What if Ichiro had been with the Mariners instead of playing in Japan?

Ichiro Suzuki -- one of greatest hitters (if not the greatest) of the last 15 years -- is officially a Marlin. The outfielder signed a one-year, $2 million deal to join Giancarlo Stanton and the Fish, with whom he'll likely fill a reserve role in an outfield full of talent and youth.

The last 14 seasons have been an absolute treat for fans in Seattle, New York and across baseball who have looked on in wonder as Ichiro slipped out of the batter's box a bit early and slapped 2,844 hits onto his MLB resume. Perhaps the only thing more interesting about Ichiro's game, though, is the mystery surrounding what might have been.

What if Ichiro hadn't played in Japan from age 18-26? What if he'd been drafted by the Mariners right out of high school? Or junior college? In 2001, playing his first MLB season at age 27, Ichiro won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and the AL MVP Award, leading the league in plate appearances, average, hits and steals.   

There's even an argument to be made that his age-26 season would have been better than his other-worldly 2001. In 2001, the top 10 averages in MLB ranged from .350 (Suzuki and Larry Walker) to .330 (Chipper Jones). The year before, that range was .372 to .334, indicating that the top hitters in the bigs fared a bit better than they did in Ichiro's debut campaign. 

But imagine a 24-year-old Ichiro starting on the 1998 Mariners. That lineup would have looked like this:

1. Ichiro Suzuki - RF

2. Alex Rodriguez - SS

3. Ken Griffey Jr. - CF

4. Edgar Martinez - DH

5. David Segui - 1B

6. Jay Buhner - OF

7. Joey Cora - 2B

8. Russ Davis - 3B

9. Dan Wilson - C

Griffey and A-Rod finished fifth and 10th in MLB with 146 and 124 RBIs respectively, that season. And that was with Joey Cora atop the lineup and the likes of Glenallen Hill and Rob Ducey manning left field. 

So, conservatively, let's posit that Ichiro would have earned 180 hits/season from 1998-2000. That's an additional 540 hits. But here's the thing ... Ichiro began his professional career in Japan when he was just 18. And the M's had an aging outfield in the late '90s. In 1997, Jose Cruz Jr. was a 23-year-old outfielder who was called up at the end of May. There's an argument to be made that Ichiro could have gotten the call instead, had he been in the M's system. Four months of play in 1997 could have netted Ichiro another 120 hits, assuming the same 180-hits-per-season rate.

Ichiro already has 2,844 hits on his MLB resume. With the additional 660, that would bring his total to 3,504 MLB hits right now and that's with a conservative estimate for his production in that incredible 1998 Mariners lineup and in the hitter-friendly 2000 season. At 3,504, Ichiro would be sixth all-time, ahead of Derek Jeter and only 11 knocks behind Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. He'd only be 126 hits away from tying Stan Musial. 

And he's still playing ... 

It's impossible to say exactly how many MLB hits Ichiro would have to his name had he joined the Mariners at 24 or 22 or 18. It's unreasonable to suggest that his 1,278 hits in JPPL play translate at a 1:1 ratio to put him within reach of MLB's all-time hit mark. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go find my copy of MLB 99 for the original PlayStation console so that I can squander the rest of the offseason playing this scenario out and changing history so that those Mariners win the AL West and give the mighty Yankees a test in the ALDS.