Often, when we do talk about some of the greatest players to have ever walked the field, we like to emphasize their performance on the plate or on the mound more than other attributes. This makes sense as players are the most productive when they are on the plate or on the mound, but I want to emphasize other aspects of the game that might not be as glorified as hitting dingers all year long. Specifically, I want to emphasize a player's baserunning skills, which could be quite useful for a team. For example, a player with a strong base running skill might be able to advance one more base than normal hitters, leading to possibly more runs. Players with strong base running skills can also be quite good for a team since their additional contributions could possibly increase the RE24 state that the team is in and prevent possible double or triple plays. The importance of having such a strong base running game is evident in Ichiro Suzuki's statline, who holds the 3rd best BsR score out of all qualifying players in their careers. Of course, with Ichiro Suzuki being a leadoff hitter who tries to get on base and score a lot of runs, having such a strong base running game is crucial towards helping your team win. Ichiro Suzuki is infamously known for hitting for average instead of power, so if his options are getting line drives and hitting ground balls up the middle, then he needs to make sure that his running game is on point. I think that this statistic is even more remarkable for analysis once you consider the fact that Ichiro did not even play most of his best years in the MLB; he started playing in the MLB during his 27 age season.

Of course, speed is quite an important factor when considering one's baserunning abilities, but once you get a lot older, knowing what flyballs end up as hits and outs can also be quite advantageous towards your baserunning skills. Knowing this, I think it is safe to assume that Ichiro made up for his decrease in speed during his later years by analyzing the situation and taking appropriate action much more quickly than normal players