Mets can blame themselves for failing to land Ichiro.(New York Mets; Ichiro Suzuki)(includes related statistics and articles)

Publication: The Sporting News

Publication Date: 18-JUN-01

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.

Forget Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez. Forget Juan Gonzalez, Johnny Damon and Gary Sheffield. Ichiro Suzuki was the one itch the Mets should have satisfied in their swing-and-miss offseason.

Mets manager Bobby Valentine called Ichiro "one of the top five players in the world" during last year's World Series. Assistant general manager Omar Minaya and Japanese scout Isao O'Jimi backed that endorsement.

"What I said, without a doubt, is that he'd be Rookie of the Year," Valentine recalls. "I thought he'd lead the league in triples. And I thought he'd hit in the high .300s.

"I also said that before the year was over, someone will say that he has the best arm, someone will say he is the best hitter, someone will say he's the best defensive player, someone will say that he's the fastest runner."

Pretty fair scouting report, don't you think?

The Mets had the resources to outbid the Mariners for Ichiro's negotiating rights. They also had the connections to persuade him to play him in North America. Valentine had managed him in Japan. He knew the ownership of Ichiro's club, the Orix Blue Wave. And he and Ichiro share the same agent, Tony Attanasio.

The Mets needed the offensive boost: Their outfield again lacks a proven 20-homer or 20-stolen base man after ranking 14th among the 16 National League clubs last season in batting average, home runs, RBIs and stolen bases. The team's run production also is below-average at first base and shortstop and only average at third.

That's six of the eight spots in the lineup that are lacking--seven, if you count second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, who has been bothered by back trouble for much of the season. Yet the defending N.L. champions spent $90.65 million on five free-agent pitchers last winter and a mere $700,000 on their only offensive acquisition, Tsuyoshi Shinjo, a .249 career hitter...

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