(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
TFD: Sure, Ichiro looks strange in a Yankees uniform. But is he a Hall of Famer?
Good times.
July 25, 2012 at 12:00PM
Ichiro is on the Yankees, which is just plain strange. But it has us thinking about him again, which means we are thinking about this: Is Ichiro a Hall of Famer?
Our first instinct is "of course." He had 2,244 hits in his first 10 seasons (!) and has more than 2,500 now in an MLB career that didn't begin until he was 27.
But he didn't walk a whole lot, meaning his .366 OBP (good but not other-worldly, especially considering his .322 career average) factors into a career .783 OPS. Even noted hitters for average like Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn posted .858 and .847 for the OPS, respectively.
Ichiro did, though, win an MVP Award and 10 Gold Gloves. Our instinct says he passes the test, for whatever that is worth. But he is an interesting case, to say the least.
Fleury, who grew up an hour outside town, made 20 saves and waited out a lengthy standing ovation late in the game.
