Koko Yakyu?
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Re: Koko Yakyu?
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Feb 22, 2007 2:16 PM
| YBS Fan
]
Some of these questions are easier to answer than others. All in all, good questions, though. Let me tackle the easiest one first.
Regarding the kids from the 4,000 schools that did not make it to Koshien, yes, quite a few of them go on to become professionals. In fact, I have data to back that up.
There were 100 players drafted in the 2007 draft. Of them, 36 were drafted directly out of high school. Of those 36 players, only 16 (44%) played in either of the Koshien tournaments (spring invitational or summer championships) during their three years of high school. Looking at the remaining 64 players drafted from college, the Industrial Leagues, or elsewhere, only 23 players (36%) played at Koshien. That makes a total of 39% of the 2007 draftees had played at Koshien. (Of course, a lot more than 61% of the high school players don't reach Koshien, so making it to the tournament does increase one's chances of being drafted, I think.)
Reading the Japanese sports dailies on a daily basis, one would think that only Koshien stars like Masahiro Tanaka (aka "Ma-kun") or Yuta Ohmine had made the jump to professional ball from high school. So making it to Koshien raises awareness of the high school players, probably beyond what they'd like. But not making it is no indication that one will not be recruited.
What about how playing at Koshien effects salary? After all, salary is one method of evaluating how well a player has done.
There are 70 Japanese currently playing with a salary of 1-oku yen or more. (Note: Chunichi's Kosuke Fukudome has not yet signed, but he is anticipated to sign for at least the 2.55-oku yen he did last season.) Of those 70 players, 29 (41%) played at Koshien in high school.
Now compare that to the 39% of Koshien players entering Pro Yakyu in 2007, and adjusting for the small sample size, it pretty much shows that playing at Koshien is no guarantee of success in Japanese baseball.
All of the data used in the above summations is available from here if you'd like to explore more. Or you can download the daily MySQL snapshot for easier use. (Either way, knowledge of SQL is required.)
Regarding the kids from the 4,000 schools that did not make it to Koshien, yes, quite a few of them go on to become professionals. In fact, I have data to back that up.
There were 100 players drafted in the 2007 draft. Of them, 36 were drafted directly out of high school. Of those 36 players, only 16 (44%) played in either of the Koshien tournaments (spring invitational or summer championships) during their three years of high school. Looking at the remaining 64 players drafted from college, the Industrial Leagues, or elsewhere, only 23 players (36%) played at Koshien. That makes a total of 39% of the 2007 draftees had played at Koshien. (Of course, a lot more than 61% of the high school players don't reach Koshien, so making it to the tournament does increase one's chances of being drafted, I think.)
Reading the Japanese sports dailies on a daily basis, one would think that only Koshien stars like Masahiro Tanaka (aka "Ma-kun") or Yuta Ohmine had made the jump to professional ball from high school. So making it to Koshien raises awareness of the high school players, probably beyond what they'd like. But not making it is no indication that one will not be recruited.
What about how playing at Koshien effects salary? After all, salary is one method of evaluating how well a player has done.
There are 70 Japanese currently playing with a salary of 1-oku yen or more. (Note: Chunichi's Kosuke Fukudome has not yet signed, but he is anticipated to sign for at least the 2.55-oku yen he did last season.) Of those 70 players, 29 (41%) played at Koshien in high school.
Now compare that to the 39% of Koshien players entering Pro Yakyu in 2007, and adjusting for the small sample size, it pretty much shows that playing at Koshien is no guarantee of success in Japanese baseball.
All of the data used in the above summations is available from here if you'd like to explore more. Or you can download the daily MySQL snapshot for easier use. (Either way, knowledge of SQL is required.)
Re: Koko Yakyu?
[ Author: Deanna | Posted: Feb 22, 2007 5:05 PM
| NIP Fan
]
I reviewed the Kokoyakyu special last year when it aired.
In short, I thought it was interesting, but I actually thought I learned more about the Koshien tournament by watching the dorama adaptation of Adachi Mitsuru's "H2".
Something that's kind of neat, though, is that I remembered Chiben Wakayama's catcher Ryohei Hashimoto from the Kokoyakyu special, and then I saw him blast a home run during the Koshien tournament in 2006, and now he's been drafted by the Hanshin Tigers.
In short, I thought it was interesting, but I actually thought I learned more about the Koshien tournament by watching the dorama adaptation of Adachi Mitsuru's "H2".
Something that's kind of neat, though, is that I remembered Chiben Wakayama's catcher Ryohei Hashimoto from the Kokoyakyu special, and then I saw him blast a home run during the Koshien tournament in 2006, and now he's been drafted by the Hanshin Tigers.
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Some rights reserved.
I'm doing my senior seminar at the University of Utah on baseball in Japan, though I still don't even have a working thesis. I am interested in looking at the changes of baseball in Japan as the major leagues are becoming more of an option for Japanese youngsters.
I have had trouble finding much information other than the Koshien tournament on the sport. I'm more interested in the 4,000 teams that didn't make the tournament. Do they go on to play in the Japanese leagues? What are their chances?
Also, it's hard to track players from Japan if they don't go straight to the big leagues. Is there a big number in the minors? Have you seen a big change in Japanese baseball now that Yakyu has sent big name players over who have performed well? Are the kids' mindsets changing, more geared towards an end goal of the MLB?
Also one final question, what's up with "Koko Yakyu: High School Baseball," the PBS documentary? I've never seen it, and it's 30 bucks on the internet. Is it a good source? I didn't see any reviews for it on your site.
Any info you can spot me will be greatly appreciated. I am also very interested in having you or anyone read over my paper to check the info.
Thanks, Hudd.