Manager Eric Wedge announced Tuesday that Chone Figgins would begin spring training as the lead off hitter in the mariners lineup and Ichiro would move to 3rd. While I am still unsure about Figgins leading off, I am anxious to see what Ichiro can do batting 3rd. Anyone who has seen a Mariners batting practice in the last 10 years has seen Ichiro's potential power, routinely hitting balls off the Hit-It-Here Cafe in right field. We haven't got to see much of his power in games due to him batting lead off, but I believe we will see plenty of it this year with him batting 3rd in the lineup. I believe Ichiro has the potential to have a 20+ hr, 70+ RBI year batting 3rd.
As for Figgins, last year he had one of the worst batting averages on the team and was one of the worst at getting on base. In Figgins defense, he has always been a lead off hitter and he hasn't had the opportunity to do that with the Mariners yet. Lets hope this recent lineup change can spark Chone Figgins back to his productive self like when he was with the Angels.
Here is what the Mariners lineup should look like:
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Dustin Ackley, 2B
3. Ichiro, RF
4. Jesus Montero, DH
5. Justin Smoak, 1B
6. Mike Carp, LF
7. Franklin Guiterrez, CF
8. Migual Olivo, C
9. Brendan Ryan, SS
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