7 Samurai

7 Samurai

Published Dec. 9, 2010 10:01 a.m. ET



Critics of the deal thought Ichiro was too small for Major League Baseball, and would be too frail to make it through all 162 games. Ichiro answered those critics by setting the MLB record for hits by a rookie, and receiving both Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.


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Since Ichiro's remarkable rookie season, a new player seems to emerge from Japan every few years whom the media is ready to christen the "next Ichiro." While some of those Japanese players have had respectable careers (Hideki Matsui, Hideki Okajima), others have struggled and failed to live up to their hype (Hideki Irabu, Kazuo Matsui).


The media attention given to Japanese players frequently leads to hyperbole and irrational expectations, given the mystery surrounding many of these players, and has resulted in unfair criticism because these players don't become the "next Ichiro." Daisuke Matsuzaka was expected to become the ace of an already talented Boston Red Sox rotation, with his exotic and unhittable "gyro ball," but injuries and generally mediocre results have many in Beantown calling the acquisition a bust.


For Twins fans, Tsuyoshi Nishioka offers the first opportunity to relish in the mystique of Japan's next great baseball export, for better or worse. The stats on paper offer contrasting indications of the caliber of player Nishioka is, or might be in the U.S. On one hand, he took home the Pacific League's 2010 batting title, posting a .346 average with 206 hits in 144 games played.


But before you get too excited, consider that he has a career average of .280, and batted only .260 in 2009. He finished 2010 with 11 home runs, and has a career high of only 14. But manager Ron Gardenhire wouldn't expect him to provide power to the Twins' lineup. Instead, the Twins will hope to use him near the top of the batting order, where his speed and contact-oriented swing would make him an ideal No. 2 hitter.


Videos of Nishioka's hitting reveal a style very similar to Ichiro's. With his unique swing, he will be able to rush out of the batter's box and down to first, ideally being able to leg out infield grounders, as Ichiro has done throughout his career.


But Nishioka also brings a long medical history with him. He has missed significant amounts of time throughout his career, with recurring injuries to his knees and neck. His knee problems were attributed to his frequent shuffling between second base to shortstop, a dance Gardenhire might force him back into if Alexi Casilla doesn't nail down the shortstop position.


Yet at either spot, Nishioka has proven himself to be exceptional, winning a Pacific League gold glove at both second base and shortstop. If he can stay healthy, Nishioka should provide solid defense for a team that stresses defensive fundamentals.


Despite the red flags, the Twins have an opportunity to add an integral player to a position they have long struggled to fill. Most of the information on Nishioka comes from brief, vague reports and projections from scouts or bloggers, leaving fans the opportunity to create grandiose visions of Joe Mauer and Nishioka battling each other for batting titles.


However, whether Nishioka eventually becomes the "Ichiro of the infield" or the second-coming of Kaz Matsui, the Twins have made a bold move by expanding their talent search across the Pacific, and likely will be rewarded for their efforts in the future.

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