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On Seo

Edgy DC Oct 03 2005 10:04 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Oct 03 2005 05:18 PM

Part of me thinks that the reason he got his act down so well this year is that he now speaks and understands English better, and is therefore more coachable and can better use scouting reports. I also think this applies to a lot of Asian players, who often show ability when they're going good) but are unable to achieve sustained success. (I'm looking your way, Shingo Takatsu.) And maybe a team with Japanese or Korean pitchers on their staff might do well to go beyond hiring a translator, and instead hire a bilingual assistant pitching coach. Side note. Kazuhisa Ishii's contract is up and the Mets hold options for 2006 and 2007 which they will likely not exercise. If they don't exercise them, do they continue to control his rights? I realize that it's large mootly, as they will likely forgo his option, and then --- if they indeed retain his rights --- non-tender him rather than be forced to offer him a contract within 20% of his last one. But I'm curious about the arrangements with Asian players.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 03 2005 10:09 AM

Wouldn't the rules for Ishii be the same as for an American player? I'm not sure what it is you're wondering about. I know that there are different rules when an Asian player becomes a free agent back home and wants to come to America to play. But I think once he's here, the MLB rules apply.

Edgy DC Oct 03 2005 10:23 AM

I'm wondering what's beyond the sky. I'm wondering if all women have dragons in them. And if we should love the woman and fear the drangon, or love the dragon and fear the woman. I'm wondering what is the shape of love; the color of wishing. I'm wondering if a dream can be caged, if a hope can be yoked, if some projected desires of the heart and mind are so winged with inspiration that the very book that would contain them would come flying from the shelf of deepest densest library, its covers flying open before the children of Eve, unchecked by the cruelest schoolmaster, the angriest tyrant, the cagiest cynic. Mostly I'm wondering if the Mets continue to control Ishii's rights, or some special arrangement exists with Japanese players who come over after their rights are posted by their Japanese teams.

Frayed Knot Oct 03 2005 10:26 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 03 2005 10:28 AM

Seo's been in this country for 5 years or so at this point and his English is rumored to be quite good. Not sure if the language barrier has anything to do with his reported "stubborness". What remains to be seen is whether or not the "new JWS" - the one with cutters and curves - is the real deal or if it was only the newness of it all that made him effective and whether the league may catch up to him again the second time around. MLB rules apply to Asian players as well, the only differences are where a club writes something specifically into the contract, something both NY teams did with the two Matsuis. In each case (AFAIK) the club agreed NOT to offer arbitration after year 3 (both signed 3 year deals) thus allowing the player to either return to Japan or, in effect, become a free agent over here if no extension is agreed upon. (NYY will have to strike a new deal with Hidecki this winter if they want to keep him). Ichiro had no such guarantees and therefore had no bargaining leverage when his initial contract ran out even though by then he was a 30-ish established ML star with a dozen or so total years of playing under his belt. I suspect the Mets control Ishii's rights if they want them.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 03 2005 10:26 AM

Oh. I had picked up on the part about flying books and dragons, but not that last part.

Edgy DC Oct 03 2005 10:31 AM

So Ishii's likely destination is indeed a declined option followed by a non-tendering followed by free agency?

MFS62 Oct 03 2005 05:06 PM

Takatsu's problem (as per my friend Shoeless Don the White Sox fan) is that his stuff is at best mediocre. He relies on an eccentric motion. A few times around the league and batters begin to recognize it and tee off. Don't think it has anything to do with communication unless you consider that fact that he was successful with a prior catcher, but this year his primary receiver was AJ Pierzynski. And AJ has been known to have had problems communicating with all of his pitchers in SF and Minny, whether their primary language was English or not. Later

Edgy DC Oct 03 2005 05:21 PM

With the Mets, his off-speed stuff has been so jumpy to make batters look stupid. At least twice, though, he got clubbed throwing a crap fastball ahead of the count with runners on base in a close game.

TheOldMole Oct 03 2005 10:45 PM

Love the dragon, fear the woman.