Ichiro's performance in the All-Star Game got rave reviews from AL players and coaches. This from the San Francisco Chronicle:
Few American League players were surprised Ichiro's shot reached the wall. His batting-practice displays of power are well known throughout the league, and that was before he put on an impressive show during BP on Tuesday.
AL manager Jim Leyland clearly noticed.
"He probably hit more home runs during BP than anybody -- and he made it look easy, like it was nothing," Leyland said. "I'm not too happy about that, because we (the Tigers) open against the Mariners on Thursday."
Said Twins first baseman Justin Morneau: "It's like he does whatever he wants to do at the plate. It's almost like he's playing around."
It reminds me a lot of what they used to say about Wade Boggs when he was with the Red Sox. Never one to hit many homers in games, Boggs was the player everyone wanted to watch in batting practice because of the bombs he hit. Of course, hitting BP fastballs is different than facing live pitching, but it gives you respect for what some of these guys can do with the bat.
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