Foreign Relations: The Impact of the Asian Import

It was April 1995 a beautiful night at Dodger stadium, flashes from cameras were sparkling throughout the night like a fireworks show in the stands. The media gathered in numbers meant only for October, while the Dodger crowd was raucous in anticipation of their new prize pitcher. The Japanese faithful tuned in with record numbers to cheer on their fellow countrymen and for the first time we witnessed what kind of impact the asian market could have on professional sports in the U.S . I was sitting in the Loge section with my father unknowingly witnessing a historic night in sports, and a prelude of things to come.

I was speaking of Japanese starter Hideo Nomo. After a successful career with the Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japanese Professional League Nomo burst upon the Major League scene in 1995. As the first Japanese player to appear in the Majors since San Francisco's Masanori Murakami in 1965, Nomo went 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA and a league leading 236 strikeouts. He also started the 1995 All-Star Game at Texas. In 1996, Nomo pitched his first career no hitter at the most unlikely site in baseball Colorado's Coors Field a 9-0 victory on September 17.

After Nomo broke the barrier it seems like every year we have had at least 1 big name come from overseas whether it is the speedy all star Ichiro, the steady power of Hideki Matsui , unheralded closer Takashi Saito, or 2006 World Baseball Classic MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka. The latest player to be mentioned in making the leap across the pond is 32 year old right-hander Hiroki Kuroda from the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese Central League.

Kuroda is known as a control pitcher possessing a fastball in the 95mph range, and projects as a middle of the rotation starter. With the demand for quality pitching at a historic high it is likely Kuroda will be courted by a number of teams and will likely command a three year deal between $21-24 million. At this time the two teams that have show the most interest in Kuroda are the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The potential immediate impact of the Japanese players is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this new found free agent market. Like Hideo Nomo in 1995, Ichiro made an immediate name for himself in 2001 accumulating 242 hits, 56 SB's and a .350 BA. Hideki Matsui didn't disappoint either hitting 16 HR-106 RBI and batting a solid .287 in his 2003 rookie campaign, and fresh on our minds is Matsuzaka's 15 win campaign on the way to a world series ring.

Not all Japanese players have had the type of success as the above mentioned group. Many have become key role players like Kaz Matsui, Tadahito Iguchi, So Taguchi and more. Others like Norohito Nakamura struggled and was unable to stick with any MLB club, while a few have come over without the hype and have made a large impact like Okajima and Saito. The point is these Japanese players bring potential impact that teams normally wouldn't receive from a minor league call up. Some Japanese free agents turn out to be bargains like Saito, others justify their large contracts like Dice-K and others turn out to be costly busts like Kaz Matsui for the NY Mets. Only time will tell where Kuroda will fall, but no one should doubt the potential impact he and other Japanese players can bring to a major league club.