Ichiro before 2001
> Where did Ichiro go to high school? Was he seen as a star there?
I need an old Meikan to answer the "where," but I do know that he did play at Koshien in high school. However, ...
> Which round was he selected by Orix?
... he was drafted in the 4th round of the 1992 draft (held in November of 1991), so I can't really say that he was a Kuwata, Kiyohara, or Matsuzaka.
> Did he go to college?
No, he was drafted out of high school.
> Is there a story about his first year-lack of playing, perhaps his ability overlooked?
Well, high schoolers generall get a couple of years at 2-gun to mature, so that he didn't start off on the top team isn't unusual. He was brought up a couple of times before 1994, but didn't produce in the few chances he got.
What's more, then manager Doi-kantoku hates people with natural abilities. He feels that only through hard work and grinding exercises can one earn a spot with the top team. Ichiro, with all his natural ability to hit, field, and run, perhaps didn't give Doi-kantoku the impression that he worked hard enough, which may possibly explain why Ichiro wasn't given much of a chance up until then. (Also, I think I'd seen Ichiro's numbers before 1994, and they really wheren't that remarkable. Or was it just his 1-gun numbers that lacked until then? Does somebody have Ichiro's 2-gun numbers before 1994?)
> Which managers and coaches had the most influence on him?
Ichiro was a natural from the start, so I find it hard to believe that any coaches did anything other than distract him. But it was Ohgi-kantoku taking over in 1994 that gave Ichiro his first real chance with the top squad. And how did Ichiro come through!
> When did he become a superstar? When did he begin to use only his first name on his uniform?
The answer to both is 1994. At the beginning of the 1994 season, Ohgi-kantoku unveiled two new names, there was this kid with his first name on his back named "Ichiro," and the well known, very popular veteran "Punch" Satoh had "Punch" on his back. Well, I think that turned out to be the affluent Punch's last season, but Ichiro set a new record of 210 base hits in that single (130 game) season. It was the first time that the 200 hit barrier had been broken - in either league! That made "Ichiro" known to all, even those who aren't interested in baseball.
After that, Ichiro couldn't eat lunch without it being reported on. In his first full season, this virtually unknown kid in the Pacific League surpassed most of the stars of his generation, even those in the more popular Central League.
Ichiro went 24 for 95 (.253) in 40 games in 1992, and 12 for 64 (.188) in 43 games in 1993. Not exactly a steller start for the biggest star of the '90s.
Ichiro did take the Batting Title in 1992 in the Western League (2-gun) with a .366 batting average, but was edged out by Daiei's Yanagita Shikato (.346) in 1993. Yanagita has a lifetime batting average of .238 in 555 games at 1-gun during 14 years (coming into this season). I'm afraid that I don't have Ichiro's batting average for 1993 at 2-gun, so I can't say by how much he beat him out by.
1994 was his breakout to stardom season, and that was when his new manager instructed him to take off his last name from his jersey.
Oh, and the name I used was a pen name so I will not reveal my true identity.
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Where did Ichiro go to high school? Was he seen as a star there?
Did he go to college? Any industrial/compnay team experience?
Which round was he selected by Orix? As an outfielder?
Is there a story about his first year-lack of playing, perhaps his ability overlooked? Which managers and coaches had the most influence on him?
When did he become a superstar? When did he begin to use only his first name on his uniform?
Domo arigato gozaimasu!