Hiromitsu Ochiai
Discussion in the Open Talk forum
Comments
Re: Hiromitsu Ochiai
[ Author: Guest: Jim Albright | Posted: Jan 10, 2004 11:06 AM
]
I know I did the best I could then in doing the ratings, but it wasn't as good as I can do now. My only real regret is the difficulty in avoiding creating misunderstandings of NPB, since my aim is to create a more accurate understanding of NPB and its history.
As for Ochiai, he's a first baseman/third baseman. If Killebrew doesn't fit, how about Brett? Off the top of my head, the power isn't ideal, and I suspect George's defense was better, but otherwise he fits OK.
In the Negro Leagues, you missed a fine pure hitter in Jud Wilson, though I think Ochiai probably was better defensively since they say Wilson took a lot of balls off his chest and then threw guys out. I doubt Ochiai was anywhere near that rough in the field.
The first base/third base mix is what makes a Western parallel for Ochiai so tough.
As for Ochiai, he's a first baseman/third baseman. If Killebrew doesn't fit, how about Brett? Off the top of my head, the power isn't ideal, and I suspect George's defense was better, but otherwise he fits OK.
In the Negro Leagues, you missed a fine pure hitter in Jud Wilson, though I think Ochiai probably was better defensively since they say Wilson took a lot of balls off his chest and then threw guys out. I doubt Ochiai was anywhere near that rough in the field.
The first base/third base mix is what makes a Western parallel for Ochiai so tough.
Re: Hiromitsu Ochiai
[ Author: GottaHaveWa | Posted: Jan 12, 2004 11:22 PM
]
Brett wasn't primarily a first baseman, but if we go with someone who played some first base, we could go with Schmidt or Mathews and still have the power. Jud Wilson is interesting, except Bill James says he was only the fourth best Negro League third baseman, not sure if he played first.
Re: Hiromitsu Ochiai
[ Author: Guest: Jim Albright | Posted: Jan 13, 2004 1:26 AM
]
Schmidt played at least a season at first, so OK, but I'm not sure he captures the average of Ochiai -- and he's far superior in the field. Mathews' average is probably about the same, but his defense is closer to the mark. Without checking the record book, did Mathews spend a relatively full season at first (say 120 games or so)?
As for Wilson, he's probably a little underrated by James, but his defense at third couldn't have been pretty. That's why, when the limited Negro League rosters allowed him to be placed at a more suitable spot, Wilson did play first. The funny thing is, the Negro Leagues seem to have been slow to move to first base as primarily an offensive position from being a reasonably defense oriented position during dead ball days, which probably also accounts for why Jud played more third. If the color line had broken during Wilson's playing days, there's little doubt he would have been a first baseman only in the majors.
Jim Albright
As for Wilson, he's probably a little underrated by James, but his defense at third couldn't have been pretty. That's why, when the limited Negro League rosters allowed him to be placed at a more suitable spot, Wilson did play first. The funny thing is, the Negro Leagues seem to have been slow to move to first base as primarily an offensive position from being a reasonably defense oriented position during dead ball days, which probably also accounts for why Jud played more third. If the color line had broken during Wilson's playing days, there's little doubt he would have been a first baseman only in the majors.
Jim Albright
Re: Hiromitsu Ochiai
[ Author: Guest | Posted: Jan 13, 2004 11:42 AM
]
Oops, forgot about Schmidt's BA. Mathews biggest season at 1B was 79 games in 1967. 
Re: Hiromitsu Ochiai
[ Author: Guest: Jim Albright | Posted: Jan 14, 2004 11:01 AM
]
Jimmie Foxx would have the average and power, and at least played some at positions other than first (iirc, he caught some and played 3rd). Also, since you've used Schmidt once (for Nagashima), I think I'd leave him out.
Jim Albright
Jim Albright
About
This is a site about Pro Yakyu (Japanese Baseball), not about who the next player to go over to MLB is. It's a community of Pro Yakyu fans who have come together to share their knowledge and opinions with the world. It's a place to follow teams and individuals playing baseball in Japan (and Asia), and to learn about Japanese (and Asian) culture through baseball.
It is my sincere hope that once you learn a bit about what we're about here that you will join the community of contributors.
Michael Westbay
(aka westbaystars)
Founder
Copyright (c) 1995-2024 JapaneseBaseball.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Some rights reserved.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Some rights reserved.
Ochiai-san will be another player that will not have a very exact major league correlation, but we'll do the best we can. We're looking for a guy with tons of homers and walks, is among the best in hits, runs, and RBI, and played more than one position. Harmon Killebrew sounds like an excellent candidate, but Ochiai had a high batting average, so we can't possibly consider Killebrew.
Ernie Banks might be somewhat comparable, but his batting average and walks aren't the greatest.
Though this guy only played first base, maybe the closest major league correlation is Lou Gehrig, who is a pretty good match on all other counts.
As for a Negro League correlation, Bill James says "I'd bet that Mule (Suttles) played more games at first base than at any other position," and that "if you could clone him [Luke Easter] and bring him back, you'd have the greatest power hitter in baseball today. He didn't get into baseball until he was past 30." Or there's Buck Leonard. Or if you absolutely want someone who plays a few positions, there's always Martin Dihigo.