How much truth to the Kaz Matsui Rumor

I remember there was an article in the Daily Yomiuri (yesterday or the day before) to the effect that he would wait until he qualified for free agency to go to the majors. I think it said another year or two.

I tried to find the text of the article just now on the net but couldn't. I have it somewhere at home, and will post it later tonight.

He did seems to indicate that he his going to wait until free agency. And then he turned around and was a lot more vague about the whole issue when asked about it again by reporters Thursday. It could be that you will see a certain amount of agonizing going on ala Ishii. I think he wants to play in the majors real bad, but is strongly attached to Seibu.

He has mentioned in the past that he would like to coach or manage someday in Japan and there are some in the press who believe, for whatever reason, that Matsui would jeopardize that if he jumps. Makes no sense to me.

Finally found that article in the newspaper! Sorry to be so late. In its Thurs. 3 Oct. edition, the Daily Yomiuri says:

Seibu shortstop Kazuo Matsui said he wanted to help the Lions battle for a second straight PL title next season, a sign that he will not attempt to go to the major leagues through the posting system, the Hochi Shimbun reported in its Wednesday edition.

Matsui, who becomes a free agent next season and has expressed interest in playing in the majors before, said his main concern right now is winning the Japan Series.

"My feeling is that I want to win the Japan Series and I also want us to win the league championship next year," the 27-year-old shortstop said.

Any further word on this today in Japan?

Excuseme my poor English, I am a sportwriter from Dominican Republic and my language is Espanish. I would like to read more about Kaz Matsui. Is the guy the Alex Rodriguez of Japanese?, for example. Thanks.

Enrique, if anyone was the A-Rod of Japan, it would be him. He's very strong defensively and would be a .280-.300 hitter in the MLB who could hit up to 30 HR and steal up to 70 bases. He's a very very good player. A-Rod's caliber? Probably not.

His stats look great, and I've heard he's strong defensively. His triples seem to indicate great speed. Can anyone tell me what kind of baserunner he is? Does he steal much (in relation to the style of play in Japan)?

> Can anyone tell me what kind of baserunner he
> is? Does he steal much (in relation to the style of
> play in Japan)?

If I remember rightly, he got the "three threes", that is, in addition to hitting 30 or more HRs and hitting .300 or better, he also stole 30 or more bases.

He's slowed down in recent years, but he did win the Stolen Base Title three years in a row, from 1997-99, stealing 62, 43, and 32 bags respectively. His lifetime totals (including 2002) are listed on his player page. (I don't have caught stealing numbers for 2002 as of this writing.)

The player Little Matsui compares favorably to is Alfonso Soriano. Their walk-to-strikeout ratio is not what you want from a top of a lineup hitter, but their raw power and speed make up for it. Kaz is the better defensive player, but Soriano might be the better pure hitter.

I think little Matsui needs to come to MLB in 2003. He has already accomplished what he has wanted to in NPB. I know he wants to manage in Japan, so he wants to fulfill his full obligations first. But he needs to come to MLB before it is too late.

It's not so much fulfilling obligations as putting himself in the best position to get what he wants. If he waits until free agency, he can choose which team he wants to go to, and since the team will not have to pay out a high bid just for negotiating rights, he stands to get a better contract, too.

If he wanted to fulfill obligations, being posted would have been the way to go: that way Seibu would get some financial gain back in return for letting him go.

- Their walk-to-strikeout ratio is not what you want from a top of a lineup hitter

Soriano's isn't (he should hit 3rd with Jeter first, Williams 2nd, Giambi cleanup) with a .332 OBP, but Kazuo had .387 OBP in 2002, has a .360 lifetime OBP, and a .375 OBP the last three years. Those are good numbers for anyone. He does strike out a lot, but he walks enough in addition to hitting to quiet anyone about his plate judgement.

The problem is, you have to expert Kazuo's OBP to drop when (if) he plays in MLB. A well researched article by Jim Albright estimates his 2002 OBP at .356, his lifetime OBP at .334, and his three-year on-base average at .349. Decent, but not outstanding.

I heard from baseball sources in Japan that Kazuo will end up playing for Dodgers. Dodgers feel that Kazuo will cost less money than other premier free agents like Guerrero, Sheffield, or Tejerda.

I think that between San Diego and Los Angeles whoever doesn't get Tejada will get Kaz. There is no way he ends up with the Yankees. Not a Yankee type of player.