If the rule didn't exist, Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka could be tearing up the record books by now. I feel that Japan wasted Ichiro's potential by making him play 10 years over seas before coming over here. Ichiro could have been a 18 year old rookie in the Majors instead of a 28 year old rookie.
2007-05-28 05:05:56 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Baseball
LS stop breaking my balls, you don't know what your talking about. Japanese players don't CHOOSE to sign, they have to sign with whatever team drafts them. And you have to play on that team for 10 years before becoming a Free Agent. So why don't you shove that up yours.
2007-05-28 05:20:59 · update #1
I think it may be the unfortunate reality of Japanese baseball, but consider that Cuba would probably have many more great players than even Japan has ever had, and unless they tried to waddle over to Miami in a self-made boat, we never saw at least two generations of great Cuban players, while we have been fortunate at least to see some great Japanese players, even if a few were past their primes.
2007-05-28 08:31:32 · answer #1 · answered by Patrick M 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm lookin some info up, and I've read that by contract players in Japan are tied to top Japanese teams for at least nine seasons before they can become free agents and come to the Major Leagues. There are a few ways to get over this, however, so the guys don't HAVE to play nine seasons without question before going to the MLB.
1) A player can get cut by their team, in which case they become a free agent early and can go to the MLB if they choose or simply go to another Japanese team.
2) If a player wants to go to the MLB during their contract with the Japanese team, he can ask the team through a method called "posting" (which is what Matsuzaka did). In this case, the team either agrees or disagrees with the plea; if agreed, then MLB teams begin to auction for the player, and then the highest bid is sent to the Japanese team. If they accept the bid, the player is transferred to the MLB and the bid is added to his contract. If it is declined, the player must wait until the following year to try posting again, since no other bids can be considered. This rule went into effect after Hideo Nomo went to the MLB by "retiring" in Japan to be free of any contracts and play in the MLB.
Or they can just play through the nine or ten seasons and be unrestricted free agents.
I'm not sure exactly how the drafting system works, although I would assume they're not bound to the teams they get drafted by. The player has to sign a contract, so I mean he should have an option whether or not to agree to it, so essentially Japanese players could come here straight out of high school. But as said before, they do need some training before getting right into the MLB, and Japan needs to keep some young star power if it wants baseball to continue to prosper there. That's only my guess though, I'll try to find something official about it.
2007-05-28 06:13:58 · answer #2 · answered by msam17 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's possible, however very unlikely. Keep in mind that most high school baseball players have been playing since they were very young, and only the very best high school players can play in college. From there, only the best college players get drafted into the minor leagues. Even once a player is in the minors, there is a very slight chance they will ever get a shot in the big leagues. Remember that there are only about 600 major league baseball players out of the entire population. That's a rediculously small percentage.
2016-05-19 22:43:35 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no rule. You don't know what you're talking about.
And Ichiro is tearing up the record books, in case you hadn't noticed. He's broken several records that have been around since the 20's.
2007-05-28 05:13:57 · answer #4 · answered by GOB BLUTH 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What has "fairness" got to do with it?? I mean, do you think it is "fair" for a player to play in the minor leagues before he plays in the majors?? Your question makes about as much sense. BTW, NO ONE "made" Ichiro play 10 years in Japan before coming over here, nor is any other Japanese player "required" to play in Japan 10 years before coming here. Where did you ever get that misinformation??
Chow!!
2007-05-28 07:48:54 · answer #5 · answered by No one 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
but would he have been any better? would being rocked by better hitters at such a young age made him better? or would it have played with his mind?
and they weren't forced to play there. they CHOOSE to sign with those teams.
2007-05-28 05:11:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋