Kazuo Matsui = Bust

Give him some time, the season is not even 2 months old yet, so I wouldn't call him a bust. A bust would be a player who's not in the major leagues anymore.

I agree with Frank, the season is only 2 months old. Don't you remember that last year at this time they were calling Hideki a bust, too? Look at what he has done after that, and what importance he now has on the Yankee team and in the dugout. Give Kazuo the right time to adjust to another country, another culture, and to MLB baseball.

The biggest difference is that Godzilla plays for the usually winning Yankees. Mets fans, at the moment, do not have patience since the team has been losing the last few years. New York fans can be very difficult to deal with. Some even booed Derek Jeter this year.

The players understand that, playing professional sports, if you don't perform well, you'll receive boos. A true fan of that player/team would stick with their player/team when they're down. And I can understand that they're booing Jeter - the guy is hitting below the Mendoza line, and he's one of the most overrated and overpaid players in MLB.

New York fans can be tough. But no major league baseball player has gotten more free passes and cut more slack by the fans than Derek Jeter. Don't cry for him.

I agree with everyone else that you have to give him more time to adjust. If you really expected him to play so well every game like his first MLB game, then your expectations are just too unrealistic.

As far as his power goes, actually, I disagree with you. He is just a 20-30 home run guy in Japan. Even Godzilla last year went from 50 to like 16 or something like that? If you look at Kazuo's numbers, he has hit a ton of doubles, and has 3 home runs. I would say that's pretty impressive power wise. A lot of those doubles probably would be home runs in Japanese parks.

I do agree that his defense seems very shaky. I think he is leading the league with 9 errors, and that number will most likely continue to grow since Mike Piazza is now primarily going to play first base now. That's not gonna help Kazuo because Piazza won't be able to dig out or scoop up balls to save errors like good defensive first basemen do.

And Kazuo Matsui is also striking out almost as much as Mike Cameron, they will probably finish the league as 1-2 in strike-outs! Sheesh, I think Matsui should stop swinging for the long ball everytime and just aim for a single.

True that Kaz is two months into his first season in a new league, batting .257 with 3 HR's and the same amount of stolen bases. Most people don't adjust to this quickly (Ichiro, Hideki), but it is much harder to adjust in the infield where communication is vital to success. By the way, I bet you couldn't do as well as he is if you were in the minors.

Other slow starters who had to make adjustments that weren't as difficult as Kaz include A-Rod, Sheffield, and Piazza (Kaz's teammate).

Well, Kaz actually has 5 home runs now, all lead off homers.

At the plate Kaz has been steady, he's not tearing it up like Ichiro did, but he's doing alright. I'd have to disagree with the statement that moving him to the 2 spot was a flop - it seemed to get him back into shape. Hitting in front of someone like Zeil, Piazza, Floyd you get pitched to, and see a lot of fastballs, as opposed to hitting in front of Danny Garcia, or Gutierez, where you are going to get tough pitches.

His stolen bases also dropped in Japan. Now that he's in the MLB he's got new pitchers, and new pitching styles, to get used to before he can feel comfortable. He's stolen a couple bases so far, I don't know if he'll have double digits, but his speed around the bags is an asset as far as scoring potential.

As far as fielding, he doesn't have on a natural surface, and there is a lot more communication for an infielder to deal with than an outfielder. The guys in the outfield can look good running down fly balls, they don't have to deal with chopping ground balls on the infield. He looks better and more comfortable in the infield, and he's working with the staff to learn how to make back hand catches and other things that will help him field balls coming off the grass.

I don't expect him to hit .320 and hit 50 HR, but I suspect by the end of the year he'll be around .275 with 15-20 HR, and that's pretty good for most shortstops this side of A-Rod.

[Admin: The original message ended with "and" - was there more?]

Kazuo Matsui's numbers through the first quarter of the season would project out to about 20 homers, 20 steals, 85 runs, and 60 RBI, roughly. Sure, those are not A-Rod numbers, but any major league club should be excited to get this kind of production out of their shortstop.

Furthermore, I have read and heard nothing but negative comments about Kazuo's performance. I read one scout's report that he "doesn't look as fast as advertised." It is the end of May and Kazuo Matsui plays for possibly the worst team in the National League. Anyone looking for evidence that the season is far from over needs only to pick up a newspaper and see that the Reds are leading the N.L. Central, with Sean Casey batting near .400 and Paul Wilson on pace for a 20-win season.

- Kazuo Matsui's numbers through the first quarter of the season would project out to about 20 homers, 20 steals, 85 runs, and 60 RBI, roughly. Sure, those are not A-Rod numbers, but any major league club should be excited to get this kind of production out of their shortstop.

Indeed. As of 5/24, Kazuo's 772 OPS ranks 6th out of the 24 qualified shortstops in MLB -- and 3rd out of 14 qualified shortstops in the NL. That's far from a bust boys and girls.

Updating what I wrote the other day, Kazuo has had five lead-off home runs, not 3. But I also forgot to mention that Kaz also needs to adjust to something that he didn't see while with Seibu, runners sliding into second and tackling the shortstops who try to go for a double play.

Being a huge Mets fan and a a writer that covers the team for NYFansonly.com and Yahoo! Sports, I've watched nearly every one of Matsui's games. I'm a realist, so let me give you my impressions.

Obviously, Matsui got off to an electric start. However, his struggles started to come from taking too many pitches, believe it or not. He'd get behind in the count and then wave at a fastball out of the strike zone or at an inside curve.

Also, he wasn't staying back on the ball- I know he has that small step towards first when he hits in order to utilize his speed, but since he has dropped that a bit, he has been able to stay back and hit the ball with authority.

Kaz has 16 doubles and 5 homeruns - he hit a homerun to lead off the game Saturday and Sunday, and he smacked a double Sunday, as well. He really is coming around. It's a huge adjustment to make, and now he seems to get it. Things should get even better for him when Jose Reyes comes off of the DL - they should be a dynamic 1-2 combination in the order.

As for his fielding, most of his errors are on throws, as he often thinks the ball will get to him faster than it really does. Thus, when he sees how far down the baseline the runner is, he has to rush his throw. Natural grass plays a lot slower than turf, so he has to continue to adjust to that.

Overall, Matsui has been one of the big reasons why the Mets are at .500 right now and are one of the hottest teams in baseball.

This is a typical shortsighted fan's comment. Come one, give him some time, man!

Speaking of shortsighted, I just read an article that said Kaz may be asked to wear glasses on the field. It said he wears them off the field and that he tried contacts, but it did not work. They said that he cannot read the catcher's signs in order to position himself correctly for different hitters. In Japan he positioned himself by knowing each hitter well.

If this is a bogus article let me know.

This is hard to say. It's too early. But "bust" assumes that he is worse than what they had, which is not true because the Mets have been weak at short for years. Anything just north of "suck" is an improvement.

I think he was a little overhyped, which is easy to do in the New York media. People were saying that the Mets were going to have the best up-the-middle in the National League, and that is quite a statement on an unproven quantity like Kaz Matsui.

I think he has adapted quite well. Note that North American infield grass (and clay) are totally different than Japanese infields. But, no one is complaining about his glove - just his bat after the first inning.

Kaz is a breath of fresh air at the plate after years of Rey Ordonez. We're more worried about the other half of our "spectacular" middle infield - the ever-injured Jose Reyes.

Spectacular infield? If Reyes gets healthy the two of them will probably lead the league in errors. Having Piazza at first base will not help them avoid throwing errors that other good first basemen can save.

Kazuo was just named to the All-Star Team last night. He got my vote by the way he stole two bases last week. Not bad.

What are you talking about? The All-Star voting just started. He may be leading, but that is not the final vote. Even Nomar Garciaparra was leading, and he hasn't played a single game this year.

What are you talking about? The last time I checked he was a distant 3rd behind the more deserving Renteria and Everett. But once the Internet vote is counted he may get on the team whether he deserves it or not.

Oops! Another bad game for Kaz. The New York media is ripping him today. Too bad. He seems like a good guy.

I think people expect too much from Japanese players anytime they come over. They think that Japanese baseball = Major League baseball, so the skills and performance should translate directly. While Japanese baseball does have a very high talent level, it is weaker than the majors.

And just about every rookie has a rough year in the MLB. A lot of it is just learning the pitchers. Look how Roger Clemens is dominating the National League. He hasn't pitched that well in the American League in 5+ years. The real secret behind it is a simple one, the vast majority of National League players have never taken a single at bat against Clemens. They've never learned how he makes decisions, never learned how to read his vicious split finger fast ball, et cetra. Clemens was owning every team put in front of him without any effort. However, the first team to play him twice rocked the Rocket. Showing it's a simple matter of learning pitchers and you're going to get better.

Many a ROY Award is given to .285-15-75 guys.

If the players came with minimum MLB contracts like Shinjo and Taguchi, the expectations would not be that high. But when they sign $7 million contracts like both Matsui, of course they will be expected to perform like star MLB players.

Matsui was a star in Japan and he's not going to work for chump change in the U.S. just to pursue his dream.

I think he's been OK. His hitting is about what I expected - lots of doubles and Ks. I hoped for a .280 avg. In offensive statistics, he's actually amongst the top 5.

His fielding is much worse. Did he suffer from a loss of concentration when he played in NPB? With all the "Golden Glove-caliber" hype, I didn't expect him to lead the league in errors. Many of those errors can't be explained away by the grass vs. clay argument.

He has a big adjustment to make and it's fair to give him more time. It would help if he learned English - to better connect with team mates, coaches, fans, and press. I think it's possible that he might get asked to play second when Reyes comes back, or maybe next season. Reyes played better defense last year.

You Japanese fans must have caught a couple of Mets games with Kaz on the TV. How does he look in the field to the Kaz you all know and love?

I'm the original thread poster. It's been about 3 weeks more, and Kaz is still struggling. I hear everybody about needing time to adjust and learn, and to be patient, but it pains me to say he's getting worse. Yes, he has 5 leadoff homers and a bunch of doubles. He's finally started to run some more. I believe he's up to 9 stolen bases now. That's a relief, because it took him a month to even attempt a couple steals, which was terribly over-tentative. His offense, while not great, is acceptable.

However, defense has gone from bad to atrocious. He now has 12 errors and counting. He's slow to react to balls, his range is limited, his arm is surprisingly mediocre, and his instincts just aren't there. There's been talk about him needing eyeglasses. If that's the case, then what the heck are the Mets waiting for? Haven't they heard of one hour Pearle Centers?

The expectations are/were high. He was supposed to be a mix of lightning speed, great fielding, and slashing power. He came here as Japan's best total player. I wasn't expecting the sky, but I surely wasn't expecting such a flawed player. Yes, I knew he was an impatient swinger. Yes, I knew his Japanese power numbers would fall drastically here. Yes, I knew it has been a few years since he geared his game towards stolen bases. Yes, I knew he wasn't going to post an Ichiro avgerage. I was just expected a sound ballplayer with the punch and speed to make things happen. Sadly, he's just greatly flawed. No clue to the strike zone, useless from the left side, and a total liability in the field.

I was excited by his signing, and I'm rooting hard for him. There have been glimpses of what the hype was all about, but they've been few and far between. Maybe he gets his glasses and all is fixed, but for now, he looks generally lost and over-matched. The American game is too fast for him and he's standing there bewildered.

Well with all your venting with no apparent constructive objective, you have probably alienated yourself from all the Japanese on this board. Matsui was one of NPB's best. You've trashed him. Nice work.

I don't think you have a clue as to the kind of pressure the poor guy is under. If you have ever gone to Japan, the first few times for a less travelled Westerner is pretty confusing. Go see "Lost in Translation," put the shoe on the other foot, and then think about performing at a stellar level in your chosen profession.

I think Kaz is a gamer. He will figure it out. He will be one of the top shortstops in MLB within 2 years.

Maybe you should go over to the Mets web site and cry about Phillips, Cameron, and McEwing stinking up Shea before you dump on a newcomer coping with an alien environment, without knowing the language, and with pitching that he's never seen before.

Here's some more current info on Kaz. [Link - The Star Ledger, New Jersey - different article from above]

I have been to Japan, George Steinbrennernot. I spent a year working for General Motors Korea in Seoul and traveled on business to Japan and Singapore. I only speak English and it was a big cultural difference there, however, I did my job.

Yes, Pro Baseball is different, there are more people watching him at work, and the pressure is different. But let's not denigrate Kazuo as a lost foreigner so messed up by a move to the United States that he can't perform well in his profession. I highly doubt Kaz would blame his on the field problems on a "Lost in Translation" scenario.

As for McEwing, Cameron, Phillips, etc., yeah they're miserable. I can complain about them on Mets boards until the cows come home, but what does that have to do with Matsui's mediocrity? I'm talking about a Japanese baseball player on a Japanese baseball site. The word "bust" is harsh, but I'm viewing him through a realistic view. That's the way we New Yorkers speak.

I'm just talking baseball. Kaz Matsui seems to be a great person with a team oriented personality. He's been saying the right things. He's working hard. It's just that his results have been pretty bad. How do I paint that picture with a "constructive objective?" If I've trashed Kaz, it's only on the baseball field. There's no need to take it personally or as an insult to Japan or to this board. Are we not allowed to discuss disappointing Japanese players?

Mike Cameron has been a free agent bust as well. No one would ever take that observation as anything but a realistic baseball comment. What's the defensiveness for? You've read motives into my comment that just weren't there.

[Admin: He's got a number of very good points. I'll reject messages for foul language, obvious smear campaigns, and personal attacks not related to what was said. But he's been on topic all along.]

Well, to somehow equate working a year in Korea and a trip or two to Japan as giving you an understanding of living and cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan is ....((silence)). Korea is not Japan.

You were lucky you were able to do your job in English. Unfortunately, none of the Mets speak Japanese and Kaz doesn't speak English. Could you do your job as well if you had to speak Korean, or through an interpretter? Would you have been as comfortable?

I was not denigrating Kaz as a lost foreigner. He has many adjustments to make. I didn't think you trashed Kaz personally, but professionally, you were harsh. He is not the stinking wreck you portrayed him to be. He is better than mediocre. The Japanese have a lot of pride when their stars go over to MLB and do well. When they don't do as expected, many are uncomfortable. Better not to talk about it too much or especially rub it in.

I am from New York, too. My big New York foot has more than once found its way into my big NY mouth when in Japan. Japanese are sometimes uncomfortable with the directness that us New Yorkers pride ourselves on. More subtle and indirect points often convey the point better than a flaming blowtorch.

My mentioning I worked and travelled in Asia was only brought up because you brought up "Lost in Translation," and somehow, maybe I didn't realize how confusing Japanese culture was the first few times for a less travelled Westerner, and how it'd be difficult to perform on a stellar level there in my profession. I admit Kaz playing pro baseball is on a different scale from me and my work.

As for harshness towards Kaz Matsui professionally, I apologize to any messageboard viewer if they were offended by my frankness. I am familiar with Japanese/Asian indirectness and subtlety. My aim wasn't to rile up anyone by being a big mouth donkey. I assumed, rightly or wrongly, that this site was geared towards and viewed mostly by Westerners who have an interest in Japanese Baseball (to follow Westerners playing in Japan, Japanese players who came to the U.S., and to get info on upcoming Japanese players who may come over in the future). So again, if I offended anyone by calling Kazuo a bust, I apologize.

Hopefully, this clears the air on my intentions. I am a lifelong Mets fan. By extension, I am a Kazuo Matsui fan and want only the best from him. Going forward, I'd like to continue with constructive and informational threads about him (even if he continues to struggle and criticisms are made), as there are many folks here with past knowledge of him who can better shed light on what's happening. Thanks all.

Bottom Line, he was overhyped [...]. He's going to go down in history as one of several disappointments from Japan, along with Hideki Irabu - remember him? Maybe this will be a lesson about over-hyping Japanese players before they come over to America.

Hideki Matsui was suppose to be their top player before he left, and he's nothing but an average outfielder, at best. Once big Matsui left, Little Matsui was suppose to be the top player - he's not even an average shortstop in the Majors.

It's clear that Ichiro is more the exception than the norm. I think the recent trevails of these guys is going to deter more MLB GM's from looking to Japan for players. They will instead strengthen their focus on the Dominican Republic and Latin America. Who can blame them?

Here's a link to a good article on patience with Kaz. It includes some insights from Bobby V. [Link - The Star Ledger, New Jersey]

- Hideki Matsui was supposed to be their top player before he left, and he's nothing but an average outfielder, at best.

Hideki's .877 OPS this year ranks well above average among MLB outfielders, and his .388 OBP is even more impressive. Godzilla is no longer one of the best players in the game like he was in Japan, but calling him "average at best" is uninformed at best.

It's not yet July, gents. Give the fellow a chance to put up some numbers. Any Mets fan who thought Matsui Kazuo would have hit thirty homers and batted .350 is out of their mind. But then again, aren't all Mets fans?

I think Matsui Kazuo's biggest mistake was going to the Mets, a sad franchise in a city that doesn't exactly warm to underachievers. If Matsui can improve in the second half of the season and get up to somewhere around .300, his season should be considered a success. Anyone who's seen the man in action in Japan knows he has the skills to succeed in the Majors.

Matsui should have known better and gone to the Angels or the Padres and put up quiet numbers in a much smaller market.

I can't defend all the Big E's on the scoreboard though. This is something he must work on if he wants to play short (or maybe the Mets should get a first baseman a little more defensive minded than Piazza).

You may be right about Kazuo picking the wrong team. The Mets did promise to keep him at shortstop and were the most dogged suitor which impressed him greatly. However, he was asked to change his whole game approach as a leadoff table-setter. He's been stuck between trying to mimic a punch and judy table-setter approach with his old aggressive big swinger style and therefore not accomplishing either.

In the field, he's had to team up with a different second baseman every month. He barely got to know Jose Reyes, then there was Ricky Gutierrez, Joe McEwing, Danny Garcia, and now Ty Wigginton. I'm not sure how that equates to the limited range and bad throws he's had, but maybe it's a mental factor to consider.

Definitely, being in the spotlight of NYC can't be helping, though he was heralded at signing time as a flashy persona (unlike Hideki Matsui) who would not only accept the spotlight here, but love it and flourish in it. Being in a horrible offensive lineup and a horrible defensive team doesn't afford him much forgiveness either. Instead, he's singled out as a major reason for the Mets' offensive/defensive woes.

Things are tough right now. The New York Post says he needs eyeglasses but is too uncomfortable to wear them in games. Most recently, it's been reported that he's never been given any advanced scouting reports on opposing batters so he doesn't know their tendencies and speed ability. There's enough blame to go around for his lackluster play so far. He's been jumped around from leadoff to the 2 hole in the lineup. I think it's obvious he's more comfortable batting 2nd. Hopefully, manager Art Howe realizes this.

The defense just has to improve though. Two more throwing errors yesterday in Kansas City. Fourteen overall already. If there's such a thing as rock bottom, let's hope this is it.

Here is a story in the NY Daily News on more Kaz miscues last night. [Link]

I just don't know about Kaz anymore. I have patience but you may be right. These seem to be errors in baseball fundamentals.

Here is an article in the NY Post by Kevin Kernan. [Link]

He is a loud mouth and a closet Met-hater, but he's banging the jungle drums pretty hard on moving Kaz - in a number of ways. Any comments on his unorthodox suggestions?

What would be the ramification on Kaz if he decided to pack it up at season's end and go back to Japan, citing family needs or whatever. He is clearly struggling right now. Can he turn it around?

Unless there's significant evidence to the contrary, he a) isn't trying to get better or b) he'll never get it.

I wouldn't make any of the moves he suggests this season. None of what he proposes will make the Mets significantly better, which means the moves aren't going to win them the division under his logic (I doubt the Mets would be a serious contender for World Series rings, to say the very least).

That said, why not give Kaz until late August or September to get himself squared away? You've made one heck of an investment here, why not give it every reasonable chance to succeed? Hideki Matsui took until interleague play last year to get it together, so Kaz isn't that far behind such a schedule. If by that time things aren't showing significant improvement, more drastic measures may be in order.

Jim Albright

I agree. I figured it might take him up to a full season to adjust. The point many people miss is that the fielding adjustments and communication requirements are greater for an infielder than an outfielder. Ichiro and H. Matsui had it easier in that regard. I also think the Mets could do a better job prepping Kazuo on pitchers and positioning than they have, instead of assuming he'll know it.

I think he is headed for second base next season, for the good of the team. Reyes has proven to be a better fielding shortstop.

Do you think that Kaz is suffering from the "Peter Principle" (non-businesspeople: where anyone in an organization ultimately rises to their level of incompetence) or does he just have a steep learning curve? You are essentially saying in your first sentence that he isn't trying to improve, or he's incompetent in this position.

Kaz has been throwing overhand and seems to take coaching well, although he stubbornly refuses the glasses. I don't know how crucial the glasses are. Sometimes I think they should just let the guy play ball, rather than filling his head with more adjustments than are absolutely necessary.

Bust? It was more like "busting out" last night at Shea. Matsui had a career day with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs. It was funny because just the day before Donald Trump was on SportsCenter and said that Kaz Matsui defined the word bust.

Kaz even made a great play in the field yesterday. Look for him to find his groove and prove the naysayers wrong. I still think he'll be a solid shortstop in the majors for years to come.

Today was another big day for Little Matsui. He goes 3 for 4 with 4 runs scored (including the winning run) as the Mets beat the Yankees again.

Some of you on the message board have pointed out that it's too early to label him a bust, and I wholeheartedly agree. I think people in the media in the U.S. were a little premature to call him a bust even before the midway point of the season. I'd love to see Kaz put up good numbers the rest of the way and win the NL Rookie of the Year Award so that he can shove it in the faces of the so-called "experts" who are labeling him a "bust."

- You are essentially saying in your first sentence that he isn't trying to improve, or he's incompetent in this position.

You are absolutely correct that what I wrote means what you say, but what I meant to convey is that a move shouldn't be made unless there was good reason to believe one of those two conditions applied. My apologies for my poorly expressing myself.

Jim Albright

I went to Shea over the 4th to watch the Mets sweep the Yankees and observed Kaz first hand. He is not a "Bust." However, he does seem to lack the arm strength required for the shortstop position, and he seems to have a problem in that on some fielding plays where he tries to make a really difficult acrobatic throw to first base, when he should clearly get the guy going to second.

There is some talk about moving Kaz to second and Reyes to shortstop. I think that would be a great move since he has a stronger arm and can help Wigginton (who needs all the fielding help he can get).

Kaz has been red-hot with the stick the past week. He and new addition, Richard Hidalgo, have really sparked the Mets in their key series sweep over the Yanks as the Mets make another push in the division.

The extra work seems to be paying off as Kaz looks like a different player batting left handed now. He's keeping his body and arms more in sync to speed up and provide more power and control in his swing. So kudos to Kaz and Don Baylor. Let's hope this is a permanent change.

Defensively, the struggles persist. It's evident he doesn't have a shortstop's arm, range, and instincts. I don't know how to account for his defensive reputation in Japan. Seems whatever minute differences in ball size, how hard balls are hit, how fast/slow the runners are, and turf/grass infields couldn't possibly turn a great shortstop into a horrible one. Could they? Maybe so in this case. I agree with everyone saying he should be switched to second base next year.

At first I didn't think it was a factor, but it seems that the fact that Kazuo played 10 years on artificial turf made a big difference. He probably became so accustomed to the astro-turf that he lost his touch for playing on real turf. He probably would have done better if he came straight out of PL Gakuen High School to the majors. It's a potential problem for all Japanese infielders.

Matsui Kazuo is up to .270. He's been hitting the ball exceptionally well the past week or so. There's still another half of the season to go, and a definite chance of making .300 and shutting up a lot of angry New Yorkers.