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12/14/2002 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Hawks Iguchi to be Posted Next Offseason"

Iguchi to Go to MLB IN 2004

According to Hochi Sports, Daiei Hawks 28 year old second baseman Tadahito Iguchi will allow himself to be posted to MLB after next season. The speedy infielder, who can also play shortstop, says that he is particularly looking forward to facing the Oakland A's on March 23rd to see how he measures up.

The Hawks had intended to post Iguchi this offseason, but Iguchi refused, though he now says it was due to the shoulder injury he suffered that ultimately cut his season short and required surgery. The question, though, is how he will hit, since he has never hit for a very high average with Daiei.

Political Upheaval Causes Grief for Cabrera, Petagine

The Seibu Lions are reportedly concerned for the welfare of first baseman Alex Cabrera, as his native Venezuela is in the midst of political unrest. Furthermore, Caracas' international airport has been closed. Fortunately, though, he is staying with his mother at her house more than six hours from that country's capital, so he reported that he is doing fine.

Fellow Venezuelan Roberto Petagine hasn't been unable to re-enter his home nation and is currently in Florida. Nevertheless, if things get REALLY bad, Seibu thinks that Cabrera may not be able to make it to spring training. The ballclub has consulted with Venezuela's Ambassador to Japan on the situation there and is hoping for the best.

Hot Shots....

Lotte has signed Angels minor league infielder Rick Short to a one year contract at $400,000....The Mark Schramek saga has finally ended, as he finally decided to sign with Cincinnati after rejecting a long term offer from Orix, according to the Seattle Times ....According to Sports Nippon, the latest Mets offer to Kintetsu Buffaloes free agent Norihiro Nakamura is two years at between $2-3 million a year, including incentives....If the Cubs pick up Tsuyoshi Shinjo, it will be as a fourth outfielder, says the Chicago Tribune. Sports Nippon says that Shinjo is also negotiating with the White Sox, but that the $1.5 million the ex-Hanshin Tiger wants is too much, especially since, as with the Cubbies, they see him as a bench player....According to Sankei Sports, apparently the NY Yankees don't want to negotiate with the agent of Hideki Matsui at the winter meetings in Nashville, making it unlikely that the slugger will be able to conclude things by Christmas as he had hoped. Moreover, the Boston Globe claims that Matsui is asking for a four year pact at $8 million a season. Godzilla also revealed to the press that he will begin working out again with a batting practice session on the 20th. Yomiuri has given him free run of their practice facilities. Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, talked on the phone with Orioles GM Jim Beattie yesterday, though the content of that conversation wasn't divulged....The Red Sox are attempting to put together a deal for Byung-hyun Kim.... Yokohama ace Daisuke Miura told the press that his rehabbing of his surgically repaired elbow is going smoothly.... Yomiuri field boss Tatsunori Hara says that he wants Nioka to work on stealing more bases....A severe typhoon that recently hit Guam may short circuit Yomiuri's plans to have the team train in Guam in 2004, as the facilities they had just about finished building there took a lot of damage. That may compel a rethink of the Guam scheme....New Carp acquisition Andy Sheets will take Akihiro Higashide's job as the starting shortstop, according to Sankei Sports.... Hanshin Tigers first baseman/outfielder Katsumi Hirosawa says that next season may be his last, so he wants to "go out laughing" by winning the pennant. He also hopes to compensate for the pay cut he absorbed by doing more advertising work, telling small and middle level businesses through the press that he works cheap....The last draft is barely over and the Chunichi Dragons are already talking about who they will go after next November. The apple of their eye is Yugakukan High School "5'10" 148 pound lefthander Tatsuya Kojima, who struckout 15 in his first appearance at Koshien this past year and went on to fan 41 in three games. His main weapons are a big breaking slider and a low to mid-80's fastball that he likes to run under the hitter's hands. Hopefully, he can put a little more hop on that heater since an 84mph fastball just isn't going to get it done in the pro ranks, even in Japan....The Atlanta Braves held a tryout for 122 players at Banpaku Stadium in Osaka earlier today and former Nippon Ham outfielder Tatsuhiko Muranishi as well as 23 others passed the first phase, which was conducted by Australia area scout Phil Dale. Muranishi, a graduate of Aichi Gakuin University, said that if nothing comes of all this, that he may go to the U.S. and participate in tryouts there....Fighters infielder Hiroshi Iiyama got married on the seventh to new wife Rei....Finally, on a non-baseball note, the brother of pretty boy Japanese idol Takuya Kimura, a member of the monstrously popular teeny bop group SMAP, has a younger brother, Shinsaku, who is endeavoring to catch on with an NFL Europe eleven. Shinsaku Kimura is 5'11" and 210 pounds and played in Japan's professional football X-League, but his 4.97 40 yard mark is rather slow, probably even for the european league, and he's a bit underweight to play linebacker.

Nakamura Looking for Multi-Year Offer from MLB Teams

See story at: Japan Today Article

Nakamura: Mets Offer "Unacceptable"

See story at: Mainichi Shimbun

Mets: Nakamura's Swing Too Long

See story at: NY Daily News Article

Japanese Hall of Famer Now Guiding Amateurs

See story at: Japan Times Article

Mets, Yankees Interest in Matsui Causing Stir in Japan

See story at: Associated Press Article

Sheets Agrees to Carp Offer

See story at: MLB.com Article

Rejection of Contreras' Free Agency Bid Leaves Bosox Nonplussed

See story at: Boston Globe Article

Today in Japanese Baseball History

This report is for December 14th and on that date in Japanese baseball history in 1965, the Nankai Hawks signed former San Francisco Giants reliever Masanori Murakami to a contract after Murakami had spent two seasons in the Bay Area.



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