How much ground can Ichiro Suzuki cover? We’re about to find out.
The Mariners’ 2008 outfield features the swift-footed Suzuki and two veterans on either side, Raul Ibanez in left field and Brad Wilkerson in right, who aren’t horrible runners but they also aren’t exactly gazelles.
With defense being vital to the Mariners’ cause, especially in the vast outfield at Safeco Field, their success will depend on how Ibanez and Wilkerson mesh with Suzuki to cover the lines and cut off balls in the gaps.
Raul Ibanez
Left Field
Ibanez has worked the past few years on his speed, and he’s much improved over what he once was. The key is for him to stay healthy. Ibanez had 10 assists in 2007, most among American League left fielders and tied for eighth among all outfielders.
Ichiro Suzuki
Center Field
Suzuki played his first full season in center field last year and, to no surprise, won his seventh straight Gold Glove. His .998 fielding percentage (one error in 433 chances) broke Ken Griffey Jr.’s team record of .997 set in 1992. Suzuki rarely will throw his body full force into the outfield wall, but he covers considerable ground and is a smart outfielder who’s rarely out of position.
Man on the spot: Brad Wilkerson
Right Field
Not only is Brad Wilkerson new to the Mariners’ outfield, he’s relatively new to right field.
Despite his seven years in the major leagues, Wilkerson has played right field in only 57 games. Nearly half of his 931 career games have been in left.
Because of that, the manager John McLaren tried to play both Wilkerson and center fielder Ichiro Suzuki together in as many spring training games as possible so they could become accustomed to each other’s range.
Former Mariners right fielder Jay Buhner spent time at spring training working with Wilkerson, and he says he’ll be fine. Buhner wasn’t the most fleet outfielder, either (although he had an extremely strong arm), but he and center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. worked well together.
“I talked to him a little bit about the size of the field,” Buhner said. “I assured him that they’re not going to run into each other.
“He’s a guy who likes to pinch the gaps. I told him that’s a good thing because you can’t really defend the line anyway, so you might as well pick a side like Junior and I used to do. Anything to your right, don’t give up on it but know that pretty much Ichiro is going to take everything that way. There are a lot of similarities to me and junior.”
Wilkerson certainly doesn’t cover the ground that Adam Jones would have and, at least during spring training, didn’t show an outstanding arm. But Seattle picked up Wilkerson for his bat as much as anything else. Even before Seattle traded Jones to the Orioles for starting pitcher Erik Bedard, the Mariners had their eyes on Wilkerson because of his potential as a left-handed hitter.
— Kirby Arnold
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