Random Topps Card of the Day: 2005 Topps #702 Ichiro Suzuki AL Gold Glove Award

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, April 15, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2005 Topps #702.
• Player Name, position, team: Ichiro Suzuki, outfielder, Seattle Mariners.
• Special: 2004 AL Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winner.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2004 stats (Mariners): 158 G, 387 TC, 372 PO, 12 A, 3 E, 2 DP, .992 FLD%.
• Any special information about this specific card: This card honors Ichiro's fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award win. Beginning in 2002 (and ending in 2006), Topps included Award Winners like the MVP, Cy Young, and ROY, and the Gold Glove winners from both leagues. Why they never included the Silver Sluggers is beyond me (lack of space in the set I guess). I mean, they even honored the comeback players of the year in the 2004 Topps set. Ichiro, of all the Japanese players to come in the big leagues since 2001, is truly the real deal. He definitely lived up to all the hype that followed him when he joined the M's. Not only can the man hit, but he has a cannon for an arm, and the speed to catch anything in the outfield. Whether playing centerfield, or his natural position in right, after proving that he could throw guys out from far right field to the third baseman without bouncing the ball, not many baserunners challenge him. In a word, "Ichiro's performance in right field was - as usual - brilliant."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T242. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama