February 28, 200323 yr Matsui homered in his ST debut.What a good sign for the yanks and a bad sign for us when we face them. :blink: Matsui Homered in ST Debut
March 1, 200323 yr He's got the signs...Why won't he? Trust me on this one. He wont hit 40 homeruns this year. maybe in the 30s...not 40.
March 1, 200323 yr Yea he will hit about 32-27 homers for sure no lower than 32... I think you mean 32-37 homers.
March 1, 200323 yr Just because a guy hits a home run in his first game means he'll hit 40? Not quite. While Matsui has a reputation in Japan for being a home run hitter, baseball is different here than there- the balls are different sizes, the level of pitching is different... Mike Redmond had three hits with a home run in his major league debut. Does that mean he was going to be a power hitter? No. It is simply part of the "normal curve"- over time, according to probability, what is supposed to happen does happen. He only got one more homer that season. I do believe Matsui has the power to be a great hitter, both for contact and home runs, though you can't expect that immediately.
March 1, 200323 yr Author Just because a guy hits a home run in his first game means he'll hit 40? WE never said that. We are predicting those homers because of his past. He has tremendous power and contact. He was the best homerun hitter right now in japan and was tearing up that league so he came here for some competition....
March 1, 200323 yr Just because Ichiro did it, does not mean every other player will do it. What power hitter playing in Japan has translated that success into MLB success? I can think of one. Big Daddy. You name me another couple.
March 1, 200323 yr There haven't been, in my memory, any power hitting players from Japan coming to US in recent years, so there is really nobody to compare him to...
March 1, 200323 yr There have been numerous players who have had success in Japan hitting the baseball who have then gone on to make a run or another run at MLB. They just were not Japanese.
March 1, 200323 yr Author Look at ichiro...he was like the best contact hitter over there and here he was the best in 2001...thats another example even though it is not homers...
March 1, 200323 yr I am looking for homerun hitters.... Not contact hitters.... Two different species.
March 1, 200323 yr Author Exactly. Burnitz=Power Castillio=Contact Bonds=Both We are talking about power hitter in japan JC. :plain
March 1, 200323 yr Josh..... You still have not answered my first question about what power hitters recently have come to MLB and had success. I named one. You named none.
March 1, 200323 yr Matsui has all the talents to succeed. He has done a good job in Japan. He will achieve success though, not by hitting homeruns, but by becoming a contact hitter. Home runs will follow. If you knew anything about baseball and about how to succeed in this game you would know this. The jury is out on Japanese players being successful offensive stars. You have one that has achieved success. Nobody else yet. And Ichiro is special and plays on a level far and above that of other players.
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