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I noticed your last comment about Ichiro and Rose and Johnny Bench being best enjoyed viscerally. I understand why you would say that...two reasons (1) attitude (on the ballfield, part of the fun of the show is the take no prisoners style the latter two used and the virtuoso style perfectionism used by the first) cannot be captured numerically and (2) sabermetricians can find the flaws in Ichiro's game (and Rose's) and have delighted in pointing out those flaws...some of the people acting like sabermetricians even use those flaws as reasons to believe players like Ichiro and Rose are "overrated."
I would argue, however, that a *FULL* sabermetric analysis of Ichiro and Rose and Bench with the best data available - covering areas like runs created on the bases, defensive performance vs. position scarcity, league quality adjustment and clutch analysis...would...when coupled with the historical recounting of their flashbulb-memory achievements in those most crucial of situations...give you a even more full appreciation for players like these than a simple, emotional (visceral) reaction could possibly manage. Understanding *WHY*! Ichiro is great...WHY! teams and fans covet and fear him so...makes what you feel when you watch him live all the more enjoyable.