After seeing the recent signing by the Cincinnati Reds of new starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, Willy Taveras, it got me thinking about the best leadoff hitters in baseball. What makes a good leadoff hitter? A player who makes a pitcher work, gets on base any way that he can, jump starts the offense, and scores runs.
In my opinion the best leadoff hitter in baseball is Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. He does everything you could ask for in a leadoff hitter. He consistently hits over .300, he consistently gets 200 hits a season, he consistently scores over 100 runs a season, he steals bases, and he does not strike out a whole lot. He does it all and is very good. Other notable lead off men, such as Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes, and Grady Sizemore (just to name a few), are extremely talented and great leadoff hitters, but they lack the consistency and the ability to do everything like Ichiro can.
It is a shame that this great athlete came over to America later in his career, but what he has done in that leadoff spot since coming to Seattle has been amazing. Expect Ichiro to perform at the same level in 2009 that he has been throughout his career.
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