Ichiro/NPB and Cooperstown, MLB Equivalents Articles

Thanks, Jim. All of these were enjoyable as quick readings, and stimulating enough to read again with more care.

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you found it of value.

Jim Albright

Nice reading Jim. Personally, I am very confident that Ichiro will end up in Cooperstown, possibly on the first ballot, barring a major injury or accident. In addition to raw numbers, he now has 2 MLB batting titles, the single-season hits record, an MVP, and I fully expect he will garner at least a few more batting titles and possibly more records and MVPs. (In 2001 the Mariners won 116 games, and that helped. When the team has a losing record, players will usually be overlooked because there is a school of thought that the MVP should be on a winning team.) I actually think honestly that Ichiro may even top his performance of last year. I think he raised his game to a new level in the second half, hitting over .400, and this spring he seems to have picked up where he left off.

If he does hit .400 for a season, he's in on the first ballot for sure.

Glad you found the Ichiro article interesting. We'll see about .400, but if he can pull that off, it would be a huge feather in his cap. Personally, I'd like him to wind up with a lot of what you are talking about in batting titles and the like, but in eight or nine MLB seasons, and certainly with less than 2,100 career MLB hits. At that point, he'd need some consideration of his Japanese accomplishments to meet the established norms of Cooperstown - and I think he'd get that consideration. Of course, once the precedent was set, the arguments for Oh and other NPB greats become much more persuasive.

Jim Albright

ALbright-san,

As usual your insights and analysis are impeccable. What you do with statistical data is un-matched in our bi-continental world. I, for one, thank you for the time and thought you put into your projects and always look forward to the next. I, as I am sure you as well, look forward to the coming season to see what Iguchi, Kazuo, Shingo, et. al. may accomplish in the coming season. The increasing data of cross-overs can only help in geting a better idea of the abilities of the Japanese ballplayer in the international picture. I have always believed their abilities have been underated.

Thank you again, with my deepest respect.

Bill Stevens.

You're welcome, and thank you for the exceptionally kind words. Personally, I don't think I measure up to the level you say I do, though I'd like to. Of course, I won't argue the point vehemently <vbg>.

Jim Albright

Jim:

Remarkables articles! A lot of density. I am going to read them several times.

Congratulations,

Luis Raul Villamizar

Again, thanks for the kind words. It's nice to know at least some folks appreciate what I put out there. My stuff is probably best printed out and read at leisure, and maybe a couple of times.

Jim Albright

All three of these articles are very interesting. Also, if Ichiro Suzuki does go into the MLB HOF (which I think will happen) I hope that Cooperstown will recognize the achievements of Oh and other NPB greats.

Hey Jim,

I was meaning to comment on your latest work, particularly the one comparing the peak seasons to MLB stars, but I haven't had the time.

For now, I'd like to ask this: Ichiro batted .350 in 2000 and .372 last season. What do you think he would've batted in the Pacific League? Just curious.

One other thing: I found your analysis of Katsuya Nomura particularly interesting, as his good seasons spanned eras. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any HOF catchers between the Yogi Berra/Roy Campenella era and the Johnny Bench/Thurman Munson/Carlton Fisk era. I think Nomura would have bridged the gap.

I believe you mean 2001 for Ichiro. Assuming he performed in accordance with his major league accomplishments in the majors, he would have had about a .375 average in 2001, but would have broken his own seasonal hit record with about 224 hits. In 2004, he'd have gotten his 2,000th hit in Japan, and would have finished with a .399 average and about 231 hits, both of which would be records, at least according to the projections. He'd have finished 2004 with 2,143 career hits in NPB, and would be taking aim at Harimoto.

As for Nomura, probably the best catchers of the 1960-1968 period were Freehan and Elston Howard. Howard's time in the sun was brief for a Hall of Famer, so the only real competition is Freehan. I think Freehan has deserved more recognition, but might be just short - but Nomura's better and had a far longer career.

Jim Albright