Daily update on Japanese baseball players 5/1/2012

Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 3-for-6: infield single, pop out to third, pop out to short, single to left, single to center, ground out to first. [Sponichi] Tampa Bay Rays 3 – Seattle Mariners 2

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) entered the game as a pinch-runner for Kyle Seager in the top of the 9th inning.  He remained in the game (took over at short) and went 0-for-1: ground out to third (bunt). [Sponichi] New York Yankees 2 – Baltimore Orioles 1

Hiroki Kuroda (NYY) started the game and gave up one run on four hits over seven innings of work.  He won the game and is now 2-3 on the year.  Final line: 7 IP, 87-52 NP-S, 24 BF, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO,  0 HR, 1 WP, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports] Boston Red Sox 11 – Oakland A’s 6

Junichi Tazawa (BOS) entered the game in the top of the 7th with no one on, two out, and the Red Sox up 11-6.  Tazawa faced three batters and could not get anyone out: single, HBP, E5 (fielding error). Final line: 0.0 IP, 13-7 NP-S, 3 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports] Texas Rangers 4 – Toronto Blue Jays 1

Yu Darvish (TEX) started the game and gave up one run (solo homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the bottom of the 4th) on four hits over seven innings of work.  He got the victory and improved to 4-0.  Final line: 7 IP, 97-62 NP-S, 27 BF, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports] Las Vegas 8 – Reno 7 (AAA)

Ryota Igarashi (LV) entered the game in the bottom of the 9th and tossed a shutout inning for his first save of the year.  Final line: 1 IP, 14-10 NP-S, 4 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

via MLB – Yakyu Baka.

Complete list of Asians in MLB Major League Baseball for 2012

Takashi Saito (Japanese) – Arizona Diamondbacks – Pitcher – on the inactive roster

Tsuyoshi Wada (Japanese) – Baltimore Orioles – Pitcher – starting out the season on the 15-day disabled list.

Wei-Yin Chen (Taiwanese) – Baltimore Orioles – Pitcher – performed well in Spring training.  will be a starting pitcher.

Che-Hsuan Lin (Taiwanese) – Boston RedSox – Centerfielder – is on the inactive roster

Junichi Tazawa (Japanese) – Boston RedSox – Pitcher – is on the inactive roster

Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japanese) – Boston RedSox – Pitcher – likely to return from Tommy John surgery sometime in May.

Kosuke Fukudome (Japanese) – Chicago Whitesox – Rightfielder – potentially a starting outfielder.

Shin-Soo Choo (Korean) – Cleveland Indians – Rightfielder – will start at right field.

Bruce Chen (Chinese) – Kansas City Royals – Pitcher

Hank Choi Conger (Korean) – Los Angeles Angels – Catcher -inactive roster, in minor league

Hisanori Takahashi (Japanese) – Los Angeles Angels – Pitcher

Travis Ishikawa (Japanese/white) – Milwaukee Brewers – Firstbase – makes the roster as a reserve first baseman.  hit .255 and 2 homers in Spring training.

Norichika Aoki (Japanese) – Milwaukee Brewers – Leftfielder – hit .300 in Spring training.  one of five outfielders on the roster.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (Japanese) – Minnesota Twins – Secondbase – will start the season in Triple-A.

Hiroki Kuroda (Japanese) – New York Yankees – Pitcher – will be a starting pitcher.

Kurt Suzuki (Japanese) – Oakland A’s – Catcher – starting catcher

Tim Lincecum (white/Filipino) – San Francisco Giants – Pitcher – ace pitcher for the Giants

Ichiro Suzuki (Japanese) – Seattle Mariners – Rightfielder - enters his 10th year in MLB.  Will bat 3rd in the lineup instead of his customary leadoff position.  hit .415 in Spring training.

Munenori Kawasaki (Japanese) – Seatlle Mariners – Shortstop - had the best batting average of all players during spring training with a .455 average.  Will start the season as an utility infielder.

Chih-Hsien Chiang (Taiwanese) – Seattle Mariners – Rightfielder – on the inactive roster

Hisashi Iwakuma (Japanese) – Seattle Mariners – Pitcher – will start out the season as a relief pitcher with the possibility of being a starting pitcher down the line.

Erik Komatsu (Japanese/white) – St.Louis Cardinals – Secondbase

Yu Darvish (Japanese/Iranian) – Texas Rangers – Pitcher- biggest MLB signing this offseason.  will get the most buzz and hype.

Yoshinori Taeyama (Japanese) – Texas Rangers – Pitcher – on the injured list

Koji Uehara (Japanese) – Texas Rangers – Pitcher – will be a relief pitcher

Don Wakamatsu (Japanese/white) – Toronto BlueJays – Bench Coach.

Chien Ming Wang (Taiwanese) – Washington Nationals – Pitcher – injured hamstring in Spring training.  start will be delayed.

Jeremy Guthrie (White/Japanese) – Colorado Rockies – Pitcher

Vance Worley (White/Chinese) – Philadelphia Phillies – Pitcher

Big list of Asian players in 2012 MLB Spring Training

There are many Asians in this years’ 2012 MLB team rosters.  More than half of these players expected to make it onto the regular season roster.  Take a look at the list,

Takashi Saito (Japanese) – Arizona Diamondbacks – Pitcher

Tsuyoshi Wada (Japanese) – Baltimore Orioles – Pitcher

Wei-Yin Chen (Taiwanese) – Baltimore Orioles – Pitcher

Che-Hsuan Lin (Taiwanese) – Boston RedSox – Centerfielder

Junichi Tazawa (Japanese) – Boston RedSox – Pitcher

Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japanese) – Boston RedSox – Pitcher

Jae-Hoon Ha (Korean) – Chicago Cubs – Rightfielder

Kosuke Fukudome (Japanese) – Chicago Whitesox – Rightfielder

Shin-Soo Choo (Korean) – Cleveland Indians – Rightfielder

Chun-Hsiu Chen (Taiwanese) – Cleveland Indians – Catcher

Bruce Chen (Chinese) – Kansas City Royals – Pitcher

Hank Choi Conger (Korean) – Los Angeles Angels – Catcher

Hisanori Takahashi (Japanese) – Los Angeles Angels – Pitcher

Travis Ishikawa (Japanese/white) – Milwaukee Brewers – Firstbase

Norichika Aoki (Japanese) – Milwaukee Brewers – Leftfielder

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (Japanese) – Minnesota Twins – Secondbase

Ray Chang (Chinese) – Minnesota Twins – Thirdbase

Hiroki Kuroda (Japanese) – New York Yankees – Pitcher

Kurt Suzuki (Japanese) – Oakland A’s – Catcher

Ryota Igaarashi (Japanese) – Pittsburgh Pirates – Pitcher

Tim Lincecum (white/Filipino) – San Francisco Giants – Pitcher

Ichiro Suzuki (Japanese) – Seattle Mariners – Rightfielder

Munenori Kawasaki (Japanese) – Seatlle Mariners – Shortstop

Chih-Hsien Chiang (Taiwanese) – Seattle Mariners – Rightfielder

Hisashi Iwakuma (Japanese) – Seattle Mariners – Pitcher

Hong-Chih Kuo (Taiwanese) – Seattle Mariners – Pitcher

Kolten Wong (Chinese Hawaiian) – St.Louis Cardinals – Secondbase

Hak-Ju Lee (Korean) – Tampa Bay Rays – Shortstop

Kyeong Kang (Korean) – Tampa Bay Rays – Rightfielder

Yu Darvish (Japanese/Iranian) – Texas Rangers – Pitcher

Yoshinori Taeyama (Japanese) – Texas Rangers – Pitcher

Koji Uehara (Japanese) – Texas Rangers – Pitcher

Chien Ming Wang (Taiwanese) – Washington Nationals – Pitcher

Is Kurt Suzuki Out Of Oakland’s Plans?

After trading his three All-Star pitchers Trevor Cahill, Andrew Bailey, and Gio Gonzalez, A’s general manager Billy Beane could also end up trading the guy who helped in the development of those pitchers. Kurt Suzuki, the A’s solid backstop for the past five seasons, could find himself playing for another team at some point next season.

According to a recent rumor from Buster Olney, the A’s catcher could be dealt before next season’s trade deadline. Olney might not be in the wrong when saying that Oakland could move on from Suzuki sometime next season. Trading Suzuki, 28, makes sense since the A’s are trying to go younger by the minute. Suzuki took over in 2007 after the team parted ways with Jason Kendall, but given the team’s recent push towards another rebuild, Suzuki could find himself in the same situation Kendall was in four years ago.

Oakland isn’t actively shopping Suzuki, but as we get further into the season, I’m sure they’ll listen in to any offers regarding Suzuki’s services. The team recently scored catching prospect Derek Norris in the Gio Gonzalez trade and have Max Stassi getting himself ready in the minors as potential successors to Suzuki. Would the A’s really trade Suzuki, though? Yes. Yes, they probably would. Never underestimate Billy Beane, who seemingly likes tearing apart his young core of players. Suzuki’s days in Oakland are likely numbered.

While Suzuki isn’t really old, he’s too old for Oakland. Plus, his numbers have been on a steady decline from his explosive (to Oakland’s standards) 2009 season. He hit .274/.313/.421 slash line with 15 HR and a team leading 88 RBIs in ’09, but has managed to hit just .240/.302/.375 with 27 HR and 117 RBIs over the last two seasons combined.

He posted a 2.9 WAR in ’09 according to BaseballReference.com, but posted 1.7 WAR this past season. Offensively, these past two seasons haven’t been good for Suzuki fans.

Aside from his offensive slide, his ability to throw out base-runners took a pounding this past year as well. The one thing he did have success with, however, was his solid handling of Oakland’s young pitchers. The A’s once again performed well in the pitching department this past year, posting the 10th best ERA (3.71) in the majors. Suzuki, who helped in the development of Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, is a valuable asset in the sense that he knows how to handle a young pitching staff.

Still, given Oakland’s commitment to the second “youth-movement,” I’m not entirely sure Suzuki will be the guy handling the pitching staff next year after July 31st. That role could potentially go to Norris, who was regarded as a top catching prospect at one time. Norris, 22, may not boast a high batting average, but he does bring the A’s some source of power. He belted 20 home runs this past year with Washington’s Double-A affiliate. Norris is a pretty good prospect for the A’s and should see some action this spring. He could be the guy Oakland decides to groom as Suzuki’s successor as the team prepares to get younger. Like it or not, Kurt Suzuki could find himself out of Oakland’s plans this upcoming season.

via Is Kurt Suzuki Out Of Oakland's Plans? – Swingin' A's – An Oakland Athletics Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More.

Mariners manager says Ichiro won’t necessarily hit leadoff

A move out of the leadoff spot appears possible for Ichiro as the Mariners look toward the 2012 season.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge held his scheduled media session at the baseball winter meetings Tuesday and said he’d met with Ichiro twice this offseason to keep him updated on the team’s thinking. Wedge added that he doesn’t want Ichiro to read or hear anything about himself in the media first. That could involve a switch out of the leadoff spot he’s held since 2001.

“I’m still not sure where I’m going to hit him in the order and I want him to understand that,” Wedge said, adding he most recently met with Ichiro a few days ago. “Because ultimately, I’m going to do what I feel like is best for our club.

“I’m going to put out the best nine, in the right order, in the order that I see fit. To score as many runs as we can. And if I feel like that’s him leading off, then that’s what we’re going to do. If I feel like that’s him hitting in the three-hole, that’s what we’re going to do. If I feel like it’s him hitting somewhere else, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

Wedge had suggested at season’s end that a change to the leadoff spot might be coming. But his comments Tuesday at the Hilton Anatole hotel are some of his strongest yet on the subject and something Ichiro apparently agrees with.

“He told me last year in the middle of the season when I was talking to him that he wants to do whatever’s best for the ballclub,” Wedge said. “And he wants me to do whatever I feel is best for the ballclub. And I take him at his word and that’s what I’m going to do. And he’s been tremendous and he’s been communicative with me and I appreciate that.”

By Geoff Baker, Seattle Times staff reporter via Mariners | Mariners manager says Ichiro won't necessarily hit leadoff | Seattle Times Newspaper.

Travis Ishikawa inks deal with the Milwaukee Brewers

First baseman Travis Ishikawa will be with a new organization for the first time in his professional baseball career next season.

After spending nine seasons with the San Francisco Giants, the first baseman signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. Ishikawa was a Giants’ draft pick out of Federal Way in 2002 and was a key reserve on San Francisco’s World Series team back in 2010. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound left hander will attend the Major League spring training camp with the Brewers, but is not guaranteed a spot on Milwaukee’s 25-man roster.

Ishikawa is coming off shoulder surgery in June on his non-throwing arm. He suffered the injury while playing right field for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Giants’ AAA affiliate. Ishikawa was hitting .251 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and 14 doubles in 56 games for the Grizzlies before the shoulder injury. Ishikawa’s last game was June 12. He was designated for assignment by San Francisco following spring training last year after spending the previous two seasons and parts of two others, on the Giants’ Major League roster. After clearing waivers, Ishikawa was outrighted to Fresno. Ishikawa was hoping to sign with another Major League team after being cut from the Giants’ 40-man roster. But there wasn’t a lot of interest in the veteran first baseman before the 2011 season.

During San Francisco’s World Series season, Ishikawa hit .319 (15-for-47) as a pinch-hitter and was regarded highly enough to start Game 4 against the Texas Rangers. Ishikawa also drew a key walk in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against Atlanta that fueled a ninth-inning rally. During the entire 2010 postseason, he played in a total of 10 games and finished 2 for 10 at the plate with two runs, a double and an RBI during the playoffs.

The 28-year-old Ishikawa appeared in 116 games in 2010 for the Giants during the regular season when he hit .266 in 128 at-bats with 42 hits, 11 doubles, three home runs and 22 RBIs. Ishikawa spent a bulk of the 2009 season as San Francisco’s everyday first baseman after an impressive spring training. In 2009, Ishikawa hit .261 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 120 regular season games. He also spent time with the Giants during the 2006 and ’08 seasons. Travis Ishikawa has a lifetime batting average of .265 with 15 home runs, 80 RBIs, 30 doubles in 603 at-bats during his four-year Major League career. Ishikawa was a 21st round draft choice by the Giants out of Federal Way in 2002. But he wasn’t the normal 21st rounder. The Giants dished out $955,000 to sign the first baseman. It was the highest bonus awarded for a player drafted after the first round at the time.

via BASEBALL: Ishikawa inks minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers – Federal Way Mirror.

Yu Darvish bid tops Dice-K

The winning bid for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish will top the $51.1 million the Red Sox paid for the right to speak to Daisuke Matsuzaka, SI.com reported Saturday. The amount is not known, nor the winning bidder.

Darvish’s team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters do not have to announce the winning bid until Tuesday at 5 p.m. EST. Teams reported to have bid are the Yankees, Blue Jays, Cubs and Rangers, although SI.com says six teams have placed bids on the 25-year-old right-hander. Reports have pegged the Blue Jays as the top bidder, but there has been no confirmation of bids or bidders for that matter.

Darvish was 18-7 with a 1.44 ERA and 276/36 K/BB ratio in 232 innings this past year for the Fighters.

via Report: Yu Darvish bid tops Dice-K – MLB – Sporting News.

Hiroki Kuroda: Report: Yankees offer Kuroda $12 million deal

The Japanese website Sponichi reports that the Yankees have offered Hiroki Kuroda a one-year, $12 million contract.

Now that Kuroda has said he’s willing to pitch away from the West Coast, there are a bevy of teams interested in his services. The 36-year-old is reportedly asking for $12-13 million per season, though he should be able to get a multi-year deal if he wants. The Red Sox, Cubs, Rockies and Diamondbacks are also reportedly interested.

via Fantasy Baseball Breaking News – Rotoworld.com.

MLB: Japanese player Norichika Aoki to be posted

The seven time NPB all-star CF, Norichika Aoki, announced he will be posted on Monday. Aoki is a superb contact hitter and defensive OFer, being one of only 4 Japanese players to manage 200+ hits in a season and has won three consecutive Gold Glove awards. He’s a lefty with great ability to spray the ball to all fields and has developed enough power to go from being a leadoff-only hitter to establishing himself as a legitimate #3 hitter. He is widely regarded as one of the most complete and well-rounded position players in Japan.

MLB: Yu Darvish will be available for posting this Tuesday. Highest bid expected to be around $100 million

The clock is ticking on potential bidders for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, who made himself available for posting Thursday. That means major league teams must submit bids by Tuesday afternoon to win the right to negotiate with him.

So far, teams have been slow to acknowledge they’ll bid for him but are respectful in their assessment of the 6-foot-5 righthander who was 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA last season with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. All 30 big-league clubs are free to submit a blind bid for exclusive negotiating rights to Darvish, whom the Newark Star-Ledger describes as the most-hyped Japanese import since pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

However, the total amount—posting fee plus actual player contract—of $100 million that it’s projected to take to sign Darvish could be a problem. The Star-Telegram reported that the Rangers have remained mum on Darvish, even though the majority of the front office has been to Japan to watch him pitch. According to the newspaper, they are expected to submit a bid by Tuesday afternoon to win the rights to negotiate with him. Even with a rotation that could use another arm, the Yankees are unlikely to be major players in the Darvish sweepstakes, the Star-Ledger reported.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman declined to comment on whether the Yankees intend to submit a bid, the newspaper added, but did have this assessment Darvish: “He’s an extremely talented player. I don’t think that’s in dispute.” And though Cashman wouldn’t say whether the Yankees planned to submit a bid, the New York Daily News reported that they are expected to: “Despite their negative experience with bust Kei Igawa—they paid $26 million for the rights to negotiate with Igawa five years ago, then gave him $20 million—sources say the Bombers believe Darvish’s stuff can translate to the majors.”

via Teams interested in Yu Darvish? They're playing it coy – MLB – Sporting News.

Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish reportedly wants to play Major League Baseball next season – ESPN

Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish wants to play Major League Baseball next season, USA Today reported Wednesday.

A 25-year-old right-hander Darvish plays for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who would take bids from MLB teams to negotiate for their ace’s services. The money from the winning bid goes to the Fighters.

The team that wins the bidding has 30 days to negotiate a deal with Darvish. If a deal is not agreed upon, Darvish would go back to Japan and the money from the winning bid is returned.

Darvish has a 1.99 earned run average in Japan’s Pacific League since turning pro in 2005. He was 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA this season.

“He’s one of the best,” Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, who managed against Darvish in Japan, told USA Today. “If you asked, ‘Who are the four best pitchers in baseball?’ you’d have to talk about him.”

via Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish reportedly wants to play Major League Baseball next season – ESPN.

Hideki Matsui unlikely to re-sign with A’s

Since taking over as the A’s manager in the middle of the season Bob Melvin has said repeatedly that he’d like the team to re-sign Hideki Matsui, but he sounds highly unlikely to get his wish.

Melvin reiterated his desire for Matsui to return while speaking to reporters yesterday at the winter meetings, but general manager Billy Beane downplayed the odds of it happening and indicated that the A’s will turn to younger players in the designated hitter role.

Beane mentioned Chris Carter, Brandon Allen, and Kila Ka’aihue, each of whom have some flaws and each of whom are very capable of topping Matsui’s production at a fraction of the cost.

Matsui plans to play somewhere in 2012 at age 38, but hit just .251 with 12 homers and a career-low .696 OPS in 141 games for the A’s while being paid $4.25 million.

via Hideki Matsui unlikely to re-sign with A’s | HardballTalk.