There have been some legendary player names throughout baseball history: Coco Crisp, Catfish Hunter, Stubby Clapp, and Bud Weiser, to name a few.
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Yet, the Cincinnati Reds just signed an infielder who seems destined for the MLB Hall of Fame, solely because of his name: Ichiro Cano Hernández.
The Cincinnati Reds have signed the 18-year-old (turns 19 tomorrow) infielder from San Jose del Cabo, Mexico with one of the most baseball names ever:
Ichiro Cano Hernández 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/FB0ItblWGr
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) February 6, 2024
The 19 year old Mexican prospect's name is iconic because all three aspects of it are shared by Seattle Mariners legends: Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, and Felix Hernández.
The Mariners have got to find a way to trade for this kid, right?
While it hasn't been confirmed whether Ichiro Cano Hernández — who most recently played for the Mexico City Diablos Rojos of the Mexican League — was named after one (or all three) of these Seattle superstars, it's safe to assume that his latter two names are probably coincidental; if only because Hernández is a family name, and Robinson Cano made his MLB debut a few months after Ichiro Cano Hernández was born.
Which leaves the infielder's first name, Ichiro.
Japanese and Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki was in the prime of his career at the time of Ichiro Cano Hernández's birth. Suzuki had just wrapped a 2004 season where he led the league in batting average (.372) and hits (262), while also playing in his fourth straight All Star Game, finishing seventh in MVP voting, and winning a fourth straight Gold Glove.
Considering that Ichiro isn't a common first name in Mexican households, it would seem that Ichiro Cano Hernández was indeed named after Ichiro Suzuki — or perhaps his parents just loved the name.
We'll surely get confirmation of this in the near future, as reporters are going to be asking Hernández about his iconic name's origins as soon as they're given the chance.
With such a legendary name, Ichiro Cano Hernández will be burdened by sky-high expectations across his professional career. While only time will tell whether he'll meet those expectations — or if he even makes it to the MLB in the first place — his name surely seems like a good omen.
For the time being, we can only hope and pray that the Mariners will make this no-brainer of a trade.
