Hanshin Acquires Chris Resop from Braves

Here's some more on Chris Resop (news-press.com), which quotes his father, Tom Resop:

"If you ask me, he's as excited about pitching in Japan as he was about making his major league debut," said Tom Resop, Chris' father. "He's thrilled to death. Not being on the 40-man roster, what was he going to do?"

By heading to Japan, Resop can earn a seven-figure salary and avoid the career uncertainty he faced.

"When you're designated for assignment, they put you on waivers," Tom Resop said. "If you're not picked up by somebody, you're sitting around for 10 days. Then you get sent back down to Triple-A.

"When he comes back from Japan, he'll be a free agent. So there's no loss. It's a win-win situation. He's going to make very, very good money playing for the Hanshin Tigers."

Will the Tigers will use him as a starter or reliever? They haven't been very good at evaluating foreign talent in recent years. It's interesting how his father mentions the good money he is going to make. I guess they feel they didn't waste enough money already on Lew Ford and need to throw more away on a pitcher with a 5.61 ERA. They have plenty of pitching talent now. I guess this might be a move to help fill the void during the Olympics.

- It's interesting how his father mentions the good money he is going to make.

That part of the article disturbed me, too. He could have talked about how his son was going to help the Tigers in the pennant race or how this would be a good learning experience for his son. But all he apparently could see was the money. I guess it's time for a spell of losing my faith in humanity again.

It's just another Olympic move that many clubs are doing, right? Even then, a partial season with Hanshin, with prorated contract would probably still pay better than a AAA contract. Wonder how much of the money is guaranteed though.

That's correct. According to the Japanese media it's to help ease the loss of Fujikawa and Kubota during the Olympics.

RE: money, if he's coming over for the money then he's likely to be unsuccessful like so many others have been.

I'm trying to imagine the father of a Japanese player saying "My son is going to make a lot of money over there." Well, hopefully this new pitcher is worth all the money he makes.

There's more here at naplesnews.com (BC grad Resop excited about opportunity in Japan).

A little snippet:

"It's traveling the world, and the baseball over there, I heard it's awesome," the former Barron Collier star said. "You're still getting paid for what you love to do. Not that I'm at a standstill here, but I'm not on the (40-man) roster and it's gonna be more of a challenge to get back to the big leagues. If a team's gonna pay me to play this game, how can I say no to that?"

He's still talking about the money, but that's not all there is - it's obvious that he's looking forward to the opportunity to play over here. He sees Japan as a stepping stone in his career. And I'm OK with that. As long as he drops the money talk when he gets over here, and simply sticks to the lines about how great the fans are, how he wants to contribute to the team, beating the Giants, winning the yusho, etc.

- He could have talked about how his son was going to help the Tigers in the pennant race or how this would be a good learning experience for his son.

Michael, we really don't know how Chris Resop himself feels. How about we wait until how he feels about playing in Japan and what Resop says?

Yes his father could have talked about how he would help them in the pennant race, but unlike most of us here, I doubt Resop's dad is in tune with the CL standings. Though with all the great resources on the web (like this site) that shouldn't be an excuse. There was no excuse not to try and research where his son was playing to least get a broad idea of where he was playing, but we can't pin that on Chris Resop.

So yes, I agree; he could of said that about how his son would help the Hanshin Tigers in a playoff race or how it would be a good learning experience, but till I see what Chris Resop says himself, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Also, if he doesn't pitch well it isn't going to make a difference. He will be released and be back in 4A limbo. I think it's a little early to be losing faith in humanity over this. I'm sure at this point in Resop's career he wants some certainity in his career.

Hey, it beats working for NOVA. His dad is probably just happy he's going to have a stable income and not have to deal with the insecurity of the minor leagues. Although, as Westbay-san pointed out, it's a bit gauche to bring it up in your first interview with the team. Tsk Tsk.

Yeah, at least it was his dad that made the comment and not himself. When you consider the awful conditions of playing in the minor leagues, there's nothing wrong with him coming over here to keep in baseball shape and make a lot more money while he's at it. As long as he takes Japanese baseball seriously and is here to give his best to the team, there's nothing wrong with that. The Tigers need some extra pitching during the Olympics, so as long as he's not a Dan Miceli I'm sure he'll help them.

[I realize that this is an old thread, but I just need to add this.]

Ok first off, who gives a **** if his dad mentioned the money? When you get traded or designated for assignment of course your thinking about the money. And Chris just had his first kid, so yea, money is kind of important.

Tom Resop, on the other hand, is just making sure his son has a steady income as he himself dosen't need the money whatsoever. So for you to go and judge him when you don't even know him is just stupid. The Resops are the nicests people you could meet and are definatly not money hungry. He knows how much work and dedication it take to make it in the Major Leagues and he teaches that to his softball players and he drills that to his children. Money us not what they're after.

I am certain that Mr. Resop is extremely excited about his son coming to Japan and is totally committed to the success of the Hanshin Tigers. The newspapers in the United States like to print what a player is making as opposed to what his job will entail. For some reason there is always an emphasis on the dollar. Mr. Resop is very humble I am sure.

Here's another Resop update:

Resop will never forget pitching in Yankee Stadium (Naples Daily News).

He certainly has a sense of history. I wonder if he realizes he's going to be pitching in Japan's oldest ballpark, which is the same vintage as Yankee Stadium.