Speaking Japanese

WOW it seems like it's been a millennium since we have seen the first sightings of a Japanese player burst on to the scene in our game. Baseball has seen it's diversity of players through the past 70 years. Now a days we see more and more worldly diverse of players on the field and in the farm systems. You never know where we may find the talent to make our game the greatest it can be.

pitcher Masanori Murakami, was named the California League Rookie of the Year while playing for the Fresno Giants (the San Francisco Giants' Class-A team). Giants executives were impressed with this talent and on September 1, 1964 Murakami was promoted, thus becoming the first Japanese player to play in MLB. Turns out with the Japanese League he was on loan and couldn't stay. Bummer he was good as a reliever.

It took another 30 years before we seen another Japanese born player in American Baseball, Our National Pastime. This second and most influential player that opened the doors wide open for a flood of players to come was no other then Hideo Nomo. Nomo burst on the scene in 1995, He became the 4th Los Angeles Dodger player in a row to be Rookie of the year (followed Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Followed by Todd Hollandsworth) Nomo went 2.54 earned run average, 236 strikeouts, 13–6 record in 28 games started. That is an Excellent performance to show the Major Leagues that Japan is a place to seek out prospects. No other Pitcher from Japan has achieved as much as Nomo did in his Major League career. Not even the second pitcher to cross over with contract stipulations as Nomo, Hideki Irabu did the same as Nomo did Retire from the Nippon Professional Baseball teams to come to America and play for Major League Baseball (for millions of dollars no doubt).
In 2001 another mega star from the Japanese Leagues stepped foot on American soil with camera bulbs flashing and not a word of English spoken, Ichiro Susuki hit and hit and hit his way into the record books and in the hearts of all of Seattle. Ichiro as we all know him as has had over 200 hits for his 10yr career. Currently has 2,244 hits, .331 avg., 558 runs batted in, 383 stolen bases, 1047 runs. If you combine his career numbers of NPB he has 3522 hits, .342 avg., 1087 runs batted in, 582 stolen bases, 1705 runs. All together in a 19yr Baseball career is Hall of Fame numbers hands down. Nomo threw 2 no hitters one in each league. One no hitter as a Dodger and one as a Redsox. Not since Sandy Kofaux has a Dodger threw a No No. Hideo Nomo has a combined record of 201 wins- 156 losses, 3.695 earned run average,3122 strike outs in a 18yr career. Now that is boarder line Hall of Fame numbers but they have let in some with less credentials. We see a lot of Japanese born Major Leaguers come and go, but who out of the 12 that are currently in the Majors can become the next big thing from Japan. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Matsui, Hiroki Kuroda, Kosuke Fukudome,Takashi Saito, Hideki Okajima, Junichi Tazawa, Hisanori Takahashi, or the latest new comers this season in Yoshinori Tateyama of the Rangers or Tsuyoshi Nishioka of the Twins (who is deemed the next Ichiro) Who knows all the names on this list have had their names in the spot light and made considerable contributions to Major League clubs that signed them. I see Japan is still untapped with talent and with the contract between MLB and NPB we will never see the greatest Japan has to offer. There is still Yu Darvich the next Randy Johnson.
So I say "am I just speaking Japanese or what?"
That is my take on it, What is your?