Info on Japanese Baseball

It sounds like you have a report to write covering these topics. So instead of just telling you the answers, I'll let you know where/how to do the research on them.

1. How long is the season in games this year?

The Teams link at the top of this page lists more than just the teams. It lists the schedules. (I still have to enter the times, but both leagues' regular season schedules are there.)

However, this thread contains a warning about the schedule that I had entered at the time (namely that 15 games still needed to be decided on), so just counting up the number of games may not work so well. But there is a link farther down that page which may be of help. Yea, this would probably be the best place to start.

2. Is there inter-league play like there is in the MLB, and if so when did this start?

Looking at either of the schedules above will tell you the answer to the first part of that question. Give this search a try for the second half of the question.

3. How many pitchers are in a Japanese team's rotation?

Google is your friend. Try this.

4. Are American players also under the rules of posting and free agency in Japan?

The simple answer to this is "no." The detailed answer is a bit more complex, and I'm not sure where to find such information in English at the moment.

5. Is there any shared revenue in the NPB?

Ah, a topic our Christopher and JBroks86 enjoy discussing. "Revenue sharing" is the keyword you want to use.

There are currently 48,140 messages on these boards. Pretty much all of the information you're looking for is here. I know that it isn't easy to track it all down, but that's the skill that is more important than writing the report itself. Please examine the queries I've given you, and apply similar techniques to research in the future. [It may look like I'm being a jerk, but I sincerely believe that you'll get more out of learning how to track down information than being told what you want.]

And if you want to post your research paper for some peer review, we'd be honored to look it over and give you feedback.

Helpful, but I still don't understand how many games there are. Looking at season standings from last year, 144 games were played in both leagues and I know this has been increased from recent years, and the season length has be been more variable in the past. Is it 144 games again this year? As you pointed out, simply counting doesn't work right now.

OK. The number of games was a hard one to get without being able to read Japanese. Going to the 2008 Central League schedule notes and Pacific League schedule notes on the official NPB web site, the games are broken down like this:

• Each team plays 144 games total
• Each team plays 360 game within the same league: 60 home, 60 away, 24 matches per team
• Each team plays 24 inter-league games: 12 home, 12 away, 4 matches per team

This is the same as 2007. Before that, the Pacific League had post season games but the Central League didn't, so the number of regular season games between the leagues were different.

Hope this helps.

This is great. Thanks for the very in depth answer.

You said there is a more complicated answer to my question about American players under the rules of posting and free agency, what complexities are there?

Where can I find the current rules of free agency? Is there still a percentage cap on the raise a player can receive, and if so, what is it and are agents now allowed to negotiate for their players?

In the MLB, American players often are sent down to the minor leagues to improve or prepare after injury? Does this happen in NPB?

- You said there is a more complicated answer to my question about American players under the rules of posting and free agency, what complexities are there?

To acquire free agency, a player must accumulate 9 years of service time. This is just like the MLB reserve system where teams control a player's rights for 6 years.

Most foreign players don't accumulate 9 years of service time to meet the requirements for free agency for whatever reason. If a player does acquire 9 years of service time, then they are no longer counted against the "foriegn player limit." Currently, Tuffy Rhodes and Taigen Kaku are the only two to achieve this.

- The simple answer to this is "no." The detailed answer is a bit more complex, and I'm not sure where to find such information in English at the moment.

I'm a little confused as to what Michael said the above regarding this. It was always my knowledge, that NPB teams can indeed post foreign players as the Hiroshima Carp have in the past, though it hasn't happened since Ramon Ramirez was posted by the Carp back in 2003.

The first player posted via the posting system was Alejandro Quezada. Other foreign players posted were Ramirez and Timo Perez (no MLB teams placed a bid for Perez).

Of course none of those players above are Americans, but are still considered foreign players under the current rules regarding foreign players.

The question, I guess, is about the specific contract language. Since yes, foreign players are considered free agents already, as they aren't bound by the NPB reserve clause, but the only team to post foreign players has been the Carp, who have signed all three of them from their Dominican Academy. I'm sorry if this sounds confusing, but I'm a little lost on the specifics regarding foreign players and the posting system.

Sorry my short answer was so confusing. But Jbroks86-san hits the nail on the head. Most foreign players sign for one or two years as free agents. That takes them out of the standard equation for being reserved. Furthermore, they have terms put into their contracts that no Japanese player would be permitted to have, so are able to move more freely after a short amount of time.

The players from the Carp Academy are the "bit more complex" part. Because the Carp invest a great deal into their training early on, their contracts with the team are much more long term, and more in line with standard Japanese player contracts.

Finally, can a foreign player who signed for a 2-year deal be posted after one year? To tell you the truth, I have no idea. It's never been done, nor asked for to the best of my knowledge. I would assume that it all depend on the wording of the contract.

You can find more rules regarding foreign players in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

- Where can I find the current rules of free agency?

The 2007 Pro Yakyu Agreement [PDF file in Japanese] is the official document that explains free agency rules, contracts for both foreign and domestic players, and pretty much all of the other questions you seem to be driving at. I'd taken a stab at translating some of it in the past, but spammers have seen to it that the Pro Yakyu Wiki had to be taken down.

Furthermore, the rules are currently being re-negotiated. The owners are thinking of reducing the time to free agency to 8 years (where 1 year equals so many days on the top team roster - which makes it difficult for most players to reach free agency in the minimum number of years), but the players are pushing for 7 years. And the owners have made it clear that they're only considering lowering the years served for moving as a free agent domestically. Applying for free agency to move to the MLB will continue to be 9 years (at a minimum).

- Is there still a percentage cap on the raise a player can receive, and if so, what is it and are agents now allowed to negotiate for their players?

No. There is a percentage cap (25%, I think) on a pay cut (which can be circumvented with the player's consent). The whole Nori vs. Orix problem last year involved Orix trying to cut Nakamura's pay by more than the limit without first asking him. That whole story is an interesting one, if you care to look back a bit.

Players have been allowed to have agents negotiate for them for a number of years. But not all teams have accepted this. The incident where the Giants didn't acknowledge Uehara's agent as an agent was quite humorous. Another player who tried to have an agent talk with the Giants was immediately traded (Iriki and/or Okajima, I think it was).

There are all kinds of restrictions on said agents, such as they must be registered with the Japanese bar association and NPB, and may only serve a single ball player. The owners are trying very hard to prevent a market for player agents from catching on.

- In the MLB, American players often are sent down to the minor leagues to improve or prepare after injury? Does this happen in NPB?

Yes. In fact, there is no Disabled List in Japan like there is in the Majors. Each team has a 70-man roster which covers their top and farm teams (referred to as ichi-gun and ni-gun respectively). Players are moved back and forth all year long depending on their health and/or performance. Once sent to ni-gun (pronounced like "knee goon"), one must spend at least 10 days there before becoming eligible to return to ichi-gun.

Are you writing a report for school, an article for keepers Fantasy leagues, or an introductory course for MLB scouts?

Thanks for the in-depth answer. The reason I asked is I saw that Ramirez and Quezada were posted after their first year of playing.

Ramirez, using the player profile shows he was signed in 2002, and using posting system Wiki over at Baseball Reference, it shows that Ramirez was posted in February of 2003. I suppose it is the same case with Quezada that he was only in NPB for 1 year, though I can't find any signing information for him.

As for the rules regarding foreign players and the posting system, I can't say any more than what you said above.

Thanks! This is great. I am indeed writing a report for school.