PREJUDICIAL INFLUENCES?

Hideki Matsui finds little recognition for playing in Japan and the Bronx


By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
November 16, 2003

The definition of a "rookie" by Major League Baseball is as follows: Any player who has accumulated less than 130 at bats and 50 innings pitched or fewer than 45 days on a roster prior to the year being considered. Period. End of definition. No other criteria is used by Major League Baseball. According to the criteria used by MLB Hideki Matusi is a "rookie." No prior experience playing baseball in another country is addressed by Major League Baseball. Therefore, Matsui's 2003 season was his first in the MLB. Among other "rookies" in his 2003 class Matsui was ahead of the curve. In a head to head comparison with this year's winner, Angel Berroa, Matsui's numbers were better. Judge for yourself.


Player/Team BA H R RBI HR OBP SLG% OPS

Berroa/KC .273 163 92 73 17 .338 .452 .789

Matsui/NYY .287 179 82 106 16 .353 .435 .788


Using the strict definition by the MLB the voting writers should have had no choice, but to vote for Matsui. Can anyone say that Matsui wasn't a bigger influence on the outcome of his team's standing than Berroa's? Matsui and the Yankees were still playing late in October, while Berroa's Kansas City Royals went home after September 30th. Since 1995 three Japanese players have been voted as Rookies of the Year. Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001) of the Seattle Mariners were voted the prestigious award after having played in Japan. Nomo beat out runner up Chipper Jones 118 points to 104. Sasaki clobbered runner up Terrence Long 104 to 83 votes and Ichiro Suzuki won it over C.C. Sabathia 138 to 73 votes. Nomo played for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1993. In 1990 he won both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the Pacific Coast League. Kazuhiro Sasaki was the best relief pitcher Japan has ever produced. He played for the Yokohama BayStars from 1990-99 before joining the Seattle Mariners as a free agent. In 1998, Sasaki was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player. Ichiro Sazuki played for the Orix Blue Wave from 1992-2000 where he won three MVP trophies (1994-96).

So what's changed? Compare those three ROY winners against Hideki Matsui. Matsui played for the Yomiuri Giants from 1993-2002. He won three MVP awards. In his final year with the Giants Matsui hit 50 home runs and knocked in 107 RBI while batting .334. So what? How does Matsui not get the same consideration. I think part of the reason is writers have the belief that Japanese baseball is on par with Major League Baseball. Six or eight or ten years playing in Japan is equivilant to playing in the United States. If voters from the BBWAA are going to use that logic, then what about guys who played in the old Negro leagues? Jackie Robinson, Joe Black, Don Newcombe and Jim (Junior) Gilliam were all previous players in the Negro Leagues who went on to the MLB and won Rookie of the Year. What about players from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico? Are we going to sanction everyone who played baseball somewhere else not called the United States? Not voting for a player, because he's played somewhere else before coming here is setting a dangerous precident. Where do you draw the line?

And what about the team a guy plays for? It's no secret that a lot of the fishwrap news hounds are anti-Yankees. They don't like the Yankees, their owner, the organization or anything else associated with them. I'm betting that in addition to Matsui previously playing in Japan his three year, $21M contract to play in the Bronx didn't help sway votes his way either. It looks like a lot of managers and coaches feel the same way as some of the writers do. Take this year's all-star rookie team. Hideki Matsui is nowhere to be found. The managers, too, feel that Godzilla is no rookie. But if his address was in San Salvador, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic or Mexico would they feel the same way? My guess is NO!

Look guys, if you don't like the criteria for Rookie of the Year, then get Major League Baseball to change the criteria. Don't penalize somebody who is playing within the specified rules and trying to put his best foot forward every time he steps out onto the field. Until there is a change in the rules or criteria all you need to do is look at the player, look at his numbers and if he's eligible under the rules vote for him. Don't let subjective opinions get in the way of voting as the rules state. Now that shouldn't be too hard should it?

PLAY BALL!



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