Ichiro, 3/31-6/26: .285/.346/.365
Ichiro Is Fine
...
You could go through a laundry list of potential reasons why Ichiro's numbers are down, but just because he's a unique player doesn't mean there has to be a unique explanation. He's been unlucky. Despite zero convincing evidence that his skills are eroding, he's struggling to match his recent batting lines, and when you see that happen to someone luck should automatically be the first thing that comes to mind.
Ichiro, 6/27-present: .359/.406/.441
Bad leg and all, for the last month and a half Ichiro's put up some of the finest raw numbers of his career.
We go through this at least once every season, but please, stop reading into Ichiro's numbers and inferring from the occasional cold streak that he's lost a step. He hasn't. Ever. The next time this suggestion proves accurate will be the first.
It's like the hitter's version of Mariano Rivera's annual two-week slump. How many more times do we have to do this before people catch on?