Matsuzaka gets ready for a Royal Debut at 2pm ET today

[Brewer4]

I think he is good but I am really worried about him mentally. It just looks like he loses concentration and trys to toy with hitters. He just doesn't seem to be focused and consistent. I dont know what it is but he definitely needs a dose of realty that MLB hitters are by far the best in the world. We may not be able to put together one good national team but day in and out, he is going to face dozens of fantastic hitters. Heck even the mediocre ones are pretty darn good. He needs to adjust.

 

[Peter Parker]

A better outing this time around. One run allowed in seven innings. He is now 4-2 with one no decision and an ERA of 4.80. Not exactly hall of fame stats at this point but not awful. Maybe he has corrected some problems or maybe he just had a good outing. Time will tell.

 

[Peter Parker]

An excellent outing this time. Acompete game no less with one run (a homer) and six hits. the overall RERA is at 4.17 and his record is 5-2 with 1 no decision.

 

[Peter Parker]

Yet another good outing----but the team could sure have used some help in the second half of that doubleheader. Ouch!

But hey given some of the negative things said in this thread we should point out that after 9 starts he is 6-2 with an ERA of 4.06.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Impressive numbers for a rookie.

 

[BruceS]

Audio Problems

Viewing either the HD NESN broadcast under EI or the SD NESN broadcast, I am starting to get short periods where there is no audio.

I am using a HR20 and my sound connection is over HDMI.

Has anyone else noticed audio problems or is it more likely to be a problem with the latest HR20 software upgrade?

 

[Peter Parker]

I would post that in a tech thread on the D* side.

 

[Sean Mota]

Impressive numbers for a rookie.

and that is the point... he is not a rookie by any standard.

 

[Peter Parker]

Well he is a rookie by the definition of one. This is his first year in the majors. His experience in Japanese baseball does not disqualify him and there is precedent for a player from Japan winning the Rookie of the Year award it has happened three times already. Players with Cuban or Dominican experience are also eligible. There were also those who thought that Jackie Robinson should not have been considered a rookie---but he was and he won the award as well as did a few other Negro League vets when they entered the majors.

i admit taht there are ot many rookies with a salary of $6,333,333 a year but according to the rules we have one here.


And while I would hope for better neither his record (6-2) or his ERA is bad even for a veteran.

 

[Sean Mota]

Just because MLB can't admit to fix the mistake of how a rookie is defined does not mean that we all know what to expect from a rookie. A rookie is someone who has not played professionally anywhere. Meaning amature baseball. Accordingly the Japanese baseball league is not considered an amateur league but a professional league. Even the Cuban league will not be considered an amateur league. Therefore, baseball can call them rookie but c'mon are they seriously thinking that we can call them rookies?

 

[Ramy]

I am just glad he isn't playing in the NL, because it looks like Josh Hamilton is the leading candidate there

 

[Peter Parker]

Even the minor leagues are professional not amateur. So that clearly is NOT the relevant distinction. IF that were the distinction there would be few if any rookies. The distinction is whether you qualify as a rookie in the MAJOR LEAGUES and japanese baseball is clearly not a major league. We can't all make our own definitions of what every term means. We certainly can't do that and then expect others to accept them.

Having said all that right now he is not likely to be named rookie of the year. But that si not because he is not a rookie---just like Jackie Robinson and Willie mays were when they first played in the major leagues. they too had experience as professionals (and in fact virtually every rookie does) but were playing in the major leagues for the first time.

We have already had three players with experience in the Japanese leagues win Rookie of the year. You can question whether his performance is good enough to win the award but the argument that his experience in the Japanese leagues disqualifies him isa non starter.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Geronimo is right on this one. He is a rookie in the MLB.

 

[Sean Mota]

Even the minor leagues are professional not amateur. So that clearly is NOT the relevant distinction. The distinction is whether you qualify as a rookie in the MAJOR LEAGUES and japanese baseball is clearly not a major league. We can't all make our own definitions of what every term means. We certainly can't do that and then expect others to accept them. In the case of your definition almost no one would qualify as a rookie.

Having said all that right now he is not even rookie of the year for his own team. But he is a rookie---just like Jackie Robinson and Willie mays were when they first played in the major leagues. they too had experience as professionals (and in fact virtually every rookie does) but were playing in the major leagues for the first time.

We have already had three players with experience in the Japanese leagues win Rookie of the year.

There is a big difference between playing the minor in the USA and playing professionally in Japan. The minor leagues in the USA are not considered "professional baseball". As a matter of fact, if you look at the mount of players that go to the AAA, AA, or A and calculate how many make the jump to the Majors, you will be surprised how few do. More and more drop or never make it to the Majors and those that make it are the rookies in my book or anyone's book. The Japanese system has its own minor leagues and then the players go and play in their professional league.

A good example of this of how the Japenese and Cuban league did in the Baseball World Classic. The majority of those players could play in the majors without any problem. Take the best players in the minors (NL & AL AAA, AA, A) and see if they fair that well (compare to Japan & Cuba) in a tournament. No because the conditioning of the players is quite different. Pitchers in the minors are slowly conditioned and subjected to pitch count. Their development is not fullfilled until they reach the majors. In the Cuban and Japanese league they played with a different set of conditioning and mind. Take a look at Matsuzaka, in his entire career the guys throws more than 100 pitches per game. Get me one minor league pitcher in the US that is conditioned to that type of regiment. Also, very few pitchers in the US in the minors can mastered the art of pitching. It is only after being in the professional league (MLB) that they get master the art of pitching. So in essence the Cuban league and Japanese league are way ahead of the American AAA, AA, or A. If anyone is to compare their league, you have to compare them with the MLB because lots of their player will play very good in the Majors and do not need the USA minor system. Therefore, these players are not rookies in the sense that we think in America. They are conditioned better than the minor league players.

 

[Peter Parker]

Th4e minor leagues are considered to be professional baseball and he is rookie Sean just as the three other Japanese players who were named rookie of they year were rookies.

You want to redefine the terms and that is fine for you but don't expect others to accept your personal reinterpretation. if you want to continue insisting he si not that is fine but i give up on reasoning with you on this point. Call him whatever you want.

 

[Ramy]

This is just like NASCAR where drivers from Indy or F1 come in and are considered rookies even though they have been in other "Big Leagues".

 

[Sean Mota]

Th4e minor leagues are considered to be professional baseball and he is rookie Sean just as the three other Japanese players who were named rookie of they year were rookies.

You want to redefine the terms and that is fine for you but don't expect others to accept your personal reinterpretation. if you want to continue insisting he si not that is fine but i give up on reasoning with you on this point. Call him whatever you want.

And that is exactly my point. Just because MLB has been so stupid all these years not to redefine what a rookie is, does not mean that we baseball fan do not understand the concept. The same as who holds the most HR in a single season. According to MLB is Barry Bonds. According to lots of fans, it is still Roger Marris.

Even if there is a precedence MLB should have stepped into this issue and resolve it. Why does it take MLB so long to resolve these things? because they are lazy...

Obviously, you have made your decision to accept what MLB calls a rookie today. I opt to not conform to that definition so to me these so called "rookies" haven't won anything.

 

[Peter Parker]

Well to be honest Sean the problem may not be that they are lazy. It may be simply that they disagree with you. I see no great consensus behind the notion that the winners of the award with experience in the Japanese leagues or the Negro Leagues "haven't won anything".

If that is your opinion fine. But in the end it is just that your opinion.

 

[Sean Mota]

I haven't said otherwise, I think. It's our opinion that we are both stating and discussing.

 

[Peter Parker]

I guess when you said "he is not a rookie by any standard" I took that to mean that you saw no other way of looking at it. If you do see other ways to look at it that is another matter.