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Doc,
I get what you're saying -- 8 deadbeats and Ichiro is going to fold up like a cheap tent.
But, while you were watching 20-25 years of M - barassment ... I watched 20 years of the Braves ('70 - '90) putting slugger after slugger after slugger into the heart of the lineup, and managing to reach the playoffs ONCE in 20 years. 
How many 30-HR hitters did the Braves have from '70 - '90?
1970: 2 (Aaron, Cepeda)
1971: 2 (Aaron, Earl Williams)
1972: 1 (Aaron) - (Williams just missed with 28)
1973: 3 (Davey Johnson, D. Evans, Aaron) - actually all three had 40. finished 5th
1974: 0 (won 88 games - most of the entire decade)
1975: 0
1976: 0
1977: 1 (Burroughs)
1978: 0 (but a trio with 23 each - Murphy, Horner and Burroughs)
1979: 1 (Horner)
1980: 2 (Horner, Murphy)
1981: 0 (strike year - but Murphy & Horner likely wouldn't have made it)
1982: 2 (Murphy, Horner) - 89 wins - only playoff trip in 20 years
1983: 1 (Murphy)
1984: 1 (Murphy)
1985: 1 (Murphy) - (Horner missed with 27)
1986: 0 (Murphy 29 - Horner 27)
1987: 1 (Murphy 44) - Ozzie Virgil missed with 27
1988: 0 (Gant with 19 as a rookie - Murphy with 24 and fading at age 32)
1989: 0 (21 and 20 top two sluggers)
1990: 1 (Gant with 32 -- Justice missed with 28 as a rookie)
I watched Horner and Murphy mash together for a decade while the Braves crashed and burned year after year after year. 
In truth, this shows that just HAVING a couple of home grown studs does NOT guarantee anything.  For 20 years, the Braves had some home grown, studly talent - and never surrounded it with enough quality to matter.  But, for 20 years, Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was known as "The Launching Pad".  It wasn't actually a HR friendly park.  The Braves just were good at keeping HR hitters around -- and REALLY bad at developing pitching.
Two mashers in a lineup WILL NOT turn a bunch of deadbeats into decent hitters.  Go check out Jack Wilson's rookie season, when he OPSed 40.  Brian Giles and Aramis Ramirez were destroying the NL that year -- and the Pirates would finish last in nearly everything ... again.
My opinion?  The prescence of a "star" MOTO hitter is vastly more important to fans enjoyment than actual winning.  Not like Bonds and AROD were racking up tons of rings for their careers.  (Of course, AROD is getting some these days, because he's in a lineup with 7 or 8 real hitters). 
The reality of baseball, unlike every other major sport, is that "star" players don't get to be "the guy" when they want.  The "star" doesn't get (significantly) more opportunities to do something important each game.  The paradox of baseball is that while the player is totally own at the plate - the actual team results aren't determined primarily by stars - but by the combined efforts of everyone.  Ichiro may get ONE more chance than Jack Wilson or Rob Johnson ... and it may be up to Wilson or Johnson to come thru just so Ichiro GETS that one extra chance. 
Lebron or Favre can touch the ball almost every play.  AROD or Ichiro ... one out of every 9.  The Angels didn't score 883 runs in 2009 because Vlad and Abreu *COMBINED* to hit 30 HRs.  They scored 883 runs because they had ten guys hitting above 100 OPS+,