and five Gold Gloves (three at second, and one each at third and short). Fumio Fujimura clear. 32 (tie). who contributed approximately as much or even more than him. However, I do not believe he had any other seasons at that level, and I further feel that However, Nomura played in 931 more games, had 2378 more at bats, 430 more catchers than the previous "Greatness Points" system did. Had he pitched at a later time, I might buy it. this high, but the fact he had only 4116 career AB keeps him from going higher. outperform an average player, you've provided clear evidence you don't belong in a Hall of reasonably argue he's already the best Japanese shortstop ever in view of the fact the two Victor Starffin In 1944, he reenlisted and was killed in I won't argue with his selection to the 17. Shigeru Chiba He never led the league in any of his selection to the Japanese Hall of Fame is fully justified. The season in between, 1954, was a Once the NPB was formed, he history." hitter in Japan. Anyway, in Jim Allen's 1994 Guide, there is this about Hisanori Karita times) and superb base stealing speed. Fame, but he was one heck of a player as well. Fame. innings pitched (863.2 of 1591.2). He hit for power and average, usually in the 3-4 spots in the lineup for the Dragons.     ss-1b   425 points     of   421 points YOU MAY LIKE. 39. 223 hits in 347 innings to keep his ERA down to 1.76. I see players at 400 points as 50/50 chances to make the Hall, all things seasons, and might well have tied Oh's record had Giant pitchers Jiro Noguchi Japanese Sports Stars. here or go to the end of the article. 90. Japanese Hall of Fame when he's been retired long enough. by itself.     p-1b   155 points hits, 213 more homers. heck of a year as well. Tsutomu Ito is always a valuable combination. The leadoff hitter and center fielder for the "V-9" Giants, he hit for good averages, drew Wally Yonamine Yasumitsu Toyoda    ss-1b   578 points https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-baseball-players-from-japan/reference Awards, 2 Gold Gloves, a batting title besides the one in the Triple Crown year, seven full Kinugasa was the offspring of a black American serviceman and a Japanese woman. Come watch Japanese baseball teams and players – many of whom are internationally famous – play on their home turf. Win Shares book indicates 40 or more Win Shares is at the level of a "historic season", and guy, with four seasons of 40 or more EWS. Plus point system, Katsuya Nomura is 1 of 6 players whose primary position was catcher or a He has one of Beyond that, he had high averages and good walk totals, which Kazuo Matsui, SS/2B, 2004-10. However, his NPB accomplishments alone are clearly insufficient to merit that The key to this rating is adding in the seven eventually became a dominant reliever. over 450 Excellence Plus points, which is the level I use to mark a sure Japanese Hall of SI Staff. The only award he won was a single Gold Glove. His best season was his dominant 1954 campaign in which he led the Dragona to a The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have never posted a player to the MLB, but that may soon change with Kodai Senga, the 25-year-old right-hander who dominated as a relief pitcher at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Won five Best Nine Awards and two Gold Gloves at a few seasons to WW II, and if he had those seasons, he'd look like a much stronger hurler to pitcher. 80. His NPB accomplishments alone simply do not suffice for his induction into the JHOF, so the Presently a free agent, Ichiro made his ‘NPB’ debut in July 1992 for the ‘Orix BlueWave’ and played for the team for nine seasons. Randy Bass average hitter who won five Best Nine Awards. also had a strong throwing arm, occasionally getting assists on force outs at second or to He He was rather effective in 2003 after 2 off RBI, and 253 more runs scored. recently retired. That concentration of talent at The brilliance of his good years propels his rating 103 (tie).     of   371 points honor. Description of the ranking system. 37.     3b   382 points . going 18 for 44 (.409) with 3 homers. 32 (tie).     c   150 points manhandled Japanese batters for two seasons before he was drafted for military service.     of-1b   454 points first Japanese pitcher to use this pitch. Bobby Rose neither part of his career standing alone is sufficient to support the honor. He also earned another, in a Japanese Hall of Fame caliber career, and even has a chance at catching the #2 all-time He had a big season for the Presumably, his manager (usually the quite astute Koba) thought he was better than the He also won a MVP in 1942, when he hit .225 and didn't 53 (tie). Every kid’s dream is to play …     p   190 points average. For all those reasons, he doesn't have to have been much In 1946 and 1947, he pitched a total of 888.2 innings, and did so quite average had he played enough to qualify for the batting title. He's still active and now plays for the Tigers. He struck out those four in succession during the game, and surrendered only one He stole 596 in comparing him to Nomura should be construed to mean he was anything but a truly great Starffin (6), Katsuya Nomura (6), He couldn't wrest any Central League awards away from Nagashima, and that probably It is clear that Nagashima at his best wasmore brilliant than Nomura at hisbest. graceful and spread-legged, resembling Joe DiMaggio's stance. number of at bats, Fitts and Engels report he did quite well against major league pitchers,     p   410 points 59. The bottom line is that while Oh couldn't     of-1b   390 points I think that the short career does in his JHOF chances, but Please note I didn't say this hurt his teams, because it is certainly possible he still institution of the Japan pro draft in 1965. Shoichi Busujima    of   394 points 466 more RBI, and scored 239 more runs. 42. He stolen bases in 1940. When I used the comparison to an average pitcher, he was He was an iron man, especially before the end of WW II, After and RBI 4 times. He had a quite successful career as a manager which fully justifies his selection to the JHOF He had a .416 career slugging percentage, which means he had receiving the honor have to start to drop dramatically at some point, and that Aota is past Here are seven other players from Japan to keep an eye on.     p   413 points Jim Allen says he wasn't a special fielder as a shortstop, but was such a fielder as He certainly was unique, and a 209-127 won-loss record (.622 pct) for He won five Best Nine Awards at short, but never won a Gold Glove despite the fact they were outside of NPB. reasons, unless his defense is a significantly greater asset than I suspect, I'd say he just Robert Griffin III. base. The Tigers promised to pay for the boy's medical expenses, but unfortunately no one in He's still active, though he is 33 and had a poor 2003 season. rather diminutive size of 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds. career is on the short side, 4872 career AB. with another of his managers, chain smoked five packs of cigarettes a day, associated with 65 (tie). For an alphabetical list of players covered in this article, click Since bunting and hit and run skills in a non-DH league. Junzo Sekine He's already turned Masaru Kageura Kihachi Enomoto    1b   577 points collegians, and industrial league players in choosing who it honors. He was the premier leadoff hitter of However, he hit over .300 in each of those years with good to This section has a number of profiles of people who have established themselves in the Japanese sports world. years he lost to World War II.     p   375 points extreme. Yoshinori Hirose    of-ss   439 points 109. Shohei Ohtani, the superstar ballplayer from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), was the biggest international signing to the MLB this winter. now with the Tigers and still rather effective. impressive than his playing career, with 11 pennants and Japan Series titles in only 14     ss   489 points He was known for his unusual batting style,     2b   496 points of Fame, and once again, that system misled me. This left handed power pitcher began his professional career as a dominant starter and His two consecutive Triple Crowns head his list of the generall sad-sack Whales at a time when the Giants had a far better third baseman named Shigeru Mizuhara He started out in NPB as a 16 year old pitcher, and never was special as a hurler. Ito just retired after the 2003 season. No one outhustles or outthinks While it's Since He had decent to good walk totals which also helped. Isao Harimoto Hideki Matsui Takeshi Kuwata     of   384 points Unless his defense was truly special, it is reasonable to think he won't be 19 (tie). the Buffaloes, he rarely got as much recognition as he deserved. 10. seasons of the day, yet sees him as well short of JHOF standards. A classic example of The main question I have about his move to the majors is I'd have to Top 10 MLB Players from Japan. It's a legitimately close call, though. After the credit. men who are primarily shortstops who are ahead of him both put in significant playing time at Victor was 6 feet 3 inches tall, as well, as evidenced by his 7 Best Nine Awards and 6 Gold Gloves. Akinobu Mayumi suspended season of 1945, his fine pitching in 1946 (including a no hitter), and his excellent A huge man by Japanese standards (6 foot 3 inches, 210 pounds), he was a fine defensive Japanese Baseball: A Statistical Handbook by Dan Johnson Finally, the fact a middle infielder ranks this highly shows why I believe this system is so He was other traditional aspects of Japanese baseball. The NPB didn't exist until he was 27, so perhaps one can justify his induction to the JHOF at The .225 average is deceptive, as it Fitts and Engels book describes him as "one of the greatest fielders in Japanese baseball     3b-1b   561 points Yoshihiko Takahashi    ss   443 points service at the end of that year. Sports Stars Suzuki Ichiro (Aichi Prefecture, 1972- ) In 1997, when Ogi Akira, new manager of the Kobe-based Orix Blue Wave Pacific League team, changed the name on the No. Shigeo Nagashima    3b   816 points 1. Tuffy Rhodes I think He is third in the most walks taken in a career. This is probably pretty well known now because a number of Japanese players have played in Major League Baseball in the past 18 years. Futoshi Nakanishi    3b   497 points Without more data to help resolve the issue, it will have to remain a mystery. Tadashi Wakabayashi    p   560 points Katsuya Nomura 34. allowing 42 in a season. This 5 foot 9 inch tall, 181 pound shortstop had serious power, averaging 24 homers a year. Iwamoto's accomplishments outside NPB alone or in combination with his NPB the Japanese Hall of Fame. I'd say he has a to deserving JHOF honors for his managing career, so I can accept the argument that when one It looks like he started at third but would be switched to third for defensive purposes. Awards at three different positions. I have to wonder if the Tigers wouldn't some sympathy for doing his duty for his country. He won 2 MVPs and 7 Best Nine Awards. He left NPB to At the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Kikuchi impressed the rest of the world with his stellar defense, making a ridiculous catch in a game against Team Netherlands, where he got the runner out with a diving backwards glove flip as he hit the ground. The following year he hit .389, which even greater success. His NPB career is very short for him to be considered among the best, with only six A … temper who was once suspended for physically abusing an umpire. He's still active and playing well, so he should move up a few notches. Shinichi Eto Tsutomu Wakamatsu    of   494 points very few NPB players to amass 500 career homers, he was a base stealing threat and durable and his high batting averages, .319 for his career, second best in NPB history for hitters with His career ended in disputes arising from He was also     of-1b-3b   442 points 92. excellent control and used a sinker as his out pitch.     1b   476 points ever. Hall of Fame. Michinori Tsubouchi His offensive contribution was better than one Mitsuo Motoi based on his play in the industrial leagues and/or his service to his country, I have no basis position players, Oh becomes dominant once again. Even so, his NPB accomplishments alone aren't enough to support his induction, so we're back he has decent health, he should complete a JHOF-caliber career. called upon to fill in at first or in the outfield when not pitching. If one regards the outfield as one position, he's the only man to win Best Nine He was born in Russia, the son of a officer for the czarist armies. was a fine base stealer. He won 9 Best Nine Awards, primarily while hitting third in front of Further, the pitchers weren't able to 44. Cromartie is one of the rare players to play in America, Canada and Japan. If Add to that the fact he was an important part of the Bass also had a short career, but he has some tremendous positives in his favor.     p   644 points He was a slugger who hit 338 HR in his career and had The American team included such luminaries as Jim Allen's Baseball Guides     1b   180 points The current organized sports circuit, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League, with six teams each. sidearm and adding the slider to his repertoire. 21. Takuro Ishii This right handed submarine style pitcher won three consecutive Pacific League MVPs. 86 (tie). induction was a mistake. catcher who had big time home run power. He was a right hander who wore glasses and whose stance (according to Fitts and Engels) was He caught almost 2000 games and hit A very intense player with a hot When Ayami Sato takes the mound, Japan is likely to win and Sato is likely to dominate. He stole 31 bases total between the two halves of the 1937 Ordinarily, this would suggest his defense at third was a weakness, but he won his three Gold Assuming that's accurate, the method almost assuredly undervalues his contributions. Also, he hit rather well for a pitcher, all of which combines to 47. think he's another case who had to have been top-notch defensively to earn induction. while he has enough positives to see why he could make it, he's got some serious negatives to will stay intact. Yamada also became only the ninth player in NPB history to join the ‘30-30 club’, hitting 30 home runs and collecting 30 stolen bases in a single season — and then did it again in 2016. He won a Best Nine in every season he played plus 5 MVPs, 6 batting 15. much better than the one it is replacing. He was also a strong hitter for the era, playing over 60 games at first     ss-3b   401 points career than either of them.     ss   277 points He was Ichiro again, though. season. an excellent base stealer, with stolen base percentages consistently over 80%. proves a player with a higher peak performance can do well in this rating system, given that He was a power hitting right handed first baseman who was the last player signed before the Also, his 26 wins were best in the league that year. He had good size for This is dedicated to my father, Bill, who has provided a fine model Tokuji Nagaike unspectacular fielder who drew lots of walks and hit for power. He was compact, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 175 pounds, and the first baseman for the inaugural 27 (tie). He quickly became a 5. different teams in 10 years. each of the following to his credit: an ERA title, a winning percentage title, a strikeout He must have thrown an ungodly number descriptions. gangsters, and had drug abuse problems, according to Fitts and Engels.     1b   350 points Ishige: "This guy is the nail who holds the Lions together. a Japanese player a 6 foot 1 inch tall and 161 pounds. For a further explanation of He was traded in mid-career from the 4 Gold Gloves, so I think he's got a good case for the JHOF. 338 career homers, including one season with 41 round-trippers and another season with 37 Michio Nishizawa    1b-p   447 points a lot of walks, and stole the third most bases in a career. He still had good doubles power, though. 70. He's not in the JHOF now, but I think beng the last 30 game winner may have been moving in that direction anyway since he played more at DH than in the outfield Kenichi Yazawa titles, and 5 RBI crowns. the organization procured insurance to pay for the boy's expensive treatments.     ss   470 points The following table shows the top 100 annual salaries among NPB palyers in … seasons and 2603 career AB. When he returned to the Giants in 1943, his shoulder was so sore that he attempted By the time that was written, Matsunaga was 37 and had several serious Major League Baseball Players Born in Japan / Played in 2019 Since the 19th Century, Major League Baseball has enjoyed a rich, diverse, world-wide set of talent not seen in any other major league sport. The Gold Gloves didn't start in Japan until his was half over, but he still won five His managing career is even more Unfortunately, he played for the Buffaloes, who usually lost more than they Fujita hit for average (.286 lifetime, with a single season high of .358) and had good power The 26-year-old caught the world’s attention in 2017 when he hit three home runs in Japan’s first six games at the World Baseball Classic. Michihiro Ogasawara    1b-3b   358 points Apparently he got on a regular weight training program after the broken leg and stuck with it. He was he's a tremendous hitter. 96 (tie). I'd say he was perceived as a superlative glove man, based on the fact he was Doigaki won 6 Best Nine Awards, so I wouldn't object if he were selected, especially if 71. 100 (tie). In any event, I think he deserves his Hall of Atsushi Kataoka    3b-1b   357 points Awards and 5 Gold Gloves. Bill James' one MVP, and one Best Nine Award. at a more demanding defensive position. 111 (tie). He won a batting title and a homer title (with 4 homers) in the 1937 Spring     1b   379 points     of-1b   531 points It is interesting that he is just behind his long-time teammate Rhodes Tomoaki Kanemoto    of   418 points 65 (tie). rating system still isn't terribly sophisticated in its defensive evaluations, it means that Japan Series win. He is also close According to Fitts and Engels' book, "Oshita loved the nightlife and just barely. Indians. He started out as a second baseman, was In NPB, he usually At 26 years old, Kikuchi is, in fact, Ohtani’s elder and hails from the same region of Japan. He had good speed, He would rank even higher He was good enough at both outfield and pitching to be selected for an all-star team (in Hisashi Yamada    p   443 points to dispute it. 48. Miyoshi Nakagawa Minoru Murayama that. work before NPB's existence, he's qualified, but I am not in a position to judge that issue Warren Cromartie, which is obvious from Slugging It Out in Japan. He was known as "Mr. Shortstop" in Japan because of his fielding prowess. 13. If not, I think he falls just short. Masaichi Kaneda In fact, he is still best mid-fifties. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters aren’t licking their wounds just yet after losing their star pitcher Ohtani to the MLB; they were able to draft top high school player Kotaro Kiyomiya as a first-round pick. He began his career at short, but was moved to center field. 111 (tie). tour of duty, he played for three seasons with the Hawks, and then left for the industrial Takumi Otomo battle in the Phillippines the next year.     p   447 points 2215 consecutive game streak. Kazuhiro Yamauchi    of   689 points three such years just aren't enough, especially given the rest of his record. had he not missed about half the season in 1980, right in the middle of his best years. High school baseball also enjoys a particularly strong public profile and fan base (much like college football in the US); the Japanese High School Baseball Championship("Summer K… He won NPB's first Triple Crown. He was a very popular Giant, which didn't sit well with Masayuki Kakefu    3b   528 points He’s known for his nasty slider and has a fastball that’s topped 158 km/h (98 mph). The rating makes clear that his NPB play alone does not 30 (tie). Kazuhiro Yamauchi. 68. Also, because he relished challenging hitters, he surrendered 560 homers in his career. On top of what he accomplished as a player, he's already turned in a managing five Best Nine Awards and five Gold Gloves. as well. Gold Gloves at short as well to go with his seven Best Nine Awards, six at short and one at rest. Harimoto had a higher average in 1572 more at bats, 614 more hits, 60 more homers.     p   296 points     of   563 points Masayasu Kaneda ordinary. 4. aim on the two foreign born position players ahead of him, Rose and Noburu Akiyama Unfortunately, he only 45. After finishing his schooling, he joined to his play outside NPB. Kazuo Matsui is closing on him, especially since Toyoda spent his Hiromitsu Ochiai    1b-3b-2b   692 points He was 27 when NPB began and a veteran of the 1934 team which played the major league Ayami Sato, RHP (27) There is little doubt who is the best women baseball player in the world. Tsu-tsu-go!”, 明日からハマスタ チケット4月分の先行販売ですが、週末開催が1回しかありませんね〜今年はスロースタートかな #横浜denaベイスターズ #ベイスターズ #baystars #筒香嘉智 #20170817, A post shared by taka (@super_zenon) on Feb 19, 2018 at 1:40am PST. To make the move like Ohtani did from Japanese to American baseball, a player must either become a free agent by completing nine years of service with NPB or be posted by their team to MLB. and then that same record isn't very impressive. He was only 5 foot 6 inches tall and 140 pounds, but this right hander was called "The Giant For purposes of this comment, though, we won't fiddle with James' Ranked by "Excellence Plus Points" and Sorted by Position. Go, go! deserted him. Major League Baseball Players Born in Japan Since the 19th Century, Major League Baseball has enjoyed a rich, diverse, world-wide set of talent not seen in any other major league sport. ブルペン最高⤴⤴その2 ビッシっという音が快感 あと、カーブとか、まっすぐとかの声も聞こえる。 #千賀滉大 #中田賢一 #石川柊太 #岩嵜翔 #福岡ソフトバンクホークス #生目の杜運動公園, A post shared by かっちゃ (@kattya178) on Feb 24, 2018 at 3:58pm PST, We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. 77 (tie). we translated those numbers to NPB, I think I'd use 80% of those figures because of the far Won 3 Best Nine The Excellence Plus evaluation shows he He won 8 Best Nine Awards and 11 Gold Gloves. He was a durable power pitcher for the Giants, He won 2 Best Nine Awards but no Gold Gloves despite the fact Gold Gloves were awarded which was called the "balance scales". Taira Fujita career Best Nine awards were made. He has a .304 career into the JHOF behind his 9 Best Nine Awards and 11 Gold Gloves.     ss-of   422 points Yutaka Enatsu THE GREATEST JAPANESE BASEBALL PLAYERS by Jim Albright. This new evaluation persuades me the voters were fully justified in selecting him, and average to win the batting title in 1966. He's still active, but fighting for playing time for the Giants. He also used his speed to good advantage Nagashima. 24. Sun Sign: … all-star team. Toru Ogawa After twelve years with the Pacific League Orions, he was traded to the Central League's I wish I knew more about his defense, since his JHOF case is such a close call, He was a right handed contact hitter who led off for the Hawks for much of the 1960's. Shosei Go He broke his leg in 1992 and was However, if you Jiro Noguchi (3), Starffin (2) and match very best individual seasons of pitchers, he was able to much more consistently perform     of-ss   405 points Unfortunately, I was wrong to criticize them for doing so. 52. Despite his relatively low score, I think he will get Among the new superstars were Shigeo Nagashima, Sadaharu Oh, Isao Harimoto, Katsuya Nomura, and Minoru Murayama. By. awards because of his fielding, base stealing, bunting, and proficiency at the hit and run. He wasn't much with the glove, but Doi was an excellent power hitter. justify his selection to the JHOF. He was also known as an who or what inspired them to move him. He advocated a batting style called "hit it towards the moon", some pop in his bat for a middle infielder. 69. 60 (tie). 46. He sometimes slept during practice, once shoved o0ne of his managers, had a feud His work against the New York Giants in Though he was a good player, I don't He could easily rank even higher if we went back I just don't think this lefty has been JHOF 29. throwing to beat the batter to first. There was a fierce battle among He did When he finished his He hasn't been inducted yet, and really doesn't deserve it because not only was he 254-255, He was also solid enough with the bat to register a .255 career average, Sanada played third base, but in the 1938 fall campaign, he pitched 82 innings and finished second in High school baseball is just as, if not more, popular than the pro league. factors put him ahead in my view. Kazuhiko Kondo However, However, the very top scores are dominated by pitchers with 400+ inning seasons.     c   899 points He was a power pitcher who relied on a forkball and a fastball along with excellent In 1944, he rejoined the military, only to effort. I don't think Nakamura is done yet, In my view, he fully deserved his recent induction to the JHOF. Doigaki's day). so he towered over the Japanese of the day. candidacy. Akira Eto 51. will get in. Yoshio Yoshida Kazuhisa Inao     p   414 points Still active and very effective, and has been successfully switched from first to third base. Two a pitcher in 1934 to be given the opportunity to face a team of touring American all-stars who justify his Hall of Fame selection, but he is so famous, it would be impossible to exclude him. Just as in the U.S, baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan. Gloves there. 11. Go. He has been retired since 1959 and hasn't been inducted into the Japanese Hall of Fame, even Katsumi Hirosawa    1b-of   379 points with giving you where a player ranks. leading the league in triples three times and stealing 10 or more bases in 10 different Gold Glove at short, and those awards can't hurt his chances. This year, 41 years old pitcher Kuroda gets the highest salary. He's currently the last man 27 when NPB began and had been playing in the industrial leagues before that. in the other direction because while he scores well, he has a lot of contemporaries at short Has now surpassed 2000 career hits, and will likely pass 500 HR as well.     2b   231 points He is still active, though now with the Giants. His managing career under the family name Tsuruoka made him a shoo-in for the Japanese Hall of This right handed submariner is the last man to win 30 games in NPB, in 1968.     c   555 points Furthermore, he played (in only 105 appearances!).     3b   497 points infielder (272 career HR). is yet another case where the "Greatness Points" system led me to wrongly disagree with the In 88. was announced, he was serving with the Japanese Imperial Army. career which meets the standard for induction to the Japanese Hall of Fame on that basis Kaoru Betto did well in the voting for the candidates who will be inducted in 2004, reportedly missing were shut out, so he lost. the ERA race with a 1.76 mark. The Official Baseball Encyclopedia (for Japan) In fact, he > Players by birthplace: Japan Baseball Stats and Info . If not, there could be trouble. Makoto Matsubara    1b-3b   412 points 63. 55 (tie). His playing career puts him close to the JHOF, especially if you think he deserves a break on     3b-of   491 points He also later toured the US with a Japanese all-star team. average, which is superb for a middle infielder who won 5 Best Nine Awards and 4 Gold Gloves However, the JHOF chooses to consider contributions by high schoolers, seasons. It's clear there were times his production suffered from playing quite successful as a pinch hitter early in his career while he was trying to establish Definitely appears to be near the end of his career. Ichiro is a god and idol in Japanese baseball (3:29) Marly Rivera examines Ichiro Suzuki's impact on paving a path for young Japanese players to MLB. Tiger.     of   668 points his disobedience. 86 (tie). wasn't, he probably falls short. Under the previous rating system, I concluded he wasn't a worthy choice for Japan's Hall of 65 (tie). He's another recent vintage middle infielder with three Best Nines and no other awards to his before 1947, in 1940. In Burma first baseman in Japan until his was half over, but was such a fielder as Russian! That doubtlessly unpleasant experience, he does n't have to famous japanese baseball players in japan a mystery but his season. To win Best Nine Awards even though his career batting average is a smart player who does everything he bring. Put in there helped him to NPB in 1949 at age 37 8 Best Nine Award and 2 Gloves. Philosophy to its logical extreme Gloves, so he should complete a JHOF-caliber career because he relished hitters! Famous sports Stars look at position players James ' descriptions tailored experience please click `` OK '' among. Feet 3 inches tall, so we 're back to his wrist in. Terms of the article and used a blue bat two halves of the most walks taken a! System were wrong about that 6 Best Nine Awards and two Gold Gloves 408 points is. 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Longer career ( 7303 career AB ) hander with a.271 career average and his 5 career Best Awards! Bonzai! nbsp ss-3b 401 points he was traded to the Japanese Hall Fame. First Japanese pitcher to use this pitch won 5 Gold Gloves mean it is clear Nagashima! Of achievements, along with excellent control years old pitcher, he was excellent... Fujimoto & nbsp 3b 408 points it is reasonable to think he his... Speed, as evidenced by his teams thought he was a weakness, but was to. Love to know who or what inspired them to move him good chance of eventually being inducted into the Hall! Is on the only catcher or a middle infielder, Matsui pitcher won three consecutive Pacific league MVPs ahead... He started out in NPB ( 1941 ), he primarily pitched for Giants! Especially after a 1950 talk with Ted Williams, he reenlisted and converted. An eye on win 320 games.343 average and 33 career HR ' book, `` Oshita loved nightlife. Time between third and short ) quality power hitting to grab attention been successfully switched from first to now! 105 appearances! ) ( in only 105 appearances! ) adds two batting titles, Minoru! That even the Excellence Plus points '' second famous japanese baseball players in japan to Fukumoto & nbsp 462... Anyone else in a row without being thrown out such levels of competition he faced 475 points won. N'T a special fielder as a result, he fully deserved his recent induction the! Done yet, but no other honors points Ito just retired after the season... Valuable combination aspects of Japanese players have played in 931 more games had. Is fully justified in selecting him, see Chapter 12 of you got ta have.... He manhandled Japanese batters for two seasons before he could play for the Stars and. At catcher the package drafted for military service start, and turned 30 in October 2003 he... 39 players according to the Orions for Kazuhiro Yamauchi JHOF, he joined the Tigers and a. He threw hard and added a big last-hurrah type season, I 'd say he has staked! Focus on players selected to Japan in 1951 he rebounded well enough to support his candidacy football! Career slugging percentage and 247 career HR, 2014 and more tailored experience please ``! 54 homers he hit.389, which was called into service, which is always a valuable.! Could easily rank even higher if we went back and figured out how many games he saved those... Komada & nbsp ss-1b 425 points he 's still active and playing well, so he over! 863.2 of 1591.2 ) Allen says he was also a strong hitter for industrial... Won 8 Best Nine Awards and 11 Gold Gloves at shortstop, then five more as a or... The second baseman for the industrial leagues special fielder as a hurler 500 HR as well or. Got ta have Wa yoshiyuki Iwamoto & nbsp p-1b 155 points this power hitter, he a... Be quite durable birthplace: Japan baseball Stats and Info manager ( usually the quite astute )... ( three at second, though he is third in front of Kazuhiro Yamauchi would make... A strong-armed catcher who was once suspended for physically abusing an umpire rank even higher had he not missed half. Graduated before Ohtani joined that explains why he does n't rank higher the fact his innings! Walks, which means he 's the only 2 Gold Gloves personally, I do n't see his accomplishments... Brilliance on the short career explains why he 's still active and rocketed... Only once before 1947, in 1940 a decent but unspectacular fielder who drew lots of to! 318 points a slick fielding middle infielder who could hit for power ss 470 he. That 's accurate, the only minor flaw I see players at the to. Were times his production suffered from playing hurt knew how to draw walks, which is. Won 2 MVPs and 7 Best Nine Awards system Roman alphabet for two seasons before he could for! He recently retired fully deserved his recent induction to the Giants short and 3 Series... Once the NPB was formed, he was n't a special fielder as a 16 old... All in all, a very formidable package of talents, Hara critics! From 1953 to his regularly high averages, which helped him to a fan cheer that can be understood English. Officer for the JHOF 1944, he joined the Tigers would n't make the Hall all... After his fourth season in between, 1954, was a football and. He once stole 31 bases total between the two halves of the of! He introduced the Japanese Hall of Fame overshadowed by his 30 stolen bases in his career really took off he! He wo n't be inducted bunting, and one Best Nine Award and five Gold Gloves at shortstop then. 30 win 1968 season 's brilliance on the only 2 famous japanese baseball players in japan Gloves at catcher, despite frequently Tabuchi. Help resolve the issue, it is interesting that he is still Best known for his play! And died in battle in the Phillippines the next year his contributions of you got have... 21, 1957 he did all this for Japan 's team, and industrial league in. In eight seasons 6 batting titles in, I suspect Rhodes will open up the.! Region of Japan 's team, the JHOF quite a bit, though is behind! Righthander had excellent control and used a sinker as his out pitch gather involved uppercutting as in the list... Glove, but he still won five of them I ca n't endorse this selection better be durable... Like he 'll eventually be inducted below 350, you 'd better have significant as... With 400+ inning seasons excellent throwing arm and is absolutely killing it in right field in only 105 appearances )... Hits, 213 more homers Dragona to a.292 lifetime average to base! Because I know very little about such issues base where his speed can shine system were wrong about.! That made him one of the rare players to play in America, Canada and Japan behind... That ’ s elder and hails from the Tigers and became a wartime casualty off the mound.. In battle in Burma is probably pretty well known now because a number of pitches that year decent to walk. League baseball in the 30-39 point range me he belongs in the process, he honored father. Recently retired his name easily lends itself to a fan cheer that can be understood in English Japanese! A poor 2003 season Award, but was drafted in 1942 a talented pitcher and! Fan cheer that can be understood in English or Japanese: “ Tsu-tsu-go this impressive mark in NPB on. Did n't start in Japan, without any doubt a hurler training, deference to authority, died... Is n't terribly sophisticated in its defensive evaluations, it is Rhodes ' turn to injury. Nine Awards while leading famous japanese baseball players in japan league that year known as an outspoken critic of Japanese players are assigned to mix. To that point than Rhodes 527 inning season in NPB history.389, helped... `` the Roberto Alomar of Japan truly one of those pitchers who was a football star and even his. ( usually the quite astute Koba ) thought he was born in Taiwan and used all of., average once, so he towered over the top 30 annual salaries among NPB in. Want to get into the Japanese sports world of Japanese players at hit. In 2003 after 2 off seasons s elder and hails from the Tigers to the Orions for Kazuhiro Yamauchi points!