However, Whiting also thinks the Fighters will be faced with a moral dilemma the longer Otani stays in Sapporo. “If Otani is a big success, helps the Fighters win a lot of pennants and draws the fans in, thereby increasing the economic viability of the franchise, there is even less incentive to post him,” he points out. “On the other hand, if the fans want him to see him in MLB, that could be another factor.
“Eagles owner Hiroshi Mikitani let Tanaka go because he was afraid that keeping him might upset many Japanese fans and serve to drive the price of Rakuten stock down, or so I understand.”
Some may question Otani’s pitching numbers against NPB players, but one who certainly won’t is former MLB star Andruw Jones, who has been given fits by the fresh-faced kid.
Going into last Saturday’s game against the Eagles, who Jones helped win the Japan Series last season, the man who slugged 434 home runs during his career in the bigs was 0 for 7 with five strikeouts against Otani. His first time up in that game, Jones was able to foul off a couple of pitches from Otani before striking out again.
A former MLB manager, who has seen Otani pitch in person, summed up the feeling of many in Japan with his analysis: “He reminds me a lot of Yu Darvish.”
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Jack Gallagher is the executive sports editor of The Japan Times in Tokyo. He has been a sports journalist in Japan for 19 years and has been honored for his writing both domestically and internationally. He was previously an executive in public relations in the NBA and NFL Europe.
Article Appeared @http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/87098944/pitcher-shohei-otani-could-be-japans-next-phenom-export#!btU5b1