Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is also facing a shortage of foreign hitters.
Junichi Sports published an analytical article titled “Why have foreign cannons fallen off the map?” on Sept. 19, titled “Why are we no longer seeing hitters like Woods, Cabrera, Rose and Valentin?
The article cited the 2009 game in which Tony Blanco, a Dominican Republic native playing for the Junichi Dragons, hit a fastball from Hiroshima Carp ace Genta Maeda for a walk-off home run. The Nagoya Dome, where the game was played, is one of the hardest places in Japan to hit a home run, and the ball was so big it hit the ceiling speakers.
It’s been more than a decade since we’ve seen a foreign hitter with such devastating power. In fact, this season’s home run leaderboard is dominated by Japanese players. In the Central League, Munetaka Murakami (Yakult) leads the way with 14. Kazuma Okamoto (Yomiuri) is next with 12.
There are only three foreign batters in the top 10. 안전놀이터 Domingo Santana (10), Jose Ozuna (9, Yakult), and Christopher Austin (7, Yokohama).
The Pacific League is similar.
Japanese players dominated the first through third places. Hotaka Yamakawa (12), Gensuke Kondo (10, SoftBank), and Chusei Mannami (9, Nihon Ham). The four foreigners in the top 10 had between six and seven. (As of Sept. 19)
The media cited several reasons for this.
The first is a matter of level. At the AAA level of the minor leagues, it’s hard to find the kind of talent that can come to Japan and excel like Randy Bass and Roberto Pettagiani did in the past. In general, the clubs’ views are in agreement. It’s a sign of how far Japanese baseball has come.
One club’s top brass even cited the influence of the “flyball revolution. The argument is that the uppercut swinging style of Japanese pitchers’ four-seam fastballs is difficult to counteract, making it difficult for imported players to produce results.
Akito Sasaki, 실시간 바카라사이트 an assistant to the general manager of the Rakuten Eagles, said, “In the past, there was a big difference in the level of Japanese pitchers, both professional and amateur. But now it has shrunk. I think if 12 clubs (in Japan) formed a starting team and challenged the MLB, they would have a good chance. Japan’s three WBC championships are a good example.”
“Compared to AAA, I think Japanese pitchers have an advantage in terms of speed and changeup,” said Yoshimura Sadaki, general manager of the Yomiuri Giants. I think foreign players need time to get used to Japanese baseball in the second division.”
There’s also the issue of the exchange rate.
In the 2010s, one dollar was worth about 100 yen. Today, it’s around 156 yen, which means that a million dollars used to be around 100 million yen, and now it’s over 150 million yen. Still, it’s nice if they come and play well, but most of the time they end up with ‘big fans’. The clubs are hesitant.
Occasionally, a player will stand out. But they’d rather stay in the minors than in Japan, especially since the younger the age group, the more open the door to the majors.
NPB suffers from a serious two-hitter problem. As of September 19, there are only three hitters in both leagues with a .300 average. 슬롯사이트 추천 The Central League is led by Domingo Santana (.314, 10 home runs, 3rd). Osuna (.249, 15th, Yakult) is the only other foreign hitter in regulation.
The Pacific League is no different. It has only two players in the top 20 in batting. Ariel Martinez (0.259) of Nihon Ham is 14th and Neftali Soto (0.257) of Chiba Lotte is 16th.