It all started with Masanori Murakami, who made his Major League Baseball debut in 1964 for the San Francisco Giants. Since then, several prominent Japanese born players have come from the Land of the Rising Sun in order to make a name stateside.
Some of them met and exceeded the expectations placed upon them (Ichiro Suzuki) while others fizzled out as hype-filled pretenders (Hideki Irabu). But one thing cannot be denied: there's a lot of talent playing in Japan and MLB teams want in on it.
Now this off-season may not feature Japanese players with as much buzz as a Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there are certainly players who could make a big impact — for their respective MLB teams as well as for and fantasy owners.
Update! reviewed the newest crop of Japanese imports looking to play in the United States and broke down what fantasy owners can expect:
Comment: The Cubs beat out the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox to land the services of Fukudome, who is penciled in to be the everyday right-fielder for the Cubs. A two-time Central League MVP, Fukudome has a terrific arm and Gold-Glove quality defense. An ace at getting on base, he owned a .304 batting average during a nine-year career in Japan. Fukodume did have surgery on his elbow last season, which limited him to just 81 games, but he's expected to be fine for the start of the season. The Cubs expect somewhere between 20-25 home run power from him, and with the team's potent offensive lineup (in which he's slated to bat between fourth and sixth) he could top 100 RBI while hitting over .300. He's even got some speed, totaling double-digit steals twice in the past three years. And since he is 30-years old, Fukudome won't enter the big leagues with awestruck eyes. Fukudome's a professional and a solid No. 3 outfielder for fantasy rosters in 2008.
Comment: Kobayashi comes to the states with an impeccable track record as a closer in Japan. In his professional career, he's tallied 227 saves and an impressive 2.79 ERA. Despite owning a strong bullpen (headed by stand-out set-up men Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez), the Indians wanted to make sure they had more than enough arms should injuries or ineffective play hamper their play. Kobayashi is an intriguing player for fantasy purposes. He has a tricky delivery that could throw batters off, a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a solid two-seam cutter and a slider with a ton of break. In other words, he could be an effective MLB pitcher. His pedigree as a closer is an added boon to his value; the Tribe's current closer, Joe Borowski, tends to be shaky at times, despite his AL-leading 45 saves last season (he owned a horrible 5.07 ERA in 2007). Should Borowski get hammered early in the season and the Indians feel the need to make a change, Kobayashi could be the first player they look to.
Comment: Kuroda finalized his deal with the Dodgers over this past weekend, with L.A. hoping he slots in as a reliable No. 4 pitcher. In his native Japan, however, Kuroda was an ace whose 12-8 record and 3.56 ERA in 2007 were considered great disappointments. He challenges hitters with a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a high-80s to low-90s forkball and a slider / cutter combo pitch with a sharp break. He has a reputation of being a battler on the mound, someone who shows up for big games. Kuroda's also a gifted fielder, able to help his own cause with great athleticism. In his first MLB season, it wouldn't be prudent to anticipate exceptional numbers from Kuroda. But given that the Dodgers aren't placing huge expectations on his shoulders and his bookend placement in the rotation to start the 2008 season, Kuroda might surprise fantasy owners and hit the ground running.
Comment: Joakim Soria appears to be the Royals closer heading into the 2008 season, but he'd better impress because Yabuta could easily be handling ninth-inning work this year. Signed to a two-year contract at the end of November, Yabuta excelled as a reliever in Japan, accumulating a 2.73 ERA in 58 games last season. He throws a fastball that tops out at just 92 mph, but he also has a change-up, slider and split-finger pitch that he effectively uses to keep hitters off balance. Yabuta is known to throw a lot of strikes and challenge batters; he also doesn't walk many hitters — evidenced by the 39 walks he issued in 98 innings over the past two seasons. He won't have value for fantasy owners if used solely in a set-up role for the Royals, but if Soria slips or gets hurt, Yabuta would likely be the favorite to close games.
Comment: A day after releasing reliever Akinori Otsuka, the Rangers went out and signed Fukumori to a two-year deal. He has 72 career saves for three different professional Japanese teams. Yet despite his two-All Star Game nominations, Fukumori has had an inconsistent career. He's known to start off a season hot before wearing down in the dog days of August. His stuff doesn't exactly blow you away either. He tops out in the low-90s on the radar gun with his fastball and while his forkball can be tough to hit, he doesn't have great command of his pitches. Despite all this, he's expected to battle C.J. Wilson and Joaquin Benoit for the closer's role in Spring Training. As a closer, Fukumori would obviously have notable fantasy value. He may be worth tracking even if he doesn't close out of the gates since Wilson and Benoit may be yanked from the role if they falter early.
Some of them met and exceeded the expectations placed upon them (Ichiro Suzuki) while others fizzled out as hype-filled pretenders (Hideki Irabu). But one thing cannot be denied: there's a lot of talent playing in Japan and MLB teams want in on it.
Now this off-season may not feature Japanese players with as much buzz as a Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there are certainly players who could make a big impact — for their respective MLB teams as well as for and fantasy owners.
Update! reviewed the newest crop of Japanese imports looking to play in the United States and broke down what fantasy owners can expect:
KOSUKE FUKUDOME
Chicago Cubs, OF Comment: The Cubs beat out the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox to land the services of Fukudome, who is penciled in to be the everyday right-fielder for the Cubs. A two-time Central League MVP, Fukudome has a terrific arm and Gold-Glove quality defense. An ace at getting on base, he owned a .304 batting average during a nine-year career in Japan. Fukodume did have surgery on his elbow last season, which limited him to just 81 games, but he's expected to be fine for the start of the season. The Cubs expect somewhere between 20-25 home run power from him, and with the team's potent offensive lineup (in which he's slated to bat between fourth and sixth) he could top 100 RBI while hitting over .300. He's even got some speed, totaling double-digit steals twice in the past three years. And since he is 30-years old, Fukudome won't enter the big leagues with awestruck eyes. Fukudome's a professional and a solid No. 3 outfielder for fantasy rosters in 2008.
MASAHIDE KOBAYASHI
Cleveland Indians, RP Comment: Kobayashi comes to the states with an impeccable track record as a closer in Japan. In his professional career, he's tallied 227 saves and an impressive 2.79 ERA. Despite owning a strong bullpen (headed by stand-out set-up men Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez), the Indians wanted to make sure they had more than enough arms should injuries or ineffective play hamper their play. Kobayashi is an intriguing player for fantasy purposes. He has a tricky delivery that could throw batters off, a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a solid two-seam cutter and a slider with a ton of break. In other words, he could be an effective MLB pitcher. His pedigree as a closer is an added boon to his value; the Tribe's current closer, Joe Borowski, tends to be shaky at times, despite his AL-leading 45 saves last season (he owned a horrible 5.07 ERA in 2007). Should Borowski get hammered early in the season and the Indians feel the need to make a change, Kobayashi could be the first player they look to.
HIROKI KURODA
Los Angeles Dodgers, SPComment: Kuroda finalized his deal with the Dodgers over this past weekend, with L.A. hoping he slots in as a reliable No. 4 pitcher. In his native Japan, however, Kuroda was an ace whose 12-8 record and 3.56 ERA in 2007 were considered great disappointments. He challenges hitters with a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a high-80s to low-90s forkball and a slider / cutter combo pitch with a sharp break. He has a reputation of being a battler on the mound, someone who shows up for big games. Kuroda's also a gifted fielder, able to help his own cause with great athleticism. In his first MLB season, it wouldn't be prudent to anticipate exceptional numbers from Kuroda. But given that the Dodgers aren't placing huge expectations on his shoulders and his bookend placement in the rotation to start the 2008 season, Kuroda might surprise fantasy owners and hit the ground running.
YASUHIKO YABUTA
Kansas City Royals, RPComment: Joakim Soria appears to be the Royals closer heading into the 2008 season, but he'd better impress because Yabuta could easily be handling ninth-inning work this year. Signed to a two-year contract at the end of November, Yabuta excelled as a reliever in Japan, accumulating a 2.73 ERA in 58 games last season. He throws a fastball that tops out at just 92 mph, but he also has a change-up, slider and split-finger pitch that he effectively uses to keep hitters off balance. Yabuta is known to throw a lot of strikes and challenge batters; he also doesn't walk many hitters — evidenced by the 39 walks he issued in 98 innings over the past two seasons. He won't have value for fantasy owners if used solely in a set-up role for the Royals, but if Soria slips or gets hurt, Yabuta would likely be the favorite to close games.
KAZUO FUKUMORI
Texas Rangers, RPComment: A day after releasing reliever Akinori Otsuka, the Rangers went out and signed Fukumori to a two-year deal. He has 72 career saves for three different professional Japanese teams. Yet despite his two-All Star Game nominations, Fukumori has had an inconsistent career. He's known to start off a season hot before wearing down in the dog days of August. His stuff doesn't exactly blow you away either. He tops out in the low-90s on the radar gun with his fastball and while his forkball can be tough to hit, he doesn't have great command of his pitches. Despite all this, he's expected to battle C.J. Wilson and Joaquin Benoit for the closer's role in Spring Training. As a closer, Fukumori would obviously have notable fantasy value. He may be worth tracking even if he doesn't close out of the gates since Wilson and Benoit may be yanked from the role if they falter early.
