Seattle Mariners: Ranking all four M’s Rookie of the Year winners
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners, 2001 AL Rookie of the Year. (photo by Russ Walker, via Flickr)
1. Ichiro Suzuki – 2001
When the Seattle Mariners landed Ichiro in November of 2000, the team knew he’d be special, but wow! The M’s second Japanese import turned Major League Baseball upside down. He was the catalyst for a team that won 116 games and reached the ALCS.
He was the first rookie since Jackie Robinson in 1950 to lead the league in batting average (.350) and stolen bases (56). Additionally, Ichiro was second in the A.L. for runs (127), fourth in WAR (7.7), and seventh in triples (8).
Like Sasaki the year earlier, Ichiro’s Rookie of the Year win wasn’t without controversy. When he came to the USA, Ichiro was 27 and had been with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan since 1992. Many baseball people considered him anything but a “rookie.” That why, despite his rookie record of 242 hits, he wasn’t a unanimous choice to be the A.L. ROY.
Four ROY winners in 44 years. At a one every 11-year pace, that means the next Seattle Mariners should be in 2031. Jarred Kelenic should have something to say about that in 2021.