Peoria, AZ – Ichiro Suzuki has been in the leadoff spot for almost his entire 11 years with the Seattle Mariners, but that will not be the case this season.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge announced Tuesday that Chone Figgins will start the season as the team's leadoff hitter. Dustin Ackley and Suzuki will bat second and third, respectively.
Figgins occupied the leadoff spot in Anaheim before signing with Seattle in December 2009. The third baseman batted just .188 with one homer and 15 RBI in 81 games last season.
Suzuki's batting average fell to a career-low .272 last year.
He has batted in the No. 1 spot for 1,720 of his 1,733 starts with the Mariners. Suzuki has made just 13 starts in his career batting third.
The 38-year-old Suzuki has hit .326 with 95 home runs, 605 RBI and 1,127 runs scored over 1,749 career games with Seattle.
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