Japanese Power

Since the Yankees will be enjoying a day off before beginning the latest edition of the Subway Series (is it played out yet?), I thought I'd take the chance to do a little scouting for you on the top hitters in Japan.

There are a whole host of talented hitters playing in Japan. Japanese and foreign-born players are producing some big numbers and making highlight reel plays nightly, but they are almost anonymous for the most part in the United States. Names like Ogasawara, Zuleta, Fernandez, Woods, LaRocca, and Nioka take the field for Japanese professional ballclubs every night, and win ballgames for their teams. The style is different at times, but the game is essentially pitch, hit, run, score, celebrate. I'm going to introduce 4 players in this post, all hitters, and talk about the seasons they've had so far during the 2006 campaign. I'll allude to their past performance, but links will take care of any background information you may care to read up on yourself. I'll work on pitchers another day. Today is for the hitters. 4 guys you may wish were in your Major League organization.....

To begin, I selected the two players I consider to be the best hitters in the Pacific League. Their Central League counterparts will follow.

1. Nobuhiko Matsunaka, LF/DH - Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks

Matsunaka represented Japan in the World Baseball Classic and hit cleanup for Oh Saddaharu's team. He hit .433/.528/.567 in 8 games for Japan and posted the highest OPS of any regular Japanese player at 1.094. He is a former league MVP (2000, 2004), and one of only seven men to win the Triple Crown(2004)in Japan.

Playing most of his time in left field this season, the former 1st baseman is having perhaps the best year of any player in Japan. The Hawks are tied for 1st with the Seibu Lions in the Pacific League and for the best record in Japan. Matsunaka is the engine for this powerful ballclub and has posted the following line on the year (rank among all Japanese players in parenthesis):

.357(1)/.465(1)/.597(5)/1.062(2)

In 74 games: 47 runs, 18 2B, 14 HR, 51 RBIs, 52 BBs, 19 Ks

That's a 154 game pace of: 98 runs, 37 2B, 29 HR, 106 RBIs, 108 BBs, 40 Ks

Matsunaka recently signed a record 7 year deal with his ballclub that keeps him with Soft Bank until he's 39 years old. The team could decide to "post" him if significant financial offers are to be made from US ballclubs, but I'm guessing he's with the Hawks 'til the end. Great for Japan, but unfortunate for Americans who won't get the chance to see him play everyday.

2. Alex Cabrera, 1B/DH - Seibu Lions

The 35 year old Venezuelan, Cabrera, has been nothing short of legendary in his 5+ years in Japan. A former farmhand in the Cubs and Diamondbacks systems, Cabrera has slugged his way into the hearts of Japanese fans to the tune of 235 round trippers in 2365 ABs. That's a home run every 10 at bats. He was the 2002 MVP in the Pacific League when he tied the single-season home run mark of 55, held by Oh. It was controversial that Oh's Hawks ballclub pitched around him at the end of the year to avoid the record falling.

Cabrera is having another otherwordly season for the 1st place Lions. He and Daisuke Matsuzaka are as potent a 1-2 punch as there is in baseball anywhere. Let's take a peek at Cabrera's line so far:

.344(4)/.430(2)/.628(3)/1.058(3)

In 69 games: 43 runs, 12 2B, 20 HR, 59 RBIs, 38 BBs, 57 Ks

That's a 154 game pace of: 96 runs, 27 2B, 45 HR, 132 RBIs, 85 BBs, 127 Ks

At his advanced age, it's unlikely we'll ever see Cabrera in a Major League uniform. If it happens, I imagine it will be next season, but I bet it's more important for Cabrera to light up the record books in Japan, and make top dollar doing it, rather than share time in the US, or risk going back to the minors again.

Now, on to the Central League stars.

3. Seung Yeop Lee, 1B - Yomiuri Giants

Seung Yeop Lee, 29, is a household name in Korea. He's become a household name in Japan, and probably the rest of East Asia as well. While playing in Japan, Lee broke the single-season home run record by smashing 56 for his Samsung Lions. I guess there was no Oh to pitch around the Korean superstar. While dominating Korea, the US remained a dream for Lee. No Major League team would give him a guaranteed deal, and he refused to settle for a stint in the minors, so to Japan he went. After a couple of successful seasons playing for Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines, Lee decided he could get more money and name recognition playing for the world famous Yomiuri Giants.

It was Lee who took Korea to the brink of victory in the World Baseball Classic. In 7 games, Lee blasted 5 homers and 10 RBIs. He hit .333/.414/.958 to lead all regular players (not named Ken Griffey, Jr.) in the tournament with a 1.372 OPS!

Now batting cleanup, in Matsui's old spot, Lee is absolutely destroying Japanese pitching. In his third season in Japanese professional baseball, Lee is on his way to an MVP award. If only the Giants weren't 1-9 in their last 10 games, and 8.5 games out of 1st. That doesn't matter in the end because the US is "The Lion King's" final destination, and the numbers he's amassing for "Kyojin" should do the trick. So far, Lee has produced:

.336(5)/.397(8)/.653(1)/1.051(4)

In 72 games: 60 runs, 13 2B, 25 HR, 54 RBIs, 26 BBs, 67 Ks

That's a 154 game pace of: 135 runs, 29 2B, 56 HR, 122 RBIs, 59 BBs, 151 Ks

As you can see, The Lion King is on pace to break the single-season record for home runs. His strikeout total is enormous, but so is his power. A .397 OBP is nothing to sneeze at, but imagine if he exercised a little better eye at the plate and turned some of those Ks into BBs. Look for Seattle, Los Angeles, and Anaheim to make a serious play for this guy in the offseason.

4. Kosuke Fukudome, RF - Chunichi Dragons

Fukudome, 29, is a fearsome hitter, who has an uncanny combination of both patience and power. In the World Baseball Classic, it was a pinch hitting Fukudome who finished off Byung Hyun Kim and Korea with a 2 run shot in their 3rd and final meeting. Unlike his teammate Matsunaka, however, the Dragons slugger did not produce for Team Japan during the tournament, finishing with a disappointing .182/.240/.455 line over 8 games.

No matter though. Japan won, and now Fukudome is back to doing what he does best. Terrorizing Japan League pitching to the tune of:

.350(2)/.418(3)/.646(2)/1.064(1)

In 66 games: 56 runs, 26 2B, 15 HR, 49 RBIs, 31 BBs, 43 Ks

That's a 154 game pace of: 131 runs, 61 2B, 35 HR, 114 RBIs, 72 BBs, 100 Ks

Considering that the single-season record for doubles in Japan is 45, and that in most years anything approaching 35 is a major accomplishment, 61 doubles would absolutely shatter the records books in the way that Babe Ruth's 54 home runs in 1920 demolished the record books in the US at that time. Fukudome is a trancendent talent. Any Major League club that could pry him away from the Dragons would have a staple outfielder hitting in the middle of their lineup for several years to come. His plate discipline fits the modern US game perfectly, and he would likely become an on base machine for some lucky club. I can't say I see him heading West, but we can dream.

There. That's it for today. Next time I do this, I'll focus on pitching. If you want to know more about the otherworldly and ultra-unbeatable Daisuke Matsuzaka, check my blog at www.matsuzaka.blogspot.com

Sayonara.