Ichiro paving his way to the Cooperstown shrine

Edgar Martinez faces an uphill battle in his quest to get voted into the Hall of Fame when he makes his first appearance on the ballot after the 2009 season.

But Edgar's former teammate, Ichiro, is looking increasingly like a Cooperstown lock.

For a while, the big debate was whether Ichiro's Japanese accomplishments should be used by voters to bolster his credentials.

But as Ichiro keeps adding to his résumé, as he did Wednesday by reaching 200 hits for the eighth consecutive season, his deeds in Japan are becoming a moot point.

Ichiro is very close to establishing himself as a Hall of Famer purely on his Mariners body of work — if he's not already there.

It's hard to deny that Ichiro has been one of the elite players of his generation, and that span is nearing a decade — 10 years being the minimum standard for inclusion on the Hall of Fame ballot. While it is fashionable to nitpick Ichiro's game, his impact is unquestioned, and at age 34 he still should have a few more productive years, if not many more.

By the time he's done, Ichiro might have reached numerical milestones, such as 3,000 hits, that convince even the most reluctant voter of his Hall of Fame worthiness.

But he can already make a strong case right now based on the eight straight 200-hit seasons (accomplished only by Hall of Famer Willie Keeler, more than a century ago), the two batting titles, the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards, the eight All-Star appearances, the seven Gold Gloves (with an eighth likely), the .331 lifetime average, the 315 stolen bases. The capper, of course, is the all-time hits record (262) in 2004.

Just to test the theory, I polled some Hall of Fame voters — not a scientific survey, by any means, but indicative of the current line of thinking. I asked them if they would consider Ichiro's Japanese statistics (which include seven straight batting titles), and whether they believe he's a stand-alone Hall of Famer even without them.

Of the 10 who responded, eight said that Ichiro is either a Hall of Famer now, or very close. Just two expressed reservations.

Here are some of the comments:

John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle: "For me, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Whether you count his accomplishments in Japan or not, he ought to go to Cooperstown. In the heart of the steroid era, he stretched and flexed and succeeded in his way, doing all the little things that so many juiced-up sluggers forgot about. A great hitter. A great runner. A great arm. A wonderful ballplayer who'd succeed in any era, in any country, on any diamond."

Bob Dutton, Kansas City Star: "I tend to view Ichiro's accomplishments in Japan as extra credit. For me, it might give him an extra little boost when he appears on the Hall of Fame ballot, but I wouldn't view it as a simple extension of his achievements in the big leagues.

"That said, I think he's getting close to shoo-in status just on what he's done in the majors. He might be there already. But another year or two at his current performance level should remove all doubt."

Dan Graziano, Newark Star-Ledger: "I'm an Ichiro voter. For me, once he has 10 years in here, he'll have accomplished enough to get in based on that alone. But I think it's only right to consider his Japanese career as part of his overall candidacy. He's a historic player because of what he did there and the way it translated here. And if the Hall of Fame isn't for historic players, then who is it for?"

Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune: "Once Ichiro gets his 10 years in, he's an automatic. He's the best pure hitter of this generation and a great outfielder, too. As baseball becomes more and more of a global game, it will be fitting to have an international Hall of Famer."

Jim Ingraham, the News Herald (Willoughby, Ohio): "I'll vote for him the first year he's eligible, simply based on what he's done here. In my opinion, he has been the best pure hitter in the game from day one of his career here, not to mention being the best outfielder, having the best outfield arm, and [being] the best base runner."

Even the two dissenters indicated they could easily be persuaded in time.

"Ichiro certainly is making a strong case, but he's not there yet," said Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "If he keeps this up for another five years, he's in — at least he has my vote."

"Not yet for Ichiro," said Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. "As much as Ichiro accomplished in Japan, my feeling is that his Hall of Fame worthiness should be determined by what he did solely in the major leagues."

But by the time Ichiro walks away, that should be more than enough to put him on a podium in Cooperstown.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com