Does Zuleta Deserve Attention?

If you remember the previous thread, there was some indication that Zuleta had ego problems. Maybe this is the case at the moment. Or maybe he thinks his contribution is worth more than he's being offered (though his performance was slightly down on 2005's level).

'Roid rage? There's no indication that he's taking drugs at all, and in fact his major detractor in the previous thread stated that he had never taken drugs. We shouldn't be too quick to attribute anger just to steroids - there are other causes.

Well, he's been officially let go now. I believe he wanted a three year deal, and Softbank was having none of it. Now he gets a zero year deal and will have to prove himself all over again in the U.S. I don't see any other Japanese team willing to take on that personality in the clubhouse. If Rakuten wants to spend the money, I could see them being desperate enough to make an offer, but they already have Kevin Witt.

Seems like the front office is staying with Tamura and Kokubo, they aren't going to bend over backwards for another right handed power bat. It also seems like the fans are pretty much indifferent to him leaving, since it was on such a sour note. From my experience, Japanese fans like to believe a foreign player enjoys playing in Japan and isn't just doing it for the money. Once they feel you're just a hired gun who only cares about the pay, that's when they become indifferent. This is why Randy Bass is still an icon.

As for the 'roid rage thing, that's just me being a jerk. I apologize. I just find his level of anger to be assisted by something else, because it's not normal to get in so many pointless fights. Remember the Dan Serafini fight? That was just an inside pitch.

Zuleta or not, this is going to be a very powerful Hawks team next year. Getting Matsunaka protection in that batting order was crucial.

Yeah, you have to wonder what Zuleta's thinking when the Hawks just added Kokubo and Tamura and already have four foreigners signed (I think - Nitkowski, Hyzdu, Guttormson, and Buchanan, right?)

As a Fighters fan I was pretty unhappy when he beat up Satoru Kanemura. Maybe getting hit in the head then is what started off all of the craziness for Kanemura this year.

Julio does have anger management concerns, to state the obvious. If I was a GM, I'd insist he get clinical help and put it into an iron-clad contract.

Well, looks like the Chiba Lotte Marines are making a move for him with a 2 year deal. As much as I don't like the guy's attitude, Lotte needs a big power bat in a huge way. That one bat could be enough to help Lotte get back into contention.

Zuleta is now in discussion with Lotte for a two year contract. It will be interesting to see if they reach an agreement. (Source: Daily Yomiuri)

Contrary to popular belief, Zuleta is very popular in Fukuoka. He takes good care of the fans and is the only player signing autographs, 5 minutes before "play ball." The morning news station that has a daily report on the Softbank Hawks shows a different opinion to what BigManZam imagines. They all wanted a deal done and are still hoping for the Hawks to sign him. I have met him several times in Fukuoka and he is very open and humble to his fans. This news station had players like Saitoh, Wada, and Matsunaka saying that they hoped that Zuleta gets signed by the Hawks.

I doubt that Tamura and Kokubo can stay healthy for a season. I think the Hawks will have big holes in the heart of their lineup. Matsunaka also seems to be on the decline. The Hawks need Zuleta more than he needs them.

All I know of Hawks fans is what I read on the Internet, so I'm sure you're right about what you saw. Just keep this in mind, Fukuoka news will only show what Fukuoka news wants you to see. I'm sure Julio is great to fans. I'm just wondering about his treatment of pitchers who throw inside to him.

BigManZam, I agree with you, that he overreacted to Kanemura's pitch that grazed his shirt. But bear in mind that in that series, he had been hit by a pitch by two different pitchers!

If you watched the Nippon Ham vs. Hawks (Pacific League Playoffs), at least one Hawks batter was hit by a pitch in every match of that series. Julio tried to make a statement, I mean c'mon, how would you have reacted? I am sure that most batters would have tried to show that they don't tolerate that rubbish. I think that is one thing the Hawks lack, toughness and unity.

Kiyohara has had to miss many games because of injuries caused by being hit by a pitcher. Kiyohara came out and said that he would charge the mound the next time he gets hit by a pitch. I am not advocating charging the mound, but being hit by a pitch can cost you many games due to injuries.

Zuleta chose the wrong ball to make a statement and made himself look stupid. I also suspect that your memory may be at fault over the two times he had been hit in that series. I seem to recall that he hadn't been hit at all. If a pitcher pitches inside then there is a danger the batsman might be hit - it's just one of the hazards of the game.

Zuleta was grazed (not hit) by a drifting ball. He lost control over something that wasn't important. Later in the year, when he was genuinely hit, he showed he had learned the lesson and took the base without charging the mound as he should have done.

Kiyohara misses games because of over-training and advancing age, not because of being hit all the time. He may occasionally be hit and miss games as a result, but this is not the main reason for him missing games. His comment was really hyperbole.

Christopher,

I don't know how many Hawks games you actually watch. In that series, he had been hit by a pitch by two different pitchers.

Kiyohara's two latest injuries have been caused by being hit by a pitch. He may over-train, sure, but his last two injuries have been caused by getting nailed by a baseball.

Fighting happens in all sports, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, you name it. I just feel like Zuleta is getting over scrutinized for that incident.

Does Alex Cabrera get criticized for walking towards the mound with a bat in his hand when Saitoh (FSH) was nowhere near to hitting him with a pitch?

We covered this fairly comprehensively in another thread so I looked it up. No one claimed he had been hit by two pitchers in that series, but that out of five games with Nippon Ham he had been hit three times in total, and this included the graze (which really doesn't count). I have no idea where the pitches hit him but suspect they were not serious. So as I said before your memory is probably at fault.

As for Kiyohara, he was hit once by a pitch in 2006 (see the player records for this site). His main problem is due to over-training and most of his injuries seem to be muscle problems.

Zuleta was scrutinized for his stupid over-reaction to a non-incident - if you have access to the video look at it again. Finally, the attitude of "fighting happens" is not an acceptable one in most sports, baseball included.