The Johjima question

Kenji Johjima has announced he's exercising his option to return to Japan and has been previously linked to Tigers. However, do Tigers really need him or would their money be better spent on other players? Johjima would be expensive - 5 oku was his salary in 2005 when he left for MLB. However, he is a proven catcher with a good record with the bat (200 HR, 699 RBIs and .360 BA in the Pacific League). Figures for MLB are 48 HR, 198 RBIs and .268 average. With figures like this his salary would be very expensive and only a few clubs could afford him of which Tigers would be one. Another plus point is that Johjima is in his prime at 33. This gives him a more than respectable career (injury permitting) with the club that signs him.
Tigers need a replacement for Yano and who else but one of the best catchers in Japan. However, their young catcher Keisuke Kanoh is developing into a fine player. He has just completed his first year as the main catcher and was spectacular. How to deal with this situation is a bit difficult - go with the younger player with Johjima as back up or have a 50/50 set up. Of course, Tigers could sign Johjima and make him their number one catcher (and one would expect them to do this) but it is a bit of a kick in the teeth for Kanoh. The management may feel that Kanoh needs a bit more development but this is illusory - he is ready. However, Johjima's numbers are very, very tempting and one can see him adding considerably to Hanshin's offense.
At the moment it is just rumour that he will talk to Hanshin and one would think that his old organisation would have first call on his services (and Softbank certainly could use him). However, his agent was positive about a potential move - though he did indicate that there was nothing yet beyond the rumour.
Many thanks to the guest who pointed out the mistake with the MLB numbers.

Minami-president has indictated that he will be talking with Johjima as soon as possible. Tigers are very keen to add him to their roster.

I think if Hanshin does get Johjima, Kanoh will get sidelined. Do you know why he wants to return to Japan again?

I'm fine with the Tigers sticking with Kannoh. He had to wait a long time to get his chance and I think he's a capable catcher and hitter. Instead of spending money on Johjima, they need an additional starting pitcher, if anyone is available.

According to various US sources Johjima had troubles with some of the pitchers at Seattle. They couldn't adapt to his style of calling and this generated tensions which got too much for Johjima. Tigers are prepared to offer him 28 oku yen over four years as an initial contract and probably put him in the No. 4 position. The latter is worrying as his career numbers do not indicate the consistency needed for No. 4. I would have thought that No. 5 was a better position for him.

I've also read several reports that Johjima clashed with the pitchers. He took on a huge challenge. Not only did he have to deal with the different way of calling a game, but also tried to learn both English and Spanish. Being a catcher is already one of the most demanding positions, so that was quite a work load. On the one hand I feel like he's a quitter for not hanging in there, but I also admire him for turning down all that money to do what was right for him and his family.

Boy, I guess some people don't watch a lot of MLB or Mariners games at least.

Johjima is seriously on the decline, he had a OBP of under .300 this year and is nothing more than an average backup catcher. It's no secret that Seattle are doing cartwheels over his opt out. They quickly realized his contract was a disaster. It's all over ESPN, MLB and the Seattle Times. This article in the Seattle Times, "Kenji Johjima gives Mariners an early Christmas present"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2010101322_kenji_johjima_gives_mariners_a.html#

What are you guys seeing that everyone else is missing? He will be 34 next year and is statistically heading into his decline years. Do the Tigers want to offer him a big contract when they really should be looking at adding a reliable starter or a solid bat to the lineup?

Though there are articles which indicate the opposite and that Seattle are in trouble as they don't have an experienced catcher. I am not commenting either way but an unhappy player will play worse than a happy player. On the age issue successful catchers can continue until they are 40 in Japan (experience is important). However, I am in agreement with your final sentence.

The last couple of years I've been fortunate to get to many games in Seattle (about 3 hours south of Vancouver) where it's been a joy to watch Ichiro and Johjima play. I've seen and read the Seattle Times articles mentioned, as well as some comments by Mariners fans. I don't buy any of it. Mariners fans can be very prejudiced and finicky, and in my own estimation, they are (1) way overly fond of Ken Griffey who can do no wrong, even when fouling out regularly and batting .200 as a cleanup hitter; (2) cool towards Ichiro, somehow a bit wondering why he doesn't try harder to hit 40 home runs, steal 120 bases, and sell cotton candy between innings, in addition to batting .400 every year, like maybe he isn't trying hard enough, or Man enough to swing for the fences; and (3) insanely hard on Johjima, figuring logically that his English must be so poor that's the reason natural-born Cy Young winners like Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Chris Jakubauskas don't win 30 games each.

Seattle threw Johjima a huge contract and, "uppity" fellow that he is, he actually accepted it. Reminds me of some editorials I've seen suggesting that Barack Obama should refuse the Nobel Prize. I don't want to go any further in discussing what I feel is, at least in part, behind these kind of feelings. Besides which, Kenji could easily have either held onto his huge contract and been a backup catcher, or negotiated a pricey release. He didn't. He just decided to go back home and left $16 million on the table. I call that a Class Act -- very, very, very rare in American baseball.

Kenji is, first of all, a terrific offensive player, dependable and dangerous with men on the basepaths. Seattle is going to miss his bat terribly. He may not be the best defensive catcher in the American League but then again who has he been catching? How many times I raised and waved my hand when M's Wakamatsu-kantoku went to the bullpen and offered my own services, hoping once again not to see Miguel Batista throw the ball at the water cooler. Sure I'd bounce the horsehide, but probably then it would at least roll somewhere near the plate.

There seems to be, at least, no dissent about Kenji being a terrific team player and a positive influence on the club. He became a second-stringer this past season as Wak-kantoku turned more often to Rob Johnson, who is also a very good catcher. But Johnson has had off-season back surgery, and the M's are going to be in bad shape at catcher now. As I wrote to the Seattle Times on this, I think the Mariners and their fans are going to miss Kenji a whole lot more than they realize.

The Mariners losing Kenji Johjima is a Christmas present, for sure -- to the Hanshin Tigers (I hope and predict). It makes me insanely happy for the future at Koushien; very fearful for the games ahead in Seattle, which all to often are, apart from the greatness of Ichiro, profound essays in frustration.

OK I can detect some Japanophile bias on this thread but on a Yakyu website, I would expect nothing less. Let's put all that to one side as I don't want to be confrontational. I guess my post was more about him not being what the Tigers need. Love him or not, he is not the answer to Hanshin's needs. His high salary demands would just eat up cash they could spend on what they truly need ie a quality starter and/or a big bat.

The Tigers need a name signing and this may be it. I too am not sure if Johjima will revitalize the team and be a part of the rebuilding necessary after last years failure but the fans will love it. I am worried he is on the downhill side of his career and despite being back in Japan he may not be able to turn it on again.

One thing for sure is that he will not have to worry about English any longer.

The fans will not love it. Most of my tora-kichi friends in the Kansai do not want Johjima to join the team. Too old, too expensive and he just doesn't fit as a Tiger. Give Kannoh the chance he deserves.

As Mr or Ms B says. Most of my Tiger friends do not want him to come and play for Hanshin. Like other fans have spoken here, he will not help our weak areas to be addressed.

Finally Christopher, thank your for you hard work. I enjoy your writing very much. I always read but am a little shy posting because of my English. I would like to see more Japanese fans come here to give opinions.

I am very interested how our friends from other countrys see the Japanese game. I am happy to read positive things here. Unfortunately I get very negative views from my American colleagues at my work about Japanese baseball so I am happy that you all enjoy this game.

Thanks for your kind comments. I am always delighted when Japanese fans do write in with opinions as these are usually very valuable and well informed. Please do contribute more (your English is good enough).

Yeah, let's be realistic...of all the positions a foreign player can take, being a catcher has got to be the toughest. I don't believe Johjima spoke English very well and so I can imagine how tough that would be when he needed to get together with each pitcher. Plus, the other catcher, Rob Johnson (played 80 games in '09) supposedly got along much better with the pitchers. Anyways, KUDOS to Johjima for being the first Asian catcher in MLB.

It has become quite typical of Hanshin to go after a bunch of players in the off season. Hanshin will need to strengthen their team if they want to win the pennant, and Johjima could very well strengthen the team but to make him hit clean up is a little too optimistic of the Hanshin management. The problem is that Hanshin has no number 4 hitter. Kanemoto is aging, Arai is too unstable, Toritani not enough power. This leaves us with Brazell but Mayumi for some reason makes him bat 6th. While getting Johjima itself is not such a bad move they will have to strengthen their team in other areas too if they dream of catching up with the Giants.

I found it amusing that the day after Nikkan Sports had a good sized article about how the Tigers were trying to unload 10-oku yen in salary, the same paper proclaimed in large type that Hanshin was readying to offer 20-oku over 4 years to Johjima.

Softbank have now come up with their offer to Johjima. This is sixteen oku over four years which does not even value him the same as when he left. Johjima had a meeting with Oh-chairman on Saturday but made no comment. The Softbank offer which was tardy does not match Tigers offer and Softbank are clearly gambling that home advantage and the former career with them will count.

Well, Johjima is now a Tiger. Personally, I'm not a big fan of this move, but hopefully Johjima will make me eat my words! I just hope he has recovered from his injuries and can regain the batting form he had in NPB before.

This is a gamble, no matter how you slice it. Kenji got a really bad rap in Seattle and part of that has to do with a clubhouse issue - mostly between Carlos Silva and Kenji/Ichiro. Silva, quite frankly, stunk and out of frustration let it slip that he thought a couple of players were 'above the team' so to speak. Putz said something similar as well.

Ichiro IS the elder statesman on that team. He has the longest tenure of any Mariner and is now one of the oldest players on the club. I think Ichiro just expected to be respected based upon age/experience ala the Japanese yakyu tradition and he wouldn't really have to speak out to be a leader. That clearly is not the case in American baseball - where voicing your opinion/standing up to the media is considered leadership. So, Ichiro is stoic, doesn't speak much English and expects (rightly or wrongly) to be respected. Teammates expect him to be a vocal leader. Square peg and round hole. The addition of Griffey REALLY helped Ichiro since he still had the respect of teamates, but did NOT have the expectation of being a leader.

Ichiro IS a good leader....in a Japanese clubhouse. He was clearly the leader on the WBC team and came through in the clutch against Korea. No doubt.

But to ask him to be a leader on an MLB team probably doesn't make much sense and his rather aloof personality (maybe it's because of his English, maybe not) only makes the perception worse. American Sportswriters LOVE a scapegoat and since Ichiro doesn't really talk to them nor read their papers, he makes for a very, very convenient target.

Jo was a great guy and well-respected teammate. His way of calling a game has just never really meshed in America, for whatever reason. I also think that he got a bum steer in Seattle when they demoted him to backup. His HR/plate appearance ratio was pretty high this year and he seems like he has plenty left in the tank. If he were 2 years younger, this would be a SLAM DUNK decision. But he's not, so this is a bit of a gamble.

I'll miss Kenji and I think he'll do well with the Hawks. I just don't know where they'll put him since their catcher (Tanoue, I believe) had a big time, breakout year. Matsunaka and Kokubo both play first base (Kokubo's range is really diminishing) and putting Kokubo at third, Matsunaka at first, Kenji at DH seems to be a bit of stretch defensively.

As you are no doubt aware by now Johjima signed with the Tigers.

Like many other commentators I am not so happy about this signing. Kanoh was ready and should have been made the lead catcher. Tigers efforts should have focused on obtaining good batters and a starter or two. However, the current management have no ability to understand or use young talent (and they have a lot of this). One has to hope that Kikuchi is not drawn by the Tigers in the draft as he will be wasted. Still now that he is a Tiger one must wish Johjima well.

Well, I spouted off pretty hotly here a few posts back, so my own feelings on this are clear. I couldn't be happier as a Torakichi, sadder for the Mariners. In the fullness of time we'll see how it goes. But I think Joh is a fabulous pick-up for Hanshin and I think he's going to come back roaring in 2010. He'll be a fantastic inspiration for the team, and a great crowd favorite.

Johjima's signing will be officially announced on Friday 13th November in Osaka. The date was chosen as it is apparently an auspicious day in Buddhism.

I think that he would give them a big name but like everyone else has pointed out he is old and he is going to take the spot of Kanoh. None of us know what is going to happen in the season. Everyone will praise him if he helps bring a title to Kansai. At least he would be a veteran and would help mentor Kanoh even more. Kanoh will be the starting catcher in no less than 2 years unless they move him to a new position.

I'm surprised this guy has any foreign fans after the Tuffy Rhodes incident. We'll never know who gave the order not to pitch to Rhodes so he couldn't break Oh's record but one thing we saw clearly was Johjima laughing and smiling as he caught those pitches.

I'm going to find it hard to root for him, even in a Tigers uniform.

I have also had a disliking for Johjima after the Rhodes incident. But I just wanted to confirm it. Is it just an urban legend that sprang up or is there actual footage somewhere that shows Johjima did indeed react in this way?