Lee 'really happy' to finally meet childhood idol Ichiro

PEORIA, Ariz. -- During his introductory press conference at Oracle Park in December, Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee revealed that he chose to wear No. 51 in honor of his childhood idol: Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki.

Lee finally got a chance to meet his baseball hero on Sunday morning, when manager Bob Melvin arranged a meeting between the star outfielders prior to the Giants’ 8-3 split-squad loss to the Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex.

“It was really cool,” said Melvin, who managed Ichiro for two seasons in Seattle. “We’d set this up for a while. Ichiro was nice enough to come over and talk to him, and he was fantastic.

“[Lee] kind of made the comment to me that he had some questions to ask, but he forgot because he was in his presence. He more so talked about preparation and the pride of wearing No. 51 and all that. It was really good, and I think it was well-received by Lee.”

Lee admitted that he was “a little bit” nervous heading into the meeting, though he appreciated the opportunity to pick Ichiro’s brain and seek out some advice as he attempts to make his own jump to the Majors this year.

“I asked Ichiro on how to get prepared for the game and how he thinks about the game,” Lee said via interpreter Justin Han. “I got a lot of good answers from Ichiro. I was really happy just having that small talk.”

With Ichiro -- now a special assistant for the Mariners -- watching from the opposite dugout, Lee may have continued to be a bit starstruck during the game. He struck out swinging in his first plate appearance against Mariners right-hander George Kirby in the first inning, marking only his second punchout in 19 at-bats this spring. Lee lined out in his second trip to the plate before delivering a base hit to center field in his final at-bat in the fourth.

“He settled in as the game went along,” Melvin said. “I think he was a little nervous in the beginning. But you could tell for a guy that’s played as much as he has and has had as much success as he has, this was kind of like an out of body moment. It was pretty cool.”

Lee has fond memories of watching Ichiro play throughout his childhood and said his favorite moment was when the 10-time All-Star broke the single-season hit record with the Mariners in 2004. He’s tried to emulate Ichiro throughout his career, adopting a similar left-handed batting stance and elite bat-to-ball skills.

“Well, he kind of styled himself after him,” Melvin said. “He wears 51. He leads off. He plays the outfield. I think that’s kind of the guy that he’s watched by far the most. It’s the type of player he wants to be.”

Even the way Lee approaches batting practice reminds Melvin of Ichiro.

“If you watch his batting practice, he’s got more power than you would originally anticipate,” Melvin said. “Kind of that Ichiro style, but he stays on his back leg pretty well and he drives some balls. Like you saw the other day, he hit one 109 [mph] out to right field. I think maybe a little bit more power than I probably originally thought.”

Nak’s back
Assistant coach Alyssa Nakken made her first appearance at Giants camp this weekend following the birth of her first child -- a daughter named Austyn -- in late January. Nakken, 33, is slated to depart on Monday, but Melvin said he expects her to remain an integral part of the coaching staff once she returns from her maternity leave later this year.

“She has a different life going on right now,” Melvin said. “But it’s great to actually have her here. She’s really wanted to be here, but I think she’s understanding, too, that her life’s changed completely at this point, and there are priorities. But it’s really cool to see her with a smile on her face. I got to know her a little bit in the offseason, but it seems like this has changed her and she understands that there’s certainly priorities in life.”

Worth noting
Non-roster invitee and rotation hopeful Spencer Howard made his third start of the spring on Sunday, working 2 2/3 scoreless innings in the Giants’ 5-4 split-squad win over the White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium. Howard, 27, walked the bases loaded with two outs in the first inning, but he coaxed a forceout from Paul DeJong to escape the jam unscathed.