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Kenji WHO?

By Seatown37, Section MLB
Posted on Mon Dec 19 2005 at 2:23 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

A week ago the Seattle Mariners made their first big splash in the Free Agent Market, by signing Kenji Johjima to a 3-year deal for 16.5 million dollars. The 29 year-old Japanese catcher will become teammates with fellow country man Ichiro. Now on the outside looking in, Kenji looks like a great sign with a lot of positives. But will the Mariners risk in signing him end up flopping? Let's take a closer look.

Kenji being the first Japanese catcher to make the transition from the Japanese Leagues to the Major Leagues has a big mountain to conquer before Spring Training '06. One of biggest problems Kenji will be facing is the language barrier between him and the pitching staff. Now unless the Mariners sign five Japanese starting pitchers, the only way the problem will be solved is if Kenji learns English. At first glance this seems like an easy solution, but come on try learning a foreign language in a couple of months!

Some may say, well why does he need to talk to the pitcher, if all he has to do is put down fingers. Well baseball is a game of emotions. Sometimes a pitcher can be riled up, sore, intimidated, or not focused. The communication between the pitcher and catcher is vital to any organizations success. A prime example is Jorge Posada without him the Yankees great pitching staff for the last couple of years would not have been as dominant. Also the catching position is the battery for the team on any given day. Players react to what he orders them to do. Bottom line if Kenji does not pull the miracle of learning English in a couple of months, then the Mariners can expect another season of catcher swapping.

A reason why this signing brings confusion to many Seattle fans is because during last season's draft, the Mariners drafted the 2005 Johnny Bench Award Winner, Jeff Clement. Now Jeff was obviously going to be the future catcher of the Seattle Mariners, and his progress in the Minor Leagues gave hope to Seattle fans. Now I'm not saying Kenji does not bring hope to the fans, but at age 29 he realistically has about 4 or 5 years left in baseball. This signing can bring turmoil between Jeff and the Seattle organization. This was a slap in Jeff's face, telling him that the Mariners don't believe he is ready to take on the big leagues. For all you Mariner fans, wouldn't that break your heart seeing Jeff Clement being an All-star catcher for a different organization?

Now there are no questions with Kenji's defensive skills and offensive power. BUT Kenji is a right-handed batter, which is counter to what the General Manager, Bill Bavasi, was looking for this off-season. And that's not the first time he has done moves that are the exact opposite of what he had planned to do.

My final word is that I will be rooting for Kenji to have a great season, and for once the Mariners made a productive move that will help the team get back to its old form.

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Kenji WHO? | 5 comments (4 topical, 1 editorial, 0 hidden)

Kenji's Numbers in Japan (#1)
by mbarone on Sat Nov 26 2005 at 10:20 PM EST

We all know little about Johjima, but the one thing that we all know is that he can't speak English. That will be a major problem. Here are some of Johjima's numbers:

From 1995-2005, he played in 1117 games. He was 1206-4033 at the plate (.299 avg.) He hit 222 doubles, 12 triples, 211 home runs, and 699 RBI's. He stole 63 bases, but was caught 28 times. He walked 307 times (20 intentional). He struck out 474 times, but hit into 145 double plays.

As a catcher, his caught stealing percentage was .376. He threw out 222 guys out of 591 who attempted to steal against him. His career fielding percentage, as a catcher, is .993.

He also played 23 games at first base, and his fielding percentage there is .990.

general comment (#2)
by mbarone on Sun Nov 27 2005 at 9:24 PM EST

The Mariners thought that they have made big moves in the past, when they really haven't.

The deal that sent Freddy Garcia packing began the break-up of a pretty decent pitching staff.
The trade that sent Lou Piniella to Tampa Bay was not good because Piniella was the one of the reasons why Seattle was in the playoffs in the first place
Bob Melvin was not exactly the best manager in the world.
The signings of Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson added a ton of strikeouts to the lineup.
Joel Piniero was supposed to be a promising pitcher, but has fallen short of expectations.
Aaron Sele fell apart.

The Mariners will round back into form. They should concentrate on pitching this off-season. You are right, Johjima is not the answer at catcher. If the Mariners could get decent pitchers, and the bats get going, then they could become a decent team.

thanks (#4)
by Seatown37 on Thu Dec 01 2005 at 12:20 AM EST

for the tips...they are very helpful

Not that I'm big on this (#5)
by cd1711 on Tue Dec 06 2005 at 8:54 PM EST

but I'm just trying to be helpful.
A prime example is Jorge Posada: without him, the Yankees great pitching staff for the last couple of years would not have been as dominant

Good article, but I disagree slightly. Obviously a language barrier between catcher and pitcher is a problem BUT, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez doesn't speak English (allthough he knows how to, he just finds it easier to speak in his native tongue to avoid many interviews) and A-Rod would come in from third to translate. It's a problem but Seattle can have a translator to come out to the mound and talk between the two. The umpires would give them more leniency.

Kenji WHO?

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