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03/01/2004 Archived Entry: "MLB News: Baseball’s International Invasion"
MLB News: Baseball’s International Invasion, by Joe Connor
Scan any Major League Baseball roster this spring training season and you’ll find an amazing commonality: there are multiple Matsui’s; Kim’s; Ramirez’s; and Rodriguez’s like never before in the history of the American game.
Just five years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find any impact players from the Land of the Rising Sun, or its Asian area neighbors, Korea and Taiwan, showcasing their talents in the Land of the Free. But with 2004 spring training now underway, Major League Baseball is banking the international invasion it has long sought will help bolster the game against its chief competitor, football, especially come fall.
In fact, you could make an argument that if the Major League Baseball suits on Park Avenue in Manhattan could choose the 2004 World Series participants – besides the top-television market, superstar-laden Yankees – they might just pick an opposition like the Dodgers, Padres, Braves, Rockies, Marlins, Cardinals, and yes, even the Expos. That’s because all these National League teams – as well as few other American League clubs – feature at least one potential impact player of Asian descent (imagine Hideo Nomo or Kazuhisa Ishii fanning Hideki Matsui in a winner-take-all Game 7). And fans in those baseball-crazed countries spend money. We’re talking lots of money: on hats, on shirts – on information. When Taiwan’s Chin-hui Tsao made his Major League debut last season, Major League Baseball received nearly 900 requests for television highlights. And that was after the game had already been broadcast in Asia.
Almost one third of all Major League Baseball players were born outside the U.S. And they come from almost everywhere: Aruba, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Korea, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. In the future, you can expect more fresh Asian and Latin faces, including from countries where baseball is still growing or in its infancy like in El Salvador and China. In 2005, Major League Baseball could also see the first two sluggers from the Land of the Morning Calm, Korea. Seung-Yeop Lee is the Asian single-season home run record holder and will play under former Rangers and Mets skipper Bobby Valentine in Japan this season while planning for a future debut in North America. Jong-Soo Shim – who many of his peers believe is better than Lee – becomes a free agent this fall.
So while Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has become so popular stateside, he’s simply known as “Ichiro,” here are some international faces to watch this spring that you may not know too much about, plus where they’re training:
In the Cactus League (Arizona):
Padres (Peoria Stadium, Peoria)
One to watch: Akinori Otsuka. While most observers will be watching if Trevor Hoffman’s recovering shoulder is ready for a full season, the 31-year-old Otsuka enters his first Major League season after serving as the closer for Japan’s Chunichi Dragons. Since 2002, the right-hander has walked only eight batters and struck out 110 while holding batters to a .175 average.
If all goes well, Otsuka will primarily be used as a seventh inning set up man to “The Shooter,” Rod Beck, who was the Padres saves leader last season but will now be mainly a set-up man for Hoffman. Beck enters Padres home games with the public address system blasting Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” while Hoffman’s entrance is AC/DC’s “Hells Bells.” Quipped Padres General Manager Kevin Towers: “We’re just trying to figure out what kind of Japanese rock song we’re going to come up with for ‘Aki.’”
Rockies (Hi-Corbett Field, Tucson)
One to watch: Chin-hui Tsao. The 6-foot-2 right-hander was 11-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 18 starts for Double-A Tulsa before his Major League debut last summer. And Tsao can bring it. At Double-A, he fanned 125 hitters in just 113.1 innings.
White Sox (Tucson Electric Park, Tucson)
Ones to watch: Shingo Takatsu and Carlos Lee. Takatsu, 35, led Japan’s Central League in 2003 with 34 saves, but he’s most known in the Land of the Rising Sun as "Mr. Zero" for having not allowed a single run in 10 Japanese Series games, the country’s version of the World Series. Takatsu’s grace under pressure could help the Sox come October, and by then maybe most of North America will know of the Panamanian Lee. While Frank Thomas is on the down side of his career, Lee is similar in maturity to his fellow countryman Rod Carew. He’s like fine wine; he betters with age – only unlike Carew, Lee’s got some major power. Last season, the slugger quietly set career highs in almost every offensive category, including home runs (31), RBI (113), hits (181) and runs scored (100).
Dominican catcher Miguel Olivo has yet to live up to expectations, but he’ll try to become the first significant Dominican signal caller since Tony Pena to lead a team into October. The Sox are also high on young Dominican right-handers Felix Diaz and Enemencio Pacheco as well as fellow countryman, left-hander Damaso Marte, who will need to continue to play a key role out of the bullpen for the Southsiders to go anywhere.
In the Grapefruit League (Florida):
Braves (Cracker Jack Stadium, Kissimmee)
Ones to watch: Wilson Betemit and Jung Bong. Betemit, a native of the Dominican Republic, is one of the Braves top infield prospects and could crack the big league roster in 2004. Last season he showed signs of promise at Triple-A Richmond, batting .351 in July alone. A year ago, the left-hander Bong, from Seoul, Korea, quietly became only the 15th pitcher in the Braves storied history to start a season 5-0. He’s looking to rebound from a disappointing second half of 2003 and will probably be used again primarily in relief.
Cardinals and Marlins (Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter)
Cardinals ones to watch: With Jim Edmonds on the shelf early, the Redbirds may need So Taguchi to show the promise he’s capable of. Since coming to America from Japan, the outfielder has displayed only flashes of brilliance.
Marlins ones to watch: Heep Seop Choi; Abraham Nunez; Ramon Castro. Relegated to a platoon role in Chicago, the Korean Choi will get to showcase his defensive prowess at first base and his patience at the plate every day, as will Castro, a Puerto Rico native who takes over for the departed Ivan Rodriguez. The Dominican Nunez will battle for the Marlins backup outfield spot.
Dodgers (Holman Stadium, Vero Beach)
One to watch: Chin-Feng Chen. While Japan’s own Hideo Nomo and Kazuhisa Ishii get most of the international attention, watch for the promising Taiwan-born left-fielder Chen. Know how the Dodgers need more offense than Martha Stewart needs better defense? Well, Chen smacked 28 homers and added 86 RBI for the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season.
Expos (Space Coast Stadium, Viera/Melbourne)
Ones to watch: Tomo Ohka; Sun Woo Kim; Seung Song. They may not know where they’ll be playing next season, but the ‘please find us a home Expos’ feature the most international team in baseball. In addition to Mexican Luis Ayala; Cuban Livan Hernandez; Dominican Tony Batista; Puerto Rican Jose Vidro; Venezuelan Tony Armas; and Colombian Orlando Cabrera; the Expos have a trio of Asian pitchers that could help the club surprise many in the National League East while the suits on Park Avenue try to find the nomads a buyer.
Right-handers Sueng Song and Sun Woo Kim were the first two born on the Korean Peninsula to be part of the same trade involving a Major League player, having joined the Expos in the 2002 deal that sent outfielder Cliff Floyd to Boston. Kim saw limited action last season, and the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Song could make his Major League debut in 2004. With Javier Vazquez of the picture, Ohka’s profile only rises. The Japanese right-hander worked nearly 200 innings for Montreal in 2003, going 10-12 with a 4.16 ERA.
Mets (Mets Stadium, Port St. Lucie)
Ones to watch: Shortstop Kazuo Matsui and pitcher Jae Weong Seo. Matsui, who is not related to the Yankees Matsui, won four Gold Gloves, batted better than .300 for seven straight years, hit at least 20 homers in each of the past four seasons and stole 30 or more bases five times in Japan. As for Seo, last season the right-hander finished 9-12 with a 3.82 ERA for the Mets, but he also pitched much better than his numbers indicate, no thanks to his team’s utterly hapless defense that didn’t then have the likes of the talented Matsui or center fielder Mike Cameron.
Tigers (Joker Marchant Stadium/Lakeland)
One to watch: After Cuban Alex Sanchez was sent to Ned Yost’s doghouse in Milwaukee last season, the Brewers shipped him to the worst team. Not that this really bothered the speedy Sanchez, who finished the season batting .289 in Motown. After all, the outfielder’s faced much bigger challenges. Sanchez decided to stick it to Fidel Castro and fled his homeland on a raft in 1994, only to spend the next 16 months in a refugee camp before finally tasting freedom.
Twins (William Hammond Stadium/Fort Myers)
Ones to watch: If ever General Manager Terry Ryan needed his Australian posse to take their game to the next level, this would be the year. Having lost Eric Milton, LaTroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado, the Twinkies are hoping their trio of mates from down under – Grant Balfour, Brad Thomas and Micheal Nakamura – can make scout Howard Norsetter’s frequent flyer miles to Oz seem worthwhile.
Joe Connor is a Major League Baseball Freelance Writer and author of the annually updated, easy-to-use electronic guide, “A Fan’s Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience,” which is available exclusively at http://www.modernerabaseball.com. He has also traveled extensively throughout Latin America, Asia and Australia. Contact him at joe@modernerabaseball.com.
Replies: 1 Comment
It is indeed truly international, since 26 % of the 40 man rosters are non USA born players or 316 total, also from all players who put on a uniform in 2003, around 7000, 25 % of them are from outside the USA, having the dominicans leading the pack by far to the rest of countries,with 720 players, followed by Venezuelan representation who posted almost half of them for a total of 385 players,but we can be surprised of finding players from New Zealand, and even Thailand and Belgium, so, baseball is becoming truly international.
One have to realize that in DR and Venezuela no summer professional leagues are played, but only rookie leagues, therefore all prospects are signed directly to American organizations, which is not the case for México,who has 92 players playing in minor and major leagues, but a professional summer league are in place with 20 teams, and only those having the capabilities to be considered as prospects are given the chance to go to US ,but under sometimes expensive purchasing contracts from major league teams.
Posted by Carlos Fragoso @ 03/13/2004 12:13 AM EST
