Anyone Else Sick of Seeing Lin Get Disrespected?

I don't think nationality has anything to do it. I think Okada wants to let Hamanaka work out his problems. Lin is currently the second choice for any outfield position, and even though he has had great figures, the coaches doubt his ability to deliver over a whole game.

You will note that Sekimoto is also under-performing but is preferred to Fujimoto. Last season, Imaoka was given plenty of time to try and work on his problems. Okada is like that and doesn't drop batters just because they have a bad run.

I agree with you that Lin should have more playing time, but his lack of this is not because he's Taiwanese.

- Kanemoto and Hiyama are Korean, so Lin can't play just because he admits he's not Japanese?

But surely you must agree that Kanemoto is not in the lineup purely because of his Korean nationality. And where's Hiyama? I can't see that he's received much playing time.

Anyway, Lin is in the lineup tonight against the Dragons, so either Okada has been reading this thread or you're wrong about the perceived discrimination.

Lin should get more playing time over Hamanaka. Agreed. He doesn't get this playing time because he's from Taiwan. Nonsense. If Hanshin chose to discriminate against a player from Taiwan, they would do this by not having him on the roster in the first place. Why in the world would they add a player just to choose to discriminate against him?

There have been obvious cases of discrimination in NPB, but this is not one of them. It's well-known that Hanshin has a crowded outfield and it's going to be tough for anyone to break in as a full-timer. Was Spencer also given limited time because he was American? No.

Are you from Japan? There's a huge difference between an American being paid a lot to get results and a young Asian guy who came up like any other Japanese player.

I watched Hamanaka a lot last year. His at bats don't impress me. I don't see fire in his eyes. Lin is a throwback to the golden days of yakyu. There really aren't many power hitters built like him anymore. In my opinion, he's destined for great things. It's frustrating to see him not be allowed to grow. If I were from Taiwan, I'd imagine it'd be a lot more frustrating.

I don't agree with the people who say there's nothing to be analyzed in Lin's playing time. The relationship between Japan and mainland Asia is a lot more complex than you possibly think.

- I watched Hamanaka a lot last year. His at bats don't impress me. I don't see fire in his eyes. Lin is a throwback to the golden days of yakyu.

Okada probably cares more about results than "fire in his eyes." Last year, Hamanaka was among the top 10 in the CL in average, OBP, and slugging, and cracked 20 homers. You don't just remove a guy like that for an unproven player due to lack of "fire."

As someone mentioned, if discrimination was a factor at Hanshin he wouldn't even be on the roster.

After a solid season last year, Hamanaka should be given time to break out of his slump. If he continues to stink in May, Lin will get his chance. Lin is definitely an exciting player and I do like having an extra left-handed bat in the lineup. He'd probably be an everyday player for any other team, it's just too congested in Hanshin's talented outfield. Akamatsu is another one to watch.

This isn't a good argument, because Fujimoto has had full seasons to prove himself, all of them mediocre. The guy below asks about Hiyama's playing time. Hiyama has also had plenty of mediocre full seasons.

You can't compare them to Lin. He hasn't had the chance to have a full season of ABs, unlike aforementioned players.

So are you saying Hamanaka had a mediocre season last year? Have a look at the numbers.

Hi,

I don't follow players' bios that much, so I would like to have my confusion on Kanemoto's nationality cleared up.

Wasn't he born in Japan? I've read somewhere that he is like the 3rd generation of his family (?) born in Japan. Does he have Japanese nationality or Korean?

Isn't it more appropriate to call him "Korean descendant"?

Yes, that was sloppiness on my part - I was using the terminology used by the original poster.

The correct term is, of course, ancestry, not nationality.

Discrimination or not, I am in favor of giving Lin more of a chance. Hamanaka put up decent numbers last year, but the bulk of his power numbers were accomplished in April and May. I would like to see them platoon more, since one is a righty and one a lefty.

I agree with what someone said here that Okada still isn't confident that Lin can be a starter. He got the start against Miura last week and looked pretty lost at the plate. (Although he did hit a good shot that got held up by the crazy wind that night.)

I still don't think it's discrimination, but I would like to see Lin get more chances.

On a side note, as for Hiyama not getting many chances, as Tigers fans let's hope it stays that way!

Fujimoto has superb defense and quite often comes in with vital hits in a clinch.

No one disagrees about Lin's potential, but given Hamanaka's performance last year and his continuing potential, Okada is quite justified in continuing with him for a while longer.

Your comments about prejudice though do not have any basis, this is more to do with going with the established player.

Nice to be on the same page as you Christopher. Lin is the real deal, loaded with talent. Absolutely no question.

However, you can't complain about a guy who last year, batting in the number 6 spot, had a batting average of .302, 20 HRs and drove in 75 runs. He doesn't deserve to be yanked from the lineup after a few weeks. He deserves a bit of time to sort himself out.

Anyway as fate would have it, guess who drove in the tying run tonight to put it into extra innings and see Hanshin pull off a great win! Nice one Hama-chan!

Christopher and Mijow, you guys are agreeing with each other these days! The sky is falling! But I still think you guys should sell yourselves to Yoshimoto Kogyo, maybe as "Kuri-chan Mi-chan."

- Wasn't he born in Japan?

The rule of Jus Sanguinis is adopted by Japan. Having said that, by any standards, it is unnatural that 3rd generation people like Kanemoto don't have Japanese citizenship. This all goes back to Japan's defeat in WWII and the decision made by the GHQ, and the Japanese constitution hasn't changed much since then. A whole set of problems, not really related to baseball, arise from this, but this is not the place to discuss them.

All in all, a country can't force its citizenship on individuals. It's a personal issue. Some people want to stay Korean and some want to naturalize and represent Japan in international baseball tournaments.

Looks like this was a timely discussion. Hamanaka was just taking off of the top team roster.

Batting coach Katsumi Hirosawa says that it looks like his right shoulder is acting up again. Lin should be the starting right fielder now, with perhaps Akamatsu getting some time as a defensive sub late in games.

It's really a shame that Hamanaka's shoulder has been giving him so much trouble in his young career. If it weren't for that, he'd probably have career numbers very similar to Akinori Iwamura.

I hope Lin takes full advantage of this opportunity and approaches every at bat like it's his last.

Jim Allen makes a very relevant point in his latest Hot Corner article. This is that the seniority system is alive and kicking and this, in his opinion, is what blocks Lin. Given the total inability of the incumbent cleanup hitters to perform against mediocre opposition recently one can see his point. It would be nice if Hamanaka, on his return, had to compete for his place rather than be slotted in automatically. Similarly that Kano got more playing time as catcher.

Jim Allen is right about the seniority thing. The issue plagues not only baseball but Japanese society as a whole, though there are signs that things are changing. There's a lot of emphasis on paying your dues before you get to go up the ladder.

I have to disagree with Allen-san that Kano would have rotted forever in the minors if not for his recent streak. I think the Tigers have been carefully grooming Kano as Yano's heir. It's just that a) Yano still has some years left in him and b) Kano probably has a lot more to learn about handling pitchers. Yano himself is a really good example that late bloomers can make it; he broke out when he was close to thirty (and under the tutelage of Old Man Nomura). Time is still on Kano's side. But Christopher is right; he should get a bit more ichi-gun playing time behind the plate.

As for the whole Lin discrimination thing, I'm trying to remember the guy who managed the Japanese national team for the WBC. Who was he? Ohhhhh, I give up.

- I have to disagree with Allen-san that Kano would have rotted forever in the minors if not for his recent streak. I think the Tigers have been carefully grooming Kano as Yano's heir.

Interesting. There is always that possibility. But the notion of the Tigers carefully grooming a player without telling every reporter in Kansai they are doing it seems odd.

Normally, everyone who reads the papers knows which players have the official inside track to be the next Tigers regulars, because the Tigers' beat reporters are more numerous than flies on a heap of fertilizer in August.

Well, of all the Tiger's catchers, Kano does look like he has the best shot at inheriting Yano's position. Noguchi is way too old. Ohashi and Komiyama still have to work on their batting. That leavers Asai, Okazaki, and Kano. I should have written that Kano is "one of the prospects being groomed" and added Asai and Okazaki, but Kano is looking pretty good these days. Asai is a great prospect, but he is already 28, meaning he'll probably be about 30 if he does take Yano's place. And that means he'll also be more prone to injuries. It's a wonder that Yano has been relatively healthy for so long.

More on seniority - Hiyama returned yesterday. If the Tigers were serious about grooming young players they would surely bring in someone else.

I agree with Jim on the Kano circumstances. The Tigers somehow stumbled across him - he wasn't being groomed. In fact I seem to recall that talk was of grooming Shimizu for Yano's replacement.