Five storylines to follow during the 2016 MLB season

(Reuters) - Five storylines to track during the 2016 Major League Baseball season which opens on Sunday. ICHIRO'S PURSUIT OF 3,000 HITS With 2,935 hits, the countdown is on to Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki becoming only the 29th player in MLB history to join the magical 3,000-hit club. Suzuki will return with the Miami Marlins this season in the same outfield reserve role he occupied last year, but it should still offer him a decent shot at reaching the milestone. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer, who in 2001 became the first Japanese position player in MLB history, is coming off his first campaign with Miami in which he had 91 hits. - - BIG PAPI'S FINAL BOW David Ortiz's home run total has increased in each of the last three years and with the 40-year-old slugger entering his retirement season many are wondering how much pop "Big Papi" has left in his bat. Ortiz, a three-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox, has a reputation for delivering late-game heroics and will no doubt be looking to cap his career in style. The Red Sox slugger, whose 37 home runs last year were his highest total since belting 54 in 2006, will be a crucial piece of a Boston team eager to stage yet another remarkable worst-to-first season. - - ROYALS AIMING FOR DYNASTY Two years ago the Royals owned the longest active playoff drought in professional North American sports that dated back to 1985. But now Kansas City are aiming to become the first repeat World Series champion since the 2000 New York Yankees. The franchise have reached the past two World Series with a lethal combination of speed, defense, timely hitting and a shutdown bullpen. Those ingredients should still be present with core lineup members like Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Salvador Perez and closer Wade Davis. But Kansas City has also parted ways with key members Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist and will have to navigate the pressures of defending their crown. - - NY METS' DOMINANT ROTATION As far as pitching staffs go, no starting rotation will have greater expectations than the New York Mets' elite group that are considered the best in MLB and could be even more formidable in 2016 than last year. With four arms either in the prime or just entering the prime of their careers, the Mets boast a starting rotation that are more than capable of earning a return trip to the World Series in 2016. The Mets have enviable youth in 27-year-old Opening Day starter Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom (27), Noah Syndergaard (23) and Steven Matz (24) along with critical experience from 42-year-old Bartolo Colon. - - NATS' BRYCE HARPER The Washington Nationals' talented 23-year-old slugger is coming off an MVP season in which he led the National League in nearly every offensive category. Harper, an outfielder whose polarizing personality and massive marketability have made him the new face of baseball, has criticized the sport's old school culture and called for more showmanship from players. He will be a focal point as he continues in his role as leading man and could surpass last season's numbers with the right formula around him. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)