Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-4 to pace an abysmal Mariners offensive attack as they were shutout by Brandon Morrow and the Blue Jays on Saturday.

After an extremely disappointing 2011 season, Ichiro has started the new year off strong with a .293 average and nine RBI in the early going. He seems to have settled in nicely in the third slot in Eric Wedge’s lineup, and still provides plenty of value in fantasy leagues with his strong average and solid speed skills.

Ichiro Suzuki was 4-for-5 with an RBI single in a 3-1 win over the Athletics in 11 innings in Wednesday’s season opener in Japan.

Not a bad homecoming. Ichiro had a pair of infield singles to go along with two solid singles up the middle. The M’s new No. 3 hitter drove in Dustin Ackley for a valuable insurance run in the top of the 11th. Ken Griffey, Jr. (1990) is the only other Mariner to have a four-hit game in a season opener. The 38-year-old is coming off his worst season, but we wouldn’t bet against him.

Ichiro Suzuki singled and ripped his second homer of the spring Wednesday against the White Sox.

That’s two straight games with a home run, and Ichiro is now batting an even .400 this spring after multi-hit efforts three of the last four times out. We don’t read much into spring stats, but it’s a little comforting after last year’s down season.

Ichiro Suzuki had three hits, including a double, and knocked in the Mariners’ only run of the game Friday.

It’s not worth reading much into the fact that Ichiro is hitting .409, but for what it’s worth, he had rough springs in both 2010, when he went on to have a pretty good regular season, and in 2011, when he didn’t.

Ichiro Suzuki singled in all three plate appearances and drove in two runs in Tuesday’s win over the Reds.

Ichiro was in the third spot in the lineup, which is where the Mariners plan to bat him this season. Though he does show plus power in batting practice, we have our doubts that it will translate over in game action. He does have a good shot to rebound from a batting average standpoint in 2012, though, after hitting a career-low .272 last season.

Mariners skipper Eric Wedge announced Tuesday that Ichiro Suzuki will bat third this season.

Ichiro has hit leadoff in 1,722 of the 1,749 major league games he has played. But the 38-year-old Japanese outfielder posted a poor .310 on-base percentage across 721 plate appearances last season. If his numbers don’t improve overall in 2012, he could slip down further than third. Chone Figgins will be given a shot this spring to fill the massive vacancy atop Seattle’s batting order. Dustin Ackley seems likely to bat second most games.

Mariners skipper Eric Wedge said Wednesday that there’s a “good possibility” that 38-year-old outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is moved away from the leadoff spot.

Ichiro has hit first in 1,722 of the 1,749 games he has played in his career. But he registered a poor .310 on-base percentage in 721 plate appearances last season while also showing other signs of old age. “Obviously I’ve got to work off of Ichiro a little bit,” said Wedge, “but ultimately I’m going to do what I think is best to give us a chance to score runs because it’s just too important for us to make a huge step for us this year offensively.”

In an interview with the Nikkan Sports newspaper in Japan, Ichiro Suzuki confessed to feeling “mental stress” last season.

Ichiro, who turned 38 in October, finished with a career-low .272 batting average last season while seeing his streak of consecutive 200-hit seasons snapped at 10. “Yes my skin gets dry but it’s a lame conclusion to blame everything on age,” explained Ichiro. “People are quick to point to age. Those kinds of people don’t interest me. But if you are going to call yourself a professional, you need to put up results.” Considering his disappointing season and advanced age, many will likely avoid him on draft day, but that could actually make him a decent buy-low opportunity for the first time.