Impact: Ichiro in the Bronx
Apparently, the Yankees and Mariners both have ninjas for GMs, because the trade of Ichiro Suzuki to New York seemed to come out of nowhere. Ichiro still has a big name and a grand track record, but is he anything more than a defensive whiz at this point and can his move from spacious Safeco to the short porch in Yankee Stadium help his fantasy value?
Ichiro has done next to nothing for fantasy owners this season. His .261/.288/.353 line is a far cry from his career line of .322/.366/.418 and the lineup behind him isn't helping his R/RBI numbers either. Ichiro's numbers began to fall off last season, but at least he stole 40 bases. So far in 2012, he only has 15.
Can the short porch in Yankee Stadium make a difference? At first glance I thought yes, but looking at his hit charts makes me think otherwise. Below is his hit chart from last season (source) with his home hits overlaid on Yankee Stadium. As you can see, there would have been no difference in his home run total...
Same can be said for this season...
Yes, Safeco is not a good park for hitters, but Ichiro just doesn't seem to have much pop left in his bat regardless of where he plays home games. If there is any boost in his numbers, I believe it will come from a non-statistical angle. Sometimes a change of pace is good for a player and can see Ichiro thriving in front of the huge home crowds of Yankee Stadium. Then again, I could see him struggling to make the adjustment just the same.
If you're in an AL-only or deep mixed, Ichiro might see a small uptick in value. However, I don't see how this move makes all that much of a difference in terms of his fantasy value.
This move all but sends Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez into a strict DH platoon and might knock each's value in a deep AL-only format. For the Mariners, Carlos Peguero might get a shot at more at bats. While Peguero has some serious power, he also has some serious whiffing issues (30 percent k-rate in the minor leagues). Again, certain AL-only formats might want to take a look, but other than that, it's basically a nothing move.
Ichiro has done next to nothing for fantasy owners this season. His .261/.288/.353 line is a far cry from his career line of .322/.366/.418 and the lineup behind him isn't helping his R/RBI numbers either. Ichiro's numbers began to fall off last season, but at least he stole 40 bases. So far in 2012, he only has 15.
Can the short porch in Yankee Stadium make a difference? At first glance I thought yes, but looking at his hit charts makes me think otherwise. Below is his hit chart from last season (source) with his home hits overlaid on Yankee Stadium. As you can see, there would have been no difference in his home run total...
Same can be said for this season...
Yes, Safeco is not a good park for hitters, but Ichiro just doesn't seem to have much pop left in his bat regardless of where he plays home games. If there is any boost in his numbers, I believe it will come from a non-statistical angle. Sometimes a change of pace is good for a player and can see Ichiro thriving in front of the huge home crowds of Yankee Stadium. Then again, I could see him struggling to make the adjustment just the same.
If you're in an AL-only or deep mixed, Ichiro might see a small uptick in value. However, I don't see how this move makes all that much of a difference in terms of his fantasy value.
This move all but sends Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez into a strict DH platoon and might knock each's value in a deep AL-only format. For the Mariners, Carlos Peguero might get a shot at more at bats. While Peguero has some serious power, he also has some serious whiffing issues (30 percent k-rate in the minor leagues). Again, certain AL-only formats might want to take a look, but other than that, it's basically a nothing move.
