offense, or he might need to alter his routines which might throw him off.

I think if Ichiro doesn't want to do it, he knows himself better than anyone, and I wouldn't start doubting him.

Just my opinion

by MT on Jul 3, 2006 3:56 PM PDT 0 recs

I've never liked the idea

by anotherjeff on Jul 3, 2006 4:11 PM PDT 0 recs

I think

He won't move because he's selfish and doesn't want to. He's definitely got the skills to do it, I'd be willing to bet he could be a gold glove center fielder and still weild the bat the way he does not. He's comfy in right and doesn't want the pressure of playing the position where your best outfielder should play. I think he's a pussy and afraid to play center and won't do it because he's Ichiro and doesn't have to do what he doesn't want to do. I'd much rather have his speed, instincts, skills and arm out there and have Shin Soo Choo in right. That would be a much better defensive alignment than the current one.

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 8:22 AM PDT 0 recs

I think your crazy

before now there hasn't been a situation where he needed to move

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 5, 2006 12:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think

There has never been a reason before. Why not put your fastest and best defensive outfielder where in the position where you want your best defensive and fastest outfielder? What will it hurt? If it doesn't work, put him back in right, but you can't just say "we have a phenomenal athlete and extremely talented outfielder, we should not put him in a position where someone like that is needed just because we are not certain it will work" Try it and see, i'm not saying a permanent thing, just see what happens.

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 1:06 PM PDT up 0 recs

Also

before Choo we never had anyone with the Arm thats needed to play RF

I am not disagreeing that we shouldn't give it a shot I am just diagreeing with the statement that you think he is selfish

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 5, 2006 1:31 PM PDT up 0 recs

ok

Fair enough. That probably was a little over the line saying he is selfish, but i wonder why Hargrove is so afraid to ask him, and he refuses to say if he would move if asked.

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 1:37 PM PDT up 0 recs

because

Grover is a pussy and refuses to ever give a answer that might come back to bite him. Like saying if the team is going to turn the corner.

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 5, 2006 1:52 PM PDT up 0 recs

I shall reiterate my take on this

RF is a much smaller area to patrol than CF, and thus Ichiro will have to cover more ground. Plus, instead of only having to watch for the CF and right-side infielders, he now has to coordinate with both other OFs and the middle infield, and observe more boundaries than he does in RF, meaning more ambiguity as to what flyballs he should and shouldn't chase.

In other words, his performance as a fielder will decline.

Also, he's spent his entire career in RF. He'd have to learn a new position, on the fly, during the season. For an example of the potential for embarrassing mistakes, see: Morse, Mike. No, he will not perform THAT badly (since he actually does play outfield), but the adjustment will have two negative effects. 1) It will increase the number of mistakes he makes, not just errors, but bad paths to flyballs, letting balls drop in the increased no man's land and such. 2) The pressure of having to pick up a different position, along with the additional rigors of playing a position where more balls are hit to you, will affect his offense. His focus and concentration at the plate could take a blow, as he focuses on learning his position (whereas now, in RF, he knows it so well he can practically work on autopilot). Also, the additional running around from fielding more balls could slow him on the basepaths, a huge blow given that one of Ichiro's strengths as a hitter is his speed.

I wouldn't do it.

SWUNG ON AND BELTED! DEEP TO... shortstop....

by Gomez on Jul 5, 2006 9:58 AM PDT 0 recs

If he's

as good of an athlete and outfielder as everyone thinks he is, and I'm pretty sure he is, he should make the switch just fine. Outfield is outfield. The differences are minimal. Plus, its way easier to see balls of the bat from center than right. A player like Ichiro uses instincts to get to balls, instincts don't change that much from right to center. Also, as center fielder, he has priority on any ball if he wants it so he effectively is not observing boundaries, if he wants it he gets it, if not he defers to the other fielder.

He will continue to only have to look for one other outfielder because there will never be a situation where all three outfielders are going for a ball. He dealt with two infielders when playing right field (Lopez and Sexson) and will continue to only deal with two infielders (Lopez and Betancourt) so your point about coordinating with other fielders is moot. It will be the same number of players just different names on the jersey.

As for your statement "more ambiguity as to what flyballs he should and shouldn't chase." He should chase every fly ball. We saw what happened when he didn't on Sunday, the Mariners lost and the old center fielder broke his thumb.

Additionally, having to cover more ground...that is exactly why he should be there. He is the fastest outfielder on the team, thus he can cover the most ground the fastest, and therefor should be in the position where he has to cover the most ground. Its all the same because if you have a slower center fielder and he's still in right, he has to make up the difference in the ground that the slower center fielder can't.

Hitting will suffer? Come on. That's what Ichiro does is hit. That won't change. I'm pretty confident that Ichiro is able to segment his game and not take poor fielding into the batters box or vice versa. Its not such a difficult switch that he would be thinking about it all the time.

Lastly, being in center and your argument that chasing more fly balls would tire him out and hurt his baserunning...i would hope that as a professional athlete he is in good enough shape that he can stand to go after 2 or 3 more fly balls and not have it affect his baserunning abilities.

I would do it. maybe he doesn't want to because he's Ichiro-all star right fielder and is afraid of challenging himself. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but like so many things in life, you never know until you try.

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 11:06 AM PDT up 0 recs

Have you ever played CF?

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 5, 2006 12:47 PM PDT up 0 recs

i have

and i am "slow as molases" as my dad used to say. I suppose its a poor comparison because i've gone from left to center only in a men's hardball league, but i have done it and it is not that different, i personally think its easier to play than the corners because it is easier to see the ball off the bat.

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 12:59 PM PDT up 0 recs

Because I had a hell of a time in CF

They say the hardest ball to judge is the one hit right at you. I think Ichiro would be fine in CF but he might get eaten up by some of the balls.

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 5, 2006 1:06 PM PDT up 0 recs

ok

You don't think you can have a ball hit right at you while playing right field? Ichiro is a great defensive outfielder. I think he would have no problems getting to any balls or have any issue judging anything. Maybe a guy who is not his calibler, or who is just starting out in the OF, but a guy with his talent? No way, plus he has the speed to make up for a misstep. At least we agree he would be fine. I think they should try him. You guys are all about Hargrove shaking things up a bit...why not? He certainly will be no worse than Sin Shoo Choo.

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 1:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

not saying

that Choo is bad, just saying that if he is, Ichiro would not be any worse

Lifelong M's fan

by grizant05 on Jul 5, 2006 1:14 PM PDT up 0 recs

The difference

between a ball hit at you in CF and RF is the angle. You can get an angle on the ball in RF where as if you are in CF it looks like the ball got shot out of a cannon

I can't control my heart rate I have a cougar on me. - Ricky Bobby

by Scruffy Lefty on Jul 5, 2006 1:29 PM PDT up 0 recs