Ichiro Suzuki

To many seasoned baseball observers, Suzuki's incredible bat control evoked memories of Rod Carew, but Mariners manager Lou Piniella said that he found his new star's playing style more reminiscent of Ralph Garr. (Garr, who played thirteen seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, and California Angels between 1968 and 1980, had a career batting average of.306.) Piniella observed that the momentum from Suzuli' left-handed swing propelled the batter toward first base even before he'd left the batter's box, forcing infielders to rush their throws—even on routine grounders.

Even in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Suzuki could not escape the scrutiny of the Japanese media. In 2001 reports circulated that a Japanese Web site owner was willing to pay $2 million to anyone who could bring him a photograph of Suzuki in the nude. To preserve his privacy, Suzuki was forced to change clothes in a secluded area of the Mariners' locker room. Increasingly upset by the persistence of the Japanese media, Suzuki and Mariners teammate Kazuhiro Sasaki in July 2001 staged a brief boycott of members of the Japanese press.

Suzuki is the only player in Major League Baseball to be identified by his first name on the back of his jersey, a practice that originated in Japan under Blue Wave manager Akira Ogi. Although a few of Japanese baseball's better known pitchers came to Major League Baseball before him, Suzuki was the first position player to be signed by a MLB club. Despite the enormous sums the Mariners spent to land Suzuki, there were loads of skeptics in Seattle and elsewhere around the United States who doubted that the Japanese player would do well on this side of the Pacific. His spectacular performance during his debut major league season convinced all but the most diehard doubters.