Ichiro Suzuki To Join Mariners’ Front Office For Rest Of 2018 Season

Ichiro Suzuki is switching jobs within the Seattle Mariners organization.

Ichiro Suzuki To Work In Mariners’ Front Office

The team announced Thursday that for the rest of the 2018 season, the 44-year-old Japanese outfielder will transition to a front-office position as a special assistant to the team’s chairman.

According to ESPN, Suzuki will not sit “behind a desk” for the job, but rather will simply be similar to that of an assistant coach who will assist with improving “outfield defense, base-running and hitting,” per ESPN.

Thus, Suzuki will still have a strong presence in the clubhouse.

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“During the game I will be doing the same preparations I’ve been doing the entire time. Nothing is going to change for me that I did as a player,” Suzuki told ESPN. “But I can’t say for certain that maybe I won’t put on a beard and glasses and be like Bobby Valentine and be in the dugout.”

The Mariners actually released Suzuki to open up a spot on the roster. Erik Goeddel, a right-handed pitcher, was called from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Suzuki.

Seattle (18-12) is third in the AL West, five games behind the first-place Los Angeles Angels (19-12). The Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 4-1 at home on Thursday, the finale of a three-game series. Seattle — whose outfield has recently suffered several injuries — next hosts the Angels at 10:10pm EST on Friday.

The Mariners and A’s are set to face off for two games in Japan at the beginning of the 2019 season, according to ESPN.

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Suzuki was the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year, and also won MVP honors with the Mariners, whom he joined on a one-year deal in March. Suzuki previously played for the team from 2001 to 2012.

A 10-time All-Star, he has also played for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. Suzuki has also won seven Golden Glove awards.