Potential fantasy studs from Asia

August 22, 2007

It’s starting to become common knowledge that players like Kosuke Fukudome and Koji Uehara will make the jump from the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) to the MLB this offseason. But who else might be hitting American shores next winter? And who are some players from other leagues in Asia who we might be hearing about?

For starters, it’s important to know that there are three prominent leagues in Asia: Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korean Baseball Organization, and the Chinese Professional Baseball League. By the time you finish reading this article, you'll know about: A) The kinds of talents these leagues producing B) What kind of history the three leagues have.

Japan is the best Asia has to offer when it comes to supplying the MLB with talent – it’s kind of like a Quadruple-A caliber level of baseball. (If a player starts in Japan, he could most likely land a job as a bench player or better in Major League Baseball...except for catchers – don't ask me why.)

The individuals who are involved in governing Japan have set up a system that has forced Japan to actually develop as a baseball country. The strict rules that Japan has in place regarding contracts have kept most of the talent on the island instead of allowing the league to turn into a farm system for Major League teams. People say the system is unfair, but baseball in Japan would never have improved without it.

Atop the next class of Japanese ball players who should be able to contribute the US, Fukudome and Uehara figure to be the two most sought after Asian players this winter. The reiging Central League MVP, Fukudome, 30, (OF) is the safer of the two. Uehara, 32, may still have something left in the tank, but is more of a risk at this point in his career. He could fill out the back end of a playoff team's rotation, but will he be worth the money he's likely going get? He has said that he will not sign with a team as a reliever. He only wants to start.

Regardless of what role Uehara ultimately plays if he ever competes in the US, given the success of players like Takashi Saito and Hideki Okajima, American teams will continue to bid for the services of Japanese relief pitchers who are eligible to come to sign a MLB contract.

In 2009, reliever Hitoki Iwase, 33, should be available to leave Japan if he chooses. He's essentially the Japanese Trevor Hoffman or Mariano Rivera. He rarely walks batters or gives up the long ball. He's had a few seasons with a WHIP under 1.00. In 2005, he went the entire season without giving up a home run. He would at least be a top set-up man on a MLB team right now.

Kyuji Fujikawa, 27, is another prized Japanese reliever – and his name literally translates to "baseball child." Fujikawa may be available in to make the jump to America in 2008. The day before his birth his father threw a no-hitter in Japan. He's only in his second year of closing, but he averages over a strikeout per inning and could top 40 saves this year.

Another older player who might want to test his mettle in the States is Kazuo Fukumori, 31. He hasn't had that terrific of a career and his control is mediocre at best, but he may be able to sucker some American ball club into a big contract just in time for retirement. He’s far from a potential impact major leaguer, but some MLB GM will likely throw a couple million at him for a middle relief role.

A name for the future in Japan is Takahiro Mahara, 26. He could assume the mantle of top Japanese reliever this year, but he won't be leaving any time soon. He's locked in for at least four or five more years. He's got a big league fastball with plus movement. If he were with any MLB team, he'd be fast tracked the same way K-Rod was.

As far as position players go, Norichika Aoki, 25, is probably the most interesting. He's got at least four more years under Japanese control, but his career track is interesting. In his first two years, he looked like he'd be the next great Japanese leadoff guy, but he's added some bulk this year and started hitting for power. He's still in the leadoff role, but he's managed to improve his power numbers and cut down on his strikeouts. No player will ever be the same as Ichiro, but the comparisons make sense here, as Aoki has already broken most of Ichiro’s records.

Onto Korea.

Lee Seung-Yeop, 31, of the Yomuiri Giants is probably the best Korea has to offer in terms of prospects that might hit American shores soon. Currently playing in Japan, Seung-Yeop is signed with the Giants for the next three years, but he has an out-clause in his contract that kicks in if Yomuiri wins a championship. Yomuiri could win this year and the slugging first baseman could then land with an American team.

While playing in Korea in 2003, Lee set the Asian record for homeruns in a season with 56. At age 26 he became the youngest player in the world to hit 300 homeruns. The rumor is that he's suffering from a thumb injury this season that has sapped some of his power. His defense is solid and his bat is quick enough for the big league fastball.

As far as players who are active in the Korean Baseball Organization, the best talent in the Korea lies in its pitching – particularly the Korean bullpens. Most of the top hitters in Korea are either relatively old Koreans who won't be leaving any time soon or foreign guys brought in to add some punch to the lineup. The best example? Felix Jose, who is now 42, was able to find a starting outfield job with a Korean team. (Yes, the same Felix Jose who was last seen in America in 2003 is a starting outfielder, not a DH, for the Lotte Giants.)

The top reliever in Korea is Oh Seung-Hwan, 25, of the Samsung Lions. He will be allowed to leave Korea in four years – his age 29 season. So he still has plenty of time to make an impact in either the USA or Japan if he chooses. Oh boasts some killer breaking stuff combined with a fastball that tops out around 94 mph. His nickname in Korea is "Iron Mask" because the only time his expression changes is when his team wins the championship. He's the type of pitcher a team would want to nail down a victory.

Other top relievers in Korea are Oh's setup man, Kwan Hyuk, 24, and Woo Kyo Min, 22, of the LG Twins. Kwan Hyuk boasts similar stuff to Oh, but doesn't have the attitude. Woo is more of a closer and could hit American or Japanese shores as soon as 2010.

Korea's best starting pitcher is Ryu Hwan-Jin but he's five years away from having to make any kind of contract decision. He's got an awesome circle change that makes Koreans look foolish. His fastball tops out around 92 or 93 mph, and he just turned 20. If he can avoid injury, he could play his prime years in either the USA or Japan. He has a similar frame to Chan-Ho Park – about 6-foot-4, 220-pounds.

Our last stop is the smallest and newest of the three Asian Leagues: The Chinese Professional Baseball League.

As far as China is concerned, the real talent currently resides on the island of Taiwan. There is a league in mainland China, but its still in its infancy. The league was founded in 2002 and is currently more of a farm system for Japan. The league accepted a "partnership agreement" with the NPB. Japanese players and coaches can be sent to Chinese teams and Chinese players can train with Japanese teams.

Taiwan has had a league since 1989 and, if the Asian Series is any indication, the league has a level of play similar to Korea. MLB has already found some talent in Taiwan and there's no reason to think that more Taiwanese players won't be heading to American shores in the future.

Taiwanese baseball has been plagued by two major scandals game fixing scandals in the past. The Black Eagles incident in 1997, which led to the disbanding of the China Times Eagles, and again in 2005 which resulted in 15 players being expelled from the league.

Of the current crop of Taiwanese players, the one with the best chance for success in the USA is Chien-Ming Chiang (22 years old). Chiang presently plays with the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB. He played well his first year in Japan, posting  a 1.81 ERA in 59.2 innings. He also displayed good control and only allowed 2 homeruns. He's struggled to duplicate his 2006 numbers this year and is currently posting a 5.18 ERA in only 41.2 innings. I was unable to find contract information on him, so I can't give a reliable ETA.

Some may see the recent signing of Zhang Zhenwang, 19, and Liu Kai, 19, by the New York Yankees as evidence that there might be talent in China.

The Yankees’ signings of Zhenwang and Kai are largely interpreted a more business moves than a baseball moves. The Yankees are the first MLB team to actually get press in China. It’s a decision that could ultimately mean millions in merchandise and advertising. Everyone with access to news in China knows who the Yankees are. When it comes to branding, the Yankees seem to have the market cornered. Yankees gear is already popular in Japan and Korea, and the counties, including China, combine for approximately 1.7 billion potential customers.

The top Chinese prospect in the world is a pitcher named En-Yu Lin, 26. He boasts a 94mph+ fastball and struck out 209 batters in 202.6 innings in 2005. He signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan in 2006 and he hasn't been heard from since.

The Asian game has definitely come a long way since the first game was played in Japan in the 1890's. It's going to be interesting to see how the Chinese League develops in the next few years. The most important thing is that the leagues in Asia find a way to keep their own players and continue to develop their own game. The Japanese league is at the level it’s at because it has kept all its players on the island and created a league that is truly Japanese and not a glorified farm system. Korea is developing in a similar fashion.

Nippon Professional Baseball is starting to have labor problems similar to the MLB. Players in Japan want greater freedom as far as contracts and free agency. If this were to happen, the talent pool in Japan would diminish greatly. Small crowds are also a problem in Korea and China. Most of the teams presently operate at a loss and serve only as advertising for the massive corporations that own them. While the future of the leagues in Asian isn't necessarily clear, one thing is: The Asian game is sure to continue to make a greater impact on the future of the MLB every year.

Note: Taiwan once had a league, but it went under after just a few seasons. A few of the teams were absorbed into the new Chinese League. It's a lot like Korea, except professional teams have only been around for maybe ten years instead of 30.

The only way to really rate the level of play in Asia is by the Konami Cup Asian Series. It's essentially Asia's league of champions. The four best teams from Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan play a round robin, with the top two teams advancing to a final game.


Matt DeWoskin can be reached at mattdew@earthlink.net.