Japanese Professional Baseball: The Continuing Drain to the MLB
TOMISHIGE Keiko / Senior Editorial Staff Writer, Mainichi Shimbun
May 16, 2007
Two players who once were dazzling star performers in Japanese professional baseball competed again, at a different time and place, wearing different uniforms. On April 11 (April 12 in Japan), Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox was standing on the pitcher's mound of Fenway Park, the oldest baseball stadium in use in the United States. In the batter's box was Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. In a replay of a scene from the game between the Seibu Lions and the Orix Blue Wave in Japan seven years ago, the two players faced with each other across a distance of 18.44 meters. It is exciting to watch that 36,630 spectators, the second largest crowd in the stadium's post-war history, witnessed this thrilling re-encounter.
According to the Major League Baseball (MLB), as many as 29 percent of its registered 849 players at the opening of the 2007 season (including those on the disabled list) are from outside the United States. The Dominican Republic leads with 98, followed by Venezuela with 51 and Canada with 19. Japan comes fifth, with 13 players.
When Hideki Nomo joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, the question was whether a Japanese player was up to Major League standards. Now, in Matsuzaka's case, people are interested in whether he can win 15 games or more. It is clear that in the 13 years since Nomo, the top players in Japanese professional baseball have won full recognition in the U.S.
The Japanese, who by nature are delighted to see their compatriots do well on the international stage, support and applaud Matsuzaka, Ichiro, and other Japanese MLB players. But those concerned with the management of Japanese professional baseball clubs are afraid that this drain of star players to the MLB is the beginning of the hollowing-out of Japanese professional baseball.
The thirteen Japanese MLB players are certainly All Star Game quality. Try forming a starting line-up by them, and you have a player in every position, missing only a first baseman. In other words, most of the players who considered themselves to be number ones in their respective positions in Japan have gone over to the MLB.
The club that was most shocked by this star drain was the Yomiuri Giants, which pretends the leader of Japanese professional baseball. Hideki Matsui, the team's most popular outfielder, became eligible as a Free Agent (FA) in 2002 and left the team to join the New York Yankees in 2003. The Giants had hitherto claimed that "It is the popularity of the club Yomiuri Giants that prevents the Japanese players from going over to the MLB." They argued that it was better for Japanese professional baseball that star players joined the Giants rather than go over to the MLB. They also claimed that under Japan's draft system it was necessary for rookie ball players to be able to name the team of their choice and that the period necessary for players to become eligible as FA and able to move to a club of their choice should be shortened. But this argument collapsed when their own star player, Hideki Matsui, chose to go over to the MLB. It was clear that the Yomiuri Giants could not be a buffer to prevent the drain to the MLB.
More players now set their sights on the MLB for several reasons. Nomo's success has shown them that the level of Japanese baseball is good enough for the MLB. They are also attracted by the higher salary, at an average of US$ 2,944,556 or 347.5 million yen and by the excellent playing environment such as the beautiful ball parks with natural, not artificial, turf. But surely the biggest motivator of all is the level of baseball, which is the highest in the world. It is natural for players to want to play at a higher level. For those in Matsuzaka's generation the MLB became not a distant dream but an attainable goal as this is the generation that saw on television Nomo and others playing in the MLB just when they discovered the fun of baseball in elementary and junior high schools, The world strategy of the MLB also accelerated the increase in the number of Japanese MLB players. When the period of expansion in the number of clubs in the U.S. came to a halt in the 90s, putting a stop to the ever-increasing size of the domestic pie, the MLB decided to expand its market overseas. They scheduled official games overseas, signed on Japanese players in order to attract Japanese tourists, collected television broadcasting right fees, and sold goods with the MLB logo overseas. For the MLB, Japan was a perfect market.
Is Japanese professional baseball going to become a part of the hierarchy with the MLB at the apex? Or is it going to remain independent and retain its position as a league that can compete with the MLB? It is now time for a serious discussion about the direction of Japanese professional baseball itself.
The writer is a Senior Editorial Staff Writer of the Mainichi Shimbun.
According to the Major League Baseball (MLB), as many as 29 percent of its registered 849 players at the opening of the 2007 season (including those on the disabled list) are from outside the United States. The Dominican Republic leads with 98, followed by Venezuela with 51 and Canada with 19. Japan comes fifth, with 13 players.
When Hideki Nomo joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, the question was whether a Japanese player was up to Major League standards. Now, in Matsuzaka's case, people are interested in whether he can win 15 games or more. It is clear that in the 13 years since Nomo, the top players in Japanese professional baseball have won full recognition in the U.S.
The Japanese, who by nature are delighted to see their compatriots do well on the international stage, support and applaud Matsuzaka, Ichiro, and other Japanese MLB players. But those concerned with the management of Japanese professional baseball clubs are afraid that this drain of star players to the MLB is the beginning of the hollowing-out of Japanese professional baseball.
The thirteen Japanese MLB players are certainly All Star Game quality. Try forming a starting line-up by them, and you have a player in every position, missing only a first baseman. In other words, most of the players who considered themselves to be number ones in their respective positions in Japan have gone over to the MLB.
The club that was most shocked by this star drain was the Yomiuri Giants, which pretends the leader of Japanese professional baseball. Hideki Matsui, the team's most popular outfielder, became eligible as a Free Agent (FA) in 2002 and left the team to join the New York Yankees in 2003. The Giants had hitherto claimed that "It is the popularity of the club Yomiuri Giants that prevents the Japanese players from going over to the MLB." They argued that it was better for Japanese professional baseball that star players joined the Giants rather than go over to the MLB. They also claimed that under Japan's draft system it was necessary for rookie ball players to be able to name the team of their choice and that the period necessary for players to become eligible as FA and able to move to a club of their choice should be shortened. But this argument collapsed when their own star player, Hideki Matsui, chose to go over to the MLB. It was clear that the Yomiuri Giants could not be a buffer to prevent the drain to the MLB.
More players now set their sights on the MLB for several reasons. Nomo's success has shown them that the level of Japanese baseball is good enough for the MLB. They are also attracted by the higher salary, at an average of US$ 2,944,556 or 347.5 million yen and by the excellent playing environment such as the beautiful ball parks with natural, not artificial, turf. But surely the biggest motivator of all is the level of baseball, which is the highest in the world. It is natural for players to want to play at a higher level. For those in Matsuzaka's generation the MLB became not a distant dream but an attainable goal as this is the generation that saw on television Nomo and others playing in the MLB just when they discovered the fun of baseball in elementary and junior high schools, The world strategy of the MLB also accelerated the increase in the number of Japanese MLB players. When the period of expansion in the number of clubs in the U.S. came to a halt in the 90s, putting a stop to the ever-increasing size of the domestic pie, the MLB decided to expand its market overseas. They scheduled official games overseas, signed on Japanese players in order to attract Japanese tourists, collected television broadcasting right fees, and sold goods with the MLB logo overseas. For the MLB, Japan was a perfect market.
Is Japanese professional baseball going to become a part of the hierarchy with the MLB at the apex? Or is it going to remain independent and retain its position as a league that can compete with the MLB? It is now time for a serious discussion about the direction of Japanese professional baseball itself.
The writer is a Senior Editorial Staff Writer of the Mainichi Shimbun.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
日本人選手の大リーグ流出が止まらない
冨重 圭以子 / 毎日新聞 専門編集委員
2007年 5月 16日
かつて日本のプロ野球を艶やかに彩った２人の名勝負が、時と所とユニホームを変えて再現された。４月11日（日本時間12日）、米国で現存する中で最も古い球場フェンウェイ・パークのマウンドにレッドソックスの松坂、打席にはマリナーズのイチロー。７年前の西武・オリックス戦と同じように、18・44㍍を隔てた２人の対決を、同球場での観客数としては戦後で２番目に多い３万６６３０人が楽しんだと思うと、感慨深い。
大リーグ機構（ＭＬＢ）の調査によると、今季の開幕時の大リーガー８４９人（故障者リストに入った選手も含む）のうち、米国人以外の選手は29㌫にのぼる。ドミニカ共和国98人、ベネズエラ51人、カナダ19人の順で、日本人も13人で５番目の多さだ。
95年に野茂英雄投手がドジャースに入ったとき、メジャーで日本人選手が通用するかどうか、が話題になった。いまや松坂は15勝以上できるかどうか、と注目される。日本のプロ野球のトップ選手の実力は野茂以来の13年ですっかり認知された。
国際舞台での活躍をことのほか喜ぶ国民性だから、多くの日本人は松坂やイチローを応援し拍手を贈る。だがプロ野球の球団関係者はメジャーへのスター流出で日本の球界の空洞化が始まるのではないか、と危ぶんでいる。
確かに日本人大リーガー13人の顔ぶれは、オールスターチーム並みに豪華だ。彼らで先発メンバーを組んでみたら、一塁手がいないだけで、きれいに各ポジションに分かれた。日本の各ポジションのナンバーワンと自負する選手が、ほとんどメジャーの一員になったということでもある。
スターの流出に最もショックを受けたのが「球界の盟主」を自任する巨人だった。02年にチームで最も人気が高かった松井秀喜外野手がフリーエージェント（ＦＡ）となり、03年からヤンキースに移った。巨人はこれまで「巨人という人気球団の存在が、海外への選手流出を防いできた」と主張してきた。有力選手がメジャーに行くよりは、巨人に入る方が、日本の球界のためになる、として、ドラフト（新人選手獲得）会議では選手が球団を選べる逆指名制度は必要で、球団移籍の自由を保障するＦＡの資格取得期間も短縮すべきだ、と論理を展開してきた。ところが自チームのスターがメジャーに行ってしまったから論理が崩れた。巨人は海外流出の防波堤にはなれないことが明らかになったのだ。
大リーグを目指す選手が増えた理由はいくつか考えられる。まず野茂投手の活躍で日本の野球が通用すると知ったこと。平均で294万4556ドルというメジャーの年俸の高さ。美しい天然芝の球場など試合環境のよさ、などが挙げられる。しかし一番の動機は、世界の野球で最もレベルが高いことだろう。選手がより上のレベルで試合をしたい、と思うのは自然なことだ。まして松坂の年代では野球が面白くなった小・中学生の時代に、野茂らが活躍し、それをテレビで見てきた。メジャーは遠い夢ではなく身近な目標なのだ。
ＭＬＢの世界戦略も日本人大リーガーの増加に拍車をかけた。エクスパンション（球団増）が90年代に一段落し、国内でのパイ拡大に歯止めがかかったとき、ＭＬＢは市場を米国外に広げることにした。公式戦を国外で行い、日本の選手を獲得することで観光客を呼び込み、テレビ放送権料を得て、あるいは大リーグのロゴマークの入ったグッズを国外で売る。ＭＬＢにとって日本は絶好の市場だった。
大リーグを頂点としたヒエラルキーに日本のプロ野球も組み込まれるのか。独立性を保ち、メジャーに対抗するリーグというポジションを保つのか。日本のプロ野球全体の方向性を真剣に議論する時期がきている。
（筆者は毎日新聞 専門編集委員。）
大リーグ機構（ＭＬＢ）の調査によると、今季の開幕時の大リーガー８４９人（故障者リストに入った選手も含む）のうち、米国人以外の選手は29㌫にのぼる。ドミニカ共和国98人、ベネズエラ51人、カナダ19人の順で、日本人も13人で５番目の多さだ。
95年に野茂英雄投手がドジャースに入ったとき、メジャーで日本人選手が通用するかどうか、が話題になった。いまや松坂は15勝以上できるかどうか、と注目される。日本のプロ野球のトップ選手の実力は野茂以来の13年ですっかり認知された。
国際舞台での活躍をことのほか喜ぶ国民性だから、多くの日本人は松坂やイチローを応援し拍手を贈る。だがプロ野球の球団関係者はメジャーへのスター流出で日本の球界の空洞化が始まるのではないか、と危ぶんでいる。
確かに日本人大リーガー13人の顔ぶれは、オールスターチーム並みに豪華だ。彼らで先発メンバーを組んでみたら、一塁手がいないだけで、きれいに各ポジションに分かれた。日本の各ポジションのナンバーワンと自負する選手が、ほとんどメジャーの一員になったということでもある。
スターの流出に最もショックを受けたのが「球界の盟主」を自任する巨人だった。02年にチームで最も人気が高かった松井秀喜外野手がフリーエージェント（ＦＡ）となり、03年からヤンキースに移った。巨人はこれまで「巨人という人気球団の存在が、海外への選手流出を防いできた」と主張してきた。有力選手がメジャーに行くよりは、巨人に入る方が、日本の球界のためになる、として、ドラフト（新人選手獲得）会議では選手が球団を選べる逆指名制度は必要で、球団移籍の自由を保障するＦＡの資格取得期間も短縮すべきだ、と論理を展開してきた。ところが自チームのスターがメジャーに行ってしまったから論理が崩れた。巨人は海外流出の防波堤にはなれないことが明らかになったのだ。
大リーグを目指す選手が増えた理由はいくつか考えられる。まず野茂投手の活躍で日本の野球が通用すると知ったこと。平均で294万4556ドルというメジャーの年俸の高さ。美しい天然芝の球場など試合環境のよさ、などが挙げられる。しかし一番の動機は、世界の野球で最もレベルが高いことだろう。選手がより上のレベルで試合をしたい、と思うのは自然なことだ。まして松坂の年代では野球が面白くなった小・中学生の時代に、野茂らが活躍し、それをテレビで見てきた。メジャーは遠い夢ではなく身近な目標なのだ。
ＭＬＢの世界戦略も日本人大リーガーの増加に拍車をかけた。エクスパンション（球団増）が90年代に一段落し、国内でのパイ拡大に歯止めがかかったとき、ＭＬＢは市場を米国外に広げることにした。公式戦を国外で行い、日本の選手を獲得することで観光客を呼び込み、テレビ放送権料を得て、あるいは大リーグのロゴマークの入ったグッズを国外で売る。ＭＬＢにとって日本は絶好の市場だった。
大リーグを頂点としたヒエラルキーに日本のプロ野球も組み込まれるのか。独立性を保ち、メジャーに対抗するリーグというポジションを保つのか。日本のプロ野球全体の方向性を真剣に議論する時期がきている。
（筆者は毎日新聞 専門編集委員。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟