Future Hall of Fame outfielder Ichiro Suzuki spent the majority of his career in the American League, meaning he was rarely a thorn in the side of the Chicago Cubs. I’m pretty thankful for that fact, especially when you consider just how elite he was back in his prime.
Suzuki opened his big league career winning both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in 2001. That year, he helped lead the Seattle Mariners to a big-league record 116 wins with 56 stolen bases and a .350 average. He racked up a staggering 242 base hits – a total that hadn’t been seen since the 1930s.