An annual salary of 28 million won, a foreign player? A 25-year-old outfielder who dreams of Japan as a nurturing player
An annual salary of 28 million won, a foreign player? A 25-year-old outfielder who dreams of Japan as a nurturing player
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The Yomiuri Giants acquired Rydell Martinez, a Cuban right-hander, in December. They welcomed Martinez with a treat worthy of the best closing pitcher in the Japanese professional baseball league. Although the exact amount is unknown because the club has not disclosed it, Japanese media estimated the total amount to be 8 million U.S. dollars and 1.2 billion yen (or 11.06 billion won) in annual salary. The deal quadrupled from last year's 300 million yen salary. It is the highest ever in the history of Japanese pro baseball. Of course, it is a multi-year contract of more than two years.
Martinez, who joined the Chunichi Dragons in 2018, pitched in 303 games and posted 166 saves and 42 holds (14-18, 1.71 ERA). He recorded 43 saves and seven holds (2-3, 1.09 ERA) in last year's Chunichi Dragons. He returned to No. 1 in saves in the Central League for the first time in two years.
Softbank Hawks signed a four-year-to-four billion yen contract with left-hander Livan Monello early last year. The deal calls for an annual salary of 1 billion yen (9.22 billion won or 9.22 billion won or 11.25 million dollars) starting this year. The deal was set to take place before the end of the contract.
He started as a starting pitcher in 2017. He successfully moved from the bullpen to the starting pitcher last year. He ranked No. 1 in ERA in the Pacific League in his first year as a starting player with 11 wins and 5 losses and 1.88 ERA. Monello and Martinez played for Cuba in the Premier 12 last year. Whenever a major international competition takes place, the two players play for Cuba.
There is a player who recorded the highest score before Martinez and Monello. He is Roberto Osuna, 30, a Mexican closer for Softbank. After playing for Chiba Lotte Marines, he moved to Softbank in 2023, and achieved huge success. He signed a contract for four years to four billion yen last year. Osuna was the "save king" of the American League in the U.S. Major League Baseball. He made 38 saves in 2019 with the Houston Astros.
These three players are successful cases where they adapted to the soil of Japanese pro baseball and achieved Japan's dream. They overcame infinite competition without restrictions on the possession of foreign players to rise to the top position. A clear performance in a professional league leads to a clear reward. As a foreign player dubbed "mercenary," he must prove his value through his skills.
The Hanshin Tigers announced on the 7th that they will recruit foreign players. It is Stanley Consuegra, an outfielder of the Dominican Republic. No. 134 has been assigned.
He is a young player born in 2000 who has no major league experience. Hanshin held a tryout in the Dominican Republic last December. The player who stood out at that time was Consuegra.
Hanshin announced that it has good swing speed and long hit power. Consuegra is the fourth outfielder to be selected from the three tryouts held by Hanshin. He is the first outfielder to play.
He started his career in the New York Mets' minor league in 2017. He was promoted to Double-A under the Mets last year, but was blocked there. He showed good batting performance in Single-A, but he did not impress in Double-A. Consuegra hit 23 home runs in Single-A in 2023. He has 52 home runs in the minor league.
One thing stands out. This year's annual salary is 3 million yen (28,500 U.S. dollars). This is about one 400th of Martinez's annual salary. Even though they are not official players but nurturing players, the amount is quite small for foreign players who have to live in foreign countries that they are unfamiliar with.
Of course, Consuegra took this and chose the path of challenge. On the other side, Hanshin saw his potential and gave him a chance.
Hanshin is the winner of the Central League and Japan Series in 2023. Last season, he ranked second in the league after Yomiuri. His pitching and hitting power were solid, but the presence of foreign batters was insignificant. Japanese batters were the main players and had no choice but to lead the attack. He also had a thirst for long shots.
Through the club, Consuegra said, "I want to learn Japanese baseball culture and play style and contribute to the success of the team."
This season, Hanshin will recruit nine foreign players. This is the largest number of foreign players in the team's history. Hanshin previously signed an annual salary of 300,000 U.S. dollars with Ramon Hernandez (28) from the Dominican Republic. Four of the nine players including Consuegra are nurturing players. The team had eight players for three consecutive years between 2020 and 2022, all of which were official contracts. This year, the team will move to a different stance.
Hanshin has failed to recruit batters with experience in 메이저사이트 KBO League and Major League Baseball. The performance and name value posted by other leagues did not lead to success.