Mr. Koo Koo Koo

Mets keep on getting Asian players who perform poorly for them (but sometimes decently for other teams before and/or after their Mets stint), or the Mets misuse/underuse good talent when they actually have them (Jeo). Funny team, those Mets. :-P

Boy, are you misinformed.

Kaz, I won't go there.

Shinjo - Good glove, average bat in Japan. Good glove, weak bat for the Mets. Maybe he learned something when he went back to Japan, or the pitching was weaker?

Komi - decent, but was how old, 37? Did you think he's a pitcher like Pedro?

Yoshii - decent. Did you think he going to be like Greg Maddux?

Jae Weong Seo - two dimensional pitcher until he understood and learned that fastball/change-up is not a MLB meal ticket. He learned three more pitches when he decided he had better heed professional advise. He is still with the Mets and is doing fine.

I'm not aware of other Asian players the Mets have had who have done better in MLB. I don't appreciate the innuendo on the Mets. If you would like to continue being provocative, bring it on, but the site will get soiled.

;oP to you too.

The other Japanese player for the Mets was Takashi Kashiwada in 1997. He went 3-1 with a 4.31 ERA in 35 games. He's back with the Yomiuri Giants.

Shinjo - I think his whole trip to the majors was a learning experience for him. When he returned he had an all-star year. Shinjo was a popular player, he was the star player of the Hanshin Tigers. He was as popular as ever with people, like a movie star. I remember my first time seeing Shinjo on TV, it was when the Orioles played the Mets in 2001 (Shinjo's rookie year). Shinjo made a lasting impression on me, one that I still remember.

Komiyama - Komiyama was given little or no chance and was also hyped by people outside the organization (not to the Mets' fault) to be the "Japanese Greg Maddux."

Yoshii - Yoshii was more than decent in my opinion. Was he ace material with the Mets? No. But at least a #3-4 starter on the Mets. With the Mets, Yoshii was consistent - after he left he fell apart. One could argue that New York was better for Yoshii than Colorado or Montreal. I think it was better for Yoshii in New York than with the Rockies or Expos.

Seo - Now that Seo has started using more pitches, he is doing near perfect this year. He has even earned the praise of pitching coach Rick Peterson.

Thanks for reminding me of Kashiwada. I also forgot to mention a short stint by Nomo, but that was when he was in an uneven point in his career. I suspect his arm was bothering him.

Shinjo - I really liked him. I just wish he could hit better. The difference between Kaz and he was about $6 million per year and the expectation level.

Komi was hyped as the Japanese Greg Maddux. No one knew who he was and it was a bum rap. He still pitched respectably. I think he came over a little late in his career.

Yoshii was better than decent, he was a solid starter. I liked him, too. I think New York is a good place for most pitchers than elsewhere, as Shea is a pitchers' park. You still have to have the makeup for NY. I think Kenny Rogers had a hard time in NY with the pressure, but had a very good career nevertheless.

As far as JW Seo (though not Japanese), I hope he keeps it up, because he really deserves it. Tommy John surgery, rough second year, repeated trips to the minors. It looks like they are giving Steve Trachsel his walking papers due to Seo's emergence. One could say it's because of the Zambrano investment, but if Seo didn't emerge, the issue would be moot.

After going over this list, would it be accurate to say that the Mets have had more Japanese players over the last 8 years than any other team? It seems so, but it didn't dawn on me until now.

- After going over this list, would it be accurate to say that the Mets have had more Japanese players over the last 8 years than any other team? It seems so, but it didn't dawn on me until now.

And there's no valid reason that their management should stop signing players from Japan, but I fear the Matsui experiment may make them a bit gunshy.

I mean, personally speaking, I would love to see Johjima behind the plate next year for the Mets, but does anyone realistically think that's going to happen now?

Sadly, management (and fans) will probably unfairly link the dismal performance of Matsui with anyone from NPB who may potentially sign with the Mets. And this really isn't meant to blame the New York fans, who are the best in the world (no, this point is non-debatable), but we expected Ichiro's bat and got Rey Ordonez's instead. However, I think the reaction would have been similar whether Matsui was playing in Boston, Chicago, Philly, or wherever.

I feel as if Mets fans are really waiting to embrace a star from Japan. Don't believe everything printed in the back pages of newspapers. Seo has created a nice buzz recently among Queens' Korean population. They will be out at Shea in force again tonight supporting their man.

All in all, I hope that Matsui rebounds and has a great 2006 for the Mets (or a huge 2005 playoffs?), but I don't think it is meant to be. But let's give the next guy a fair chance, too.

- After going over this list, would it be accurate to say that the Mets have had more Japanese players over the last 8 years than any other team? It seems so, but it didn't dawn on me until now.

It's true. I can't find another team with more Japanese players.

Takashi Kashiwada (1997)
Masato Yoshii (1998-99)
Hideo Nomo (1998)
Kazuhisa Ishii (2005)
Tsuyoshi Shinjo (2001, 2003)
Satoru Komiyama (2002)
Kazuo Matsui (2004-)

Also, the Mets signed Shingo Takatsu to a minor league contract, he is due for a September callup. If Takatsu pitches well this September he could grab a spot on next year's roster.

So, with all those Japanese players, I guess the new Mets' marketing strategy in Japan will have the tag line: "Mets, Japan's MLB Team." (The despised Atlanta Braves use the line "America's Team.") LOL.

As far as Johjima joining the Mets, that's tough to successfully speculate on. The Mets need a catcher to replace Piazza. Castro is good defensively and average with the bat. The pickings of MLB free agents are few, and indeed, there's a shortage of young, big hitting catchers.

The Kaz experience will cause them pause for pricey Japanese position players. Nearly all the NPB players who have been on the Mets were low profile (well, not Shinjo by his making), low cost, low risk players. Lots of pitchers. Beltran's low production will also come into play, as a reminder of the risk of big contracts. The result is the Mets may be a bit gun shy of signing any high priced player next year who carries potential prior baseball risk.

Johjima is an unknown in the US, certainly less praised than Matsui was. People are going to question how his stats will transfer to MLB. They will wonder if lack of English is going to be a barrier to effective communication with the pitcher (I dunno, are finger signs different in Japanese? LOL). Can Johjima handle a 95 mph fastball, a slider, slurve, cutter, etc.; pitches he hasn't seen as often in NPB? Can he adjust to the more aggressive base running in MLB? There are lots of questions, not just for the Mets, but for any MLB team looking at Johjima. Catcher is one of the toughest positions to play and I think the adjustment may be even bigger than Kaz had.

The Mets are going to put a premium on a defensive catcher, however, and they might find Castro good enough. He's a known entity. If Johjima can be signed for a moderate amount of money, say $2-3 million/year, the risk might be reduced. Omar Minaya knows Latin American players very well, from his scouting background there and from his network, so he is more willing to gamble on, say, a Dominican unknown.

Johjima is an excellent player in Japan, but Japanese players are not his strength, and if he has to rely on the same scouts who recommended Matsui and performance transferablility, he is going to be leery. It's going to come down to risk/reward, which MLB team has the greatest need, and who feels lucky, not to take anything away from Johjima.