Ichiro Suzuki and "He Played For Them?" Franchise Stars at the End of Careers

You might be surprised to know that it is the Athletics who have acquired or signed more franchise stars at the end of their careers, from the Georgia Peach to the Big Hurt. I went through the best hitters from ages 27 to 36 (Ichiro was 27 when he came to Seattle) and found all of those that were with one team for at least a decade after age 27, then changed teams at least once at the end of their careers, at age 37 or older.

Here’s a list of the most prominent “franchise” hitters to change teams late in their careers. Ichiro should slot in comfortably in the middle of this group. Why twelve? Well, I had to get a slump buster on the list.

12. Davey Lopes from Dodgers to Oakland Athletics (1982)

11. Mark Grace from Cubs to Arizona Diamondbacks (2001)

10. Paul Waner from Pirates to Brooklyn Dodgers (1941)

9. Jose Cruz from Astros to the New York Yankees (1990)

9. Frank Thomas from White Sox to Oakland Athletics (2006)

8. Dwight Evans from Red Sox to the Baltimore Orioles (1991)

7. Billy Williams from Cubs to the Oakland Athletics (1975)

6. Harmon Killebrew from Twins to the Kansas City Royals (1975)

5. Pete Rose from Reds to the Philadelphia Phillies (1979)

4. Ty Cobb from Tigers to the Philadelphia Athletics (1927)

3. Hank Aaron from Braves to the Milwaukee Brewers (1975)

2. Willie Mays from Giants to the New York Mets (1972)

1. Babe Ruth from Yankees to the Boston Braves (1935)

I suppose Ichiro could stick around compiling singles and not doing much else, but the more realistic scenario is that he plays about like he has played in recent years, maybe a small rebound as a platoon player, and retires after a season in the Bronx.

[photo via US Presswire]