Derek Albin at Pinstriped Bible looked at the numbers and concluded that Yankees right fielder Ichiro Suzuki isn’t likely to be much more productive than he has been thus far in 2013. The 39-year-old has a .239/.280/.328 line in 145 trips to the plate, putting him on pace for the worst season of his career by far.
To answer the title’s question: Ichiro’s certainly done as a regular, and truthfully has been finished since 2011 with the exception of one month. The other outfield candidates are simply better: Brett Gardner gets on base more frequently and is an elite defender, there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic about Vernon Wells for the rest of the season, and Curtis Granderson needs no rationalization.
The Yankees signed Ichiro to a two-year, $13 million contract back in December on the heels of a productive second-half tenure -- including the post-season -- with the club after coming over from the Mariners. But if he continues to struggle offensively, it wouldn’t be hard to see the Yankees reducing his playing time, especially now that Granderson is back.
