Akinori Otsuka

Otsuka has done an excellent job so far for the Padres, after a bitter first cup of coffee in his major league debut, he hasn't allow a run since.

Otsuka is now starting to garner some publicity in the U.S. On SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight they have started to talk about how good he is. On SportsCenter the other day Scott Van Pelt was raving about Otsuka but he pronounced his name "Ahtsuka." Oh well, Americans can't even pronounce some of the names of their own players, so I guess we'll have to put up with Japanese players' names being mangled like that. Heck, they couldn't even pronounce an easy name like Shinjo right - they used to always call him "Sin-jo" on SportsCenter.

Check this article out about the finds of the off-season in MLB by Jayson Stark on espn.com [Link - ESPN.go.com].

Akinori Otsuka is definitely starting to get people's attention in the U.S.

I don't really like the MLB All-Star voting system in which a player gets selected to play in the All-Star game just because he has a great first half of the season (a player can be hot in May and June and make the team, and then fall off in the second half - a classic example is former Seibu Lion Scott Cooper (1996) who made the American League All-Star team in both 1992 and '93 just because he was a great first half player). But Otsuka definitely should get some serious consideration for the All-Star game.

It is a bit more complicated than that. Most players who get in must either be a brand name or heavily supported by their home teams nowadays. Many players with break out or surprising years for lowly teams, like Craig Wilson, will have a hard time making it. The ones that do usually owe it to the managers. Otsuka has a good shot at making it since he is getting a bit more publicity and the Padres' surge helps his odds.

That said, it will likely depend on Jack Mckeon, maybe Trader Jack will take a hard look at the team he used to manage.

I disagree slightly. I don't think the All-Star voting system isn't all that complicated. A lot of players get selected for the All-Star team just because each team has to be represented on the All-Star team, thus ensuring one player who has neither the stature or the numbers (previous season or 1st half) will be selected to go. Case in point: Jose Rosado of the KC Royals in I believe it was 1995 or '96. Who the heck remembers him? Or what about journeyman Ed Sprague "representing" the Pittsburgh Pirates 4 or 5 years back?

The All-Star voting and selecting process is a big joke and everyone knows it. I sure would've liked to have seen Tony Gwynn go back in 2001, I believe, but he wasn't selected by the manager of that year's team. I, as a true fan, would rather see the stars who've established themselves over the years than some flash in the pan who just happened to have a good first half. With a little luck, just about any player in the big leagues can get hot for 2 or 3 months. That shouldn't automatically merit All-Star status.

Otsuka-san's numbers are even more impressive now (5-2, 2 saves, 1+ K/inning, 1.51 ERA, and 0.84 WHIP), given that Hoffman is the main closer for the Padres. While I haven't been following the Padres that closely, is Otsuka's role the main set-up guy for Hoffman, with the occasional save when Hoffman isn't available?

That's exactly what Otsuka's role with the Padres is. Otsuka, Rod Beck, and Scott Lindebrink act as the set-up guys for Trevor Hoffman, and when the occasion arises, Otsuka even gets a chance to save some games. He actually had a chance to save a game against the D-backs last week but blew the save opportunity, although he ended up getting the win when the Padres won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a "sayonara" (I hate the term "walk-off") hit.

I live in San Diego, and it seems to me that we here have come to love Aki. His commercial for TV is a favorite with him singing karoke. He has been a little off of lately (written June 29th), but every one has their downs.