PEORIA, Ariz. -- Eyebrows were raised during the offseason when Mariners manager John McLaren mentioned that Ichiro Suzuki could steal 80 bases this season.

But that is not to say McLaren expects his center fielder to steal 80 bases.

"He has done everything so well in his career, winning batting battles and Gold Gloves, that the bar is set high for him," McLaren said. "He's a numbers guy, and I just like him and others to think, 'I am capable of doing this.' That [80] was a number I pulled out of a hat."

It has been a while since anyone in the Major Leagues stole at least 80 bases in a season.

All-time theft leader Rickey Henderson swiped 93 bases in 1988 to lead the American League, and Vince Coleman pilfered 81 bases for the Cardinals that season to capture the fourth of his six consecutive National League stolen base titles.

Since then, only Henderson (1989), Kenny Lofton ('93, '96) and Brian Hunter ('97) have stolen at least 70 bases in the AL, while Coleman ('90), Marquis Grissom ('91, '92), Tony Womack ('99), Scott Podsednik (2004) and Jose Reyes ('07) have reached the 70-stolen base mark in the NL.

However, when it comes to numerical achievements, Ichiro is so strong-willed that he probably could get into the 70s -- if he really wanted to.

Ichiro's single-season high in stolen bases is 56, set in 2001, his first season with Seattle. He has pilfered 30-something bases five times and swiped 45 bases in 2006. His one-year high during his nine-year career in Japan was 49, in 1995.

"As much as he gets on base, and as fast as he is, there's no telling how many bases he could steal in a season," McLaren said. "But we don't want him running just to run. There has to be a purpose behind it.

"We don't want him running with the idea of stealing 80 bases. It's all geared to winning games."

When asked if McLaren's forecast was possible, Ichiro said, "I could steal 80 bases ... if I would get thrown out 70 times. When you run that much, there is a risk involved."

But perhaps it's not as big of a risk as he thinks.

The success rate during Ichiro's seven-year MLB career is 81 percent (272-for-338), and his base-stealing percentage has been better the past three seasons (86 percent) than it was in his first four seasons (77 percent). That is a clear indication that he reads pitcher's pickoff moves better now than earlier in his career.

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Harold Reynolds holds the Mariners' franchise record with a league-leading 60 thefts in 1987 and, quite frankly, is surprised he still has the record.

"As many hits as Ichiro gets each year, I can't believe he hasn't broken the record," Reynolds said. "I think he could do it, if that's the role they wanted him to be in. It would come down to the type of team they have, and how many times he would steal third. You can't steal second base 60 times."

Ichiro almost always has the green light, picking the spots where thinks the odds are in his favor.

After running into 14 stolen-base outs in 2001, 15 in '02 and 11 in '05, Ichiro was almost perfect in '06, when he swiped 45 bases in 47 attempts.

More stolen base attempts would fit into the team's philosophy.

Among the areas McLaren is trying to develop this spring, and carry into the regular season, is an improved running game. The Angels are perhaps the best team in the American League at pressuring the opposition with their running game, and Mac wants to put the pedal to the metal when the "right" people are on base.

That would be, first and foremost, Ichiro and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

The Angels finished second in stolen bases last season with 139, compared to the Mariners' 81 thefts. Ichiro led with 37 steals and was caught stealing eight times, while Betancourt was a pedestrian 5-for-9. McLaren believes Betancourt could become a 20-theft player and is bringing former Mariners stolen-base leader Richie Amaral to camp as an instructor.

Amaral's first day is scheduled for Tuesday at the Peoria Sports Complex.

The bottom line is the Mariners will need to do a lot of things better this season to reach the playoffs. And running is part of the overall plan.

Reynolds believes that any team with a leadoff hitter that gets on base as often as Ichiro -- 290 times via hits, walks and hit-by-pitches -- has an advantage over teams that don't.

"A running game puts so much pressure on the defense," he said. "You must use some discretion when you go, but the guy who's batting when a fast runner is on first base is probably going to get fastballs to hit. And when he runs, it opens up a hole somewhere in the infield."

The game has changed so much the past decade or so that stealing bases ranks far behind hitting home runs when it comes to producing runs.

The pendulum just might be swinging back to stolen bases, and if Ichiro is among those leading the trend back to swiping bases, he just might add another highlight to his resume -- that of AL stolen base leader.

"If he has a manager that wants to run," Reynolds said, "I think he could break the [club] record. No doubt."