The big question leading up to the 2018 Home Run Derby in Nationals Park is whether hometown cloutsman Bryce Harper will participate. The next biggest question -- the one you didn't realize was being asked -- is whether Ichiro will heed his former manager's call and take his whacks in the Derb'.
Ichiro is of course no longer on the Mariners' active roster, but he's still around as a coach and as an informal batting-practice participant. It's that latter role that prompted M's skipper Scott Servais to say Ichiro should sign up and flash his power in D.C. Here's Servais' interview with MLB Network Radio ...
🚨 RT if you want ICHIRO in the Home Run Derby 🚨@Mariners manager Scott Servais makes the case:#TrueToTheBlue #Mariners #IchiForDC pic.twitter.com/oBoz6XFdiD
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 20, 2018
And the money quote:
"I think Ichiro would be a great addition at the home run-hitting contest at the All-Star Game, because he takes BP every day and he is launching balls -- it is really fun to watch. He comes out every day, he takes his BP very seriously. Everybody remembers when Ichiro was on top of his game he was slapping the ball all over the place, but he has power.
"We came out for early BP yesterday and he got on the board, he threw (for) about 20-25 minutes to our guys, and then when the regular BP started he got in (the batter's box) and he started launching balls."
As for the man himself, he got a good laugh out of it but doesn't sound inclined to oblige ...
Mariners manager Scott Servais said he wants Ichiro Suzuki, who is no longer on the active roster, in the Home Run Derby. Ichiro’s reply: “I didn’t know the skipper told jokes, but I guess he does. That’s the funniest thing he’s said in the first half of the year.”
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) June 20, 2018
Ichiro discussing the prospect of him being in this year’s HR Derby:
— Matt Kelly (@mattkellyMLB) June 20, 2018
-Ever respectful, said it would “harm” baseball’s great history if he participated
-Chose Mark Buehrle as his BP pitcher if he did partake
-Joked he’d have to up his lunch from 2 to 3 cheeseburgers to bulk up pic.twitter.com/ENSoPcVRmh
Doesn't sound like it's going to happen, even if Mark Buehrle putting it on a tee for Ichiro in 2018 sounds like what this world needs right about now. Consolation prize? Maybe this ...
Scott Servais jokingly lobbied for Ichiro to compete in HR Derby this year. Ichiro laughed about it, but says he’s not a player at the moment. But he didn’t rule out pitching to somebody, if asked.
— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) June 20, 2018
That sounds all right, too.
As for the merits of Servais' idea, it's not a new thing. Ichiro of course mustered just 117 home runs across parts of 18 big-league seasons with a single-year peak of 15 back in 2005. That said, Ichiro's BP exploits have always been the stuff of baseball "true lore," and in the early days of his career a narrative of "he could hit for power if he wanted to" was easy to come by.
There's probably some merit to all of that, but it seems unlikely that 45-year-old Ichiro would fare very well in the Derby. But wouldn't it be fun to find out? Maybe a finals match-up with Madison Bumgarner? There's something to dream on.
