Said blog post has been moved to SB Nation's Twinkie Town. Read it here.
Showing posts with label Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Show all posts
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Friday, July 1, 2011
Opinions are like…
This post is about the current debate over replacing Tsuyoshi Nishioka with Trevor Plouffe at shortstop. Yes, I know many of my posts this year have been about Nishi. But no, I’m not in love with him and he isn’t my favorite player. I just find all the hoopla with him especially interesting. And I’m addicted to Google Translate. Seriously. (Side note: I just realized today that when Google-Translated Japanese reports on the Twins mention “Libya,” they are actually referring to Ben Revere.)
Over the past couple days, it seems everyone has expressed some sort of opinion on Tsuyoshi. Aaron Gleeman is worried, but still thinks it is too early to write Nishioka off. Sid Hartman talked with Chiba Lotte Marine president Ryuzo Setoyama—a close personal friend in town to present Tsuyoshi Nishioka with his 2010 championship ring—and he thought Nishioka needs to relax and will in time become a good major leaguer. Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press second-guessed the Twins’ decision to sign Nishi, but also reserved the right to second-guess his second-guess in case Nishi improves. Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 talked about some stat-head gobbledegook that apparently proves Nishioka isn't actually as good as he played last year. Nick Nelson of Twinscentric advocated sending Nishioka to AAA and calling Plouffe back up to play shortstop. Twins Outsider advocated against replacing Nishioka with Plouffe, believing it wouldn’t be an upgrade.
And, of course, the ever delightful Jim Souhan took a little break from calling Joe Mauer an overpaid, lazy son-of-a-[redacted] to verbally poop all over Nishioka.
In fact, Souhan’s remarks were so scathing they were quoted and described by several Japanese media outlets. One report went so far as to describe the STAR TRIBUNE WEBSITE COMMENTS on Souhan’s article. So now the Japanese are really in-the-know.
Curious as to what Japanese fans thought, I googled around until I found a Japanese message board post commenting on Souhan’s remarks. Now, I don’t know exactly what was being said because I don’t know Japanese. But what I did discern was pretty interesting—the comments left by Japanese fans seemed pretty much the same as the comments by American fans: "Nishioka has been painful to watch," "It’s still too early to judge Nishioka," "Nishioka is just another Kaz Matsui," "Nishioka will come around," "Joe Mauer is batting even worse than Nishioka," "Nishioka should be sent to the minors," and "Come home Nishioka!" I even found a comment suggesting Plouffe as a replacement (comment number 889).
So yes, opinions are like... well, you know. We all have them.
Here’s my opinion: Nishioka has only played 19 major league games. Replacing Nishi with Plouffe is not going to propel the Twins to a division championship. I’m not convinced Plouffe’s minor league numbers overshadow his major league struggles. Nishioka did alright in spring training and in his minor league rehab stint; I’m not convinced the Twins need to send him to the minors. Gardenhire and the Twins are 100% justified in treating these two very different players in a different manner. Everyone knew Nishioka would have quite an adjustment period, and I certainly didn’t expect that period to be over in fewer than the equivalent of three weeks of major league games. The Twins suck this year anyway. Just let the kid play.
I believe that whether Nishioka can succeed in the majors will depend in a large part on whether we start to see him making adjustments in the coming weeks, even if those adjustments don’t necessarily fix everything right away. I just want to see, for now, what his effort and ability at adapting will be. From everything I’ve heard and read, he seems to have a good disposition for making changes. The story of how being cut from the World Baseball Classic team in 2009 and struggling later that season caused Nishi to reflect on his playing and lifestyle, and then go on to have a career year in 2010, makes me think he has a promising reaction to failure.
Adjustments can start with Nishioka swinging the bat without looking like the final stages in a game of Jenga. Seriously. It's freaking me out Nishi.
So yes—maybe Nishioka will end up just being another Kaz Matsui. But maybe he won’t. No one knows what will happen, but feel free to leave a comment with your opinion.
Over the past couple days, it seems everyone has expressed some sort of opinion on Tsuyoshi. Aaron Gleeman is worried, but still thinks it is too early to write Nishioka off. Sid Hartman talked with Chiba Lotte Marine president Ryuzo Setoyama—a close personal friend in town to present Tsuyoshi Nishioka with his 2010 championship ring—and he thought Nishioka needs to relax and will in time become a good major leaguer. Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press second-guessed the Twins’ decision to sign Nishi, but also reserved the right to second-guess his second-guess in case Nishi improves. Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 talked about some stat-head gobbledegook that apparently proves Nishioka isn't actually as good as he played last year. Nick Nelson of Twinscentric advocated sending Nishioka to AAA and calling Plouffe back up to play shortstop. Twins Outsider advocated against replacing Nishioka with Plouffe, believing it wouldn’t be an upgrade.
And, of course, the ever delightful Jim Souhan took a little break from calling Joe Mauer an overpaid, lazy son-of-a-[redacted] to verbally poop all over Nishioka.
In fact, Souhan’s remarks were so scathing they were quoted and described by several Japanese media outlets. One report went so far as to describe the STAR TRIBUNE WEBSITE COMMENTS on Souhan’s article. So now the Japanese are really in-the-know.
Curious as to what Japanese fans thought, I googled around until I found a Japanese message board post commenting on Souhan’s remarks. Now, I don’t know exactly what was being said because I don’t know Japanese. But what I did discern was pretty interesting—the comments left by Japanese fans seemed pretty much the same as the comments by American fans: "Nishioka has been painful to watch," "It’s still too early to judge Nishioka," "Nishioka is just another Kaz Matsui," "Nishioka will come around," "Joe Mauer is batting even worse than Nishioka," "Nishioka should be sent to the minors," and "Come home Nishioka!" I even found a comment suggesting Plouffe as a replacement (comment number 889).
So yes, opinions are like... well, you know. We all have them.
Here’s my opinion: Nishioka has only played 19 major league games. Replacing Nishi with Plouffe is not going to propel the Twins to a division championship. I’m not convinced Plouffe’s minor league numbers overshadow his major league struggles. Nishioka did alright in spring training and in his minor league rehab stint; I’m not convinced the Twins need to send him to the minors. Gardenhire and the Twins are 100% justified in treating these two very different players in a different manner. Everyone knew Nishioka would have quite an adjustment period, and I certainly didn’t expect that period to be over in fewer than the equivalent of three weeks of major league games. The Twins suck this year anyway. Just let the kid play.
I believe that whether Nishioka can succeed in the majors will depend in a large part on whether we start to see him making adjustments in the coming weeks, even if those adjustments don’t necessarily fix everything right away. I just want to see, for now, what his effort and ability at adapting will be. From everything I’ve heard and read, he seems to have a good disposition for making changes. The story of how being cut from the World Baseball Classic team in 2009 and struggling later that season caused Nishi to reflect on his playing and lifestyle, and then go on to have a career year in 2010, makes me think he has a promising reaction to failure.
Adjustments can start with Nishioka swinging the bat without looking like the final stages in a game of Jenga. Seriously. It's freaking me out Nishi.
So yes—maybe Nishioka will end up just being another Kaz Matsui. But maybe he won’t. No one knows what will happen, but feel free to leave a comment with your opinion.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Sardines and, uh, the Media Circus
In 2006, the ever-delightful Ozzie Guillen called the Twins “little piranhas.” This week, after the Twins swept the White Sox in a rain-shortened two-game series, Ozzie had this to say about the Twins:
HEY, OZZIE—DON’T CALL THE TWINS CIRCUS MIDGETS! THEY ARE CIRCUS LITTLE PEOPLE!
But there really was a circus at Target Field this week—a media circus, brought on by the home-debut of recently recovered Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Nishi got a good welcome cheer from the crowd when he first came out to do pre-game stretches, tipping his hat to the fans in acknowledgement.
A group of cameramen positioned thirty or so meters away documented his warm up.
Then, Nishioka made a documented returned to the dugout.
And THEN Nishi came out of the dugout and took the field.
(Yes, he jumped over the hoard of crouching media.)
Nishioka went 1-for-4 with a lucky infield hit (which he even acknowledged to the press was just a lucky hit). He showed great range at shortstop, but didn’t exactly have a cannon of an arm. He fielded at least one ball every inning, and turned several double-plays. He didn’t break any bones. He had one error, and true to Japanese form, immediately apologized to Nick Blackburn. He apologized to fans for the error in a post-game interview.
Robbie-Ryo-Nishi, Nishi-Ryo-Robbie, Robbie-Ryo-Nishi, Nishi-Ryo-Robbie
After the game, Nishi (roughly in Google Translate form) said, "(Fracture), but betrayed the expectations, the fans accepted me happy." Nishioka seemed to have had worries about how he would be received by Twins fans, and was put much at ease with the cheers. "In the first game at home, me accept that my fans happy. Happy days indeed was. Hope you do not forget the feelings of today," he said.
I think Nishioka showed great potential, and I really like his positive and hard-working attitude. Being the youngest Japanese player to ever play in the major leagues, I think these traits bode well. Fans should show a little patience with him before writing him off. He's making quite the transition, and I wouldn't expect him to do it all overnight.
But wait! The media circus didn't stop, because after the game Joe Mauer was activated from the DL and held a press conference to field questions. We learned:
But alas—to make room for Joe on the 40-man roster, Brian Dinkelman was outrighted to the minors. Dinkels, we hardly knew thee. Let us pause to remember Dinkelman’s major league performance:
WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU, BRIAN DINKELMAN!
"They are [redacted] sardines. You see a bunch of circus midgets out there. But they can play."
HEY, OZZIE—DON’T CALL THE TWINS CIRCUS MIDGETS! THEY ARE CIRCUS LITTLE PEOPLE!
But there really was a circus at Target Field this week—a media circus, brought on by the home-debut of recently recovered Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Nishi got a good welcome cheer from the crowd when he first came out to do pre-game stretches, tipping his hat to the fans in acknowledgement.
A group of cameramen positioned thirty or so meters away documented his warm up.
Then, Nishioka made a documented returned to the dugout.
And THEN Nishi came out of the dugout and took the field.
Nishioka went 1-for-4 with a lucky infield hit (which he even acknowledged to the press was just a lucky hit). He showed great range at shortstop, but didn’t exactly have a cannon of an arm. He fielded at least one ball every inning, and turned several double-plays. He didn’t break any bones. He had one error, and true to Japanese form, immediately apologized to Nick Blackburn. He apologized to fans for the error in a post-game interview.
After the game, Nishi (roughly in Google Translate form) said, "(Fracture), but betrayed the expectations, the fans accepted me happy." Nishioka seemed to have had worries about how he would be received by Twins fans, and was put much at ease with the cheers. "In the first game at home, me accept that my fans happy. Happy days indeed was. Hope you do not forget the feelings of today," he said.
I think Nishioka showed great potential, and I really like his positive and hard-working attitude. Being the youngest Japanese player to ever play in the major leagues, I think these traits bode well. Fans should show a little patience with him before writing him off. He's making quite the transition, and I wouldn't expect him to do it all overnight.
But wait! The media circus didn't stop, because after the game Joe Mauer was activated from the DL and held a press conference to field questions. We learned:
- Joe Mauer doesn’t have lyme’s disease
- Joe Mauer doesn’t have ALS
- Joe Mauer’s knees were just really, really sore
- Joe Mauer sees no reason why the Twins can’t win the division
- Joe Mauer will happily interrupt a press conference to inform Sid Hartman that his tape recorder stopped
But alas—to make room for Joe on the 40-man roster, Brian Dinkelman was outrighted to the minors. Dinkels, we hardly knew thee. Let us pause to remember Dinkelman’s major league performance:
- 14 at-bats
- 1 hit by pitch
- 4 single-base hits
- 0 homeruns
- 2 intentional walks
WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU, BRIAN DINKELMAN!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Losing Games, Blowing Calls, and other Twins Notes
Unfortunately, the Twins seem destined to spend 2011 learning the hard way how many different ways they can lose a baseball game. In Monday’s game, the Tigers broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning when a grounder bounced, hit a fan in an orange shirt and the umpires called it fan interference even though it should have been a ground rule double. Johnny Peralta, who had been on first, was awarded home base instead of third, and thus scored the winning run. When asked about the seemingly inexplicable call after the game, crew chief Gary Darling explained: “We ruled spectator interference and we ruled the runner would have scored without it. [You know, because we said so.]”
The bad call provided baseball writers with fresh fodder to once again bemoan the fact there isn’t more instant-replay in baseball. Although I didn’t like Monday’s call, my position on expanded instant-replay remains the same—I don't like it. As I explained almost exactly one year ago:
Come on guys: was it really that one stupid call that lost it for the Twins yesterday? With Kubel and Thome already pulled from the game, Matt Tolbert and Drew Butera the only available pinch-hitters, and the Twins already three-relievers deep into the 2011 Twins bullpen, were they really going to pull out a win? Maybe... but maybe not.
However, a tearful apology from Gary Darling tonight when Jerry White or whomever trots out to present the Twins lineup card would still be very welcome.
Guess Who's Hot...
Between May 1st and May 30th, when it comes to Twins players who had at least 20 at-bats, guess who had the highest batting average (.302), on-base percentage (.362), slugging percentage (.444), and OPS (.807)? If you guessed Jason Kubel... you’re wrong.
It’s Alexi Casilla.
I know—you might retort that Casilla has a smaller sample-size due to having fewer at-bats than some regular regulars, or that these stats aren't advanced enough, or the fact Casilla led May in all these categories just shows how bad the 2011 Twins are. But Casilla actually has been looking confident and playing well lately—take advantage of a hot streak. Casilla's certainly looking MUCH better right now than Trevor Plouffe, who has been repeatedly failing to catch the ball, repeatedly air-mailing throws, and repeatedly not hitting.
Over the past week I've seen many people suggest benching Casilla and starting Plouffe instead, but there is simply no reason to be doing that right now.
Nishioka Nearing Return
Tsuyoshi Nishioka played in his first extended spring training game last Saturday at shortstop, and he got a hit his first two at-bats, ultimately going 2 for 3 with one RBI. On Monday Nishi went 0 for 3 playing second base, but did turn a double play without breaking a leg. The training staff has been helping build Nishioka's instinct to jump while throwing to first on a double play—something not normally needed in Japan—apparently by chucking big rubber balls at him.
The Japanese media originally reported that Tsuyoshi would return to the majors on June 9th, but it appears it could be a couple days later. After running out a grounder to shortstop at full-speed on Monday, Nishioka told reporters, "I wanted to test my condition during the game. I still feel a sense of discomfort. After I finished running, I still felt some pain."
In any case, it appears Nishioka will be back within the next two weeks, and probably before Mauer—who is still suffering from some mysterious knee problem/leg weakness/flu. It makes me worried, knowing Mauer is never one to not want to play, not work hard, and not want to be back ASAP.
In any case, here is a photo of Nishi and Joe exchanging hellos at practice on Tuesday.
Mom's Finnish Language Lesson
Mom, who is from a large Finnish family, says there is a word in the Finnish language that means "ish," "ew," or "yuck." The word is "hyi"—pronounced quite a lot like "Hoey."
The bad call provided baseball writers with fresh fodder to once again bemoan the fact there isn’t more instant-replay in baseball. Although I didn’t like Monday’s call, my position on expanded instant-replay remains the same—I don't like it. As I explained almost exactly one year ago:
Personally, I find anything that makes baseball any bit more like football revolting. When Gardy goes out to challenge a close call, do I want to see all the umpires run off to a little room where they will huddle around, watch a video tape, and decide what to do? Heck no. I want Gardy to be ejected, everyone to throw their hats on the field, and then be able to blame all of the Twins’ misgivings on the umpires. After all, it wasn't all those missed chances that lost the game for the Twins last night, it was that one blown call.
Come on guys: was it really that one stupid call that lost it for the Twins yesterday? With Kubel and Thome already pulled from the game, Matt Tolbert and Drew Butera the only available pinch-hitters, and the Twins already three-relievers deep into the 2011 Twins bullpen, were they really going to pull out a win? Maybe... but maybe not.
However, a tearful apology from Gary Darling tonight when Jerry White or whomever trots out to present the Twins lineup card would still be very welcome.
Guess Who's Hot...
Between May 1st and May 30th, when it comes to Twins players who had at least 20 at-bats, guess who had the highest batting average (.302), on-base percentage (.362), slugging percentage (.444), and OPS (.807)? If you guessed Jason Kubel... you’re wrong.
It’s Alexi Casilla.
I know—you might retort that Casilla has a smaller sample-size due to having fewer at-bats than some regular regulars, or that these stats aren't advanced enough, or the fact Casilla led May in all these categories just shows how bad the 2011 Twins are. But Casilla actually has been looking confident and playing well lately—take advantage of a hot streak. Casilla's certainly looking MUCH better right now than Trevor Plouffe, who has been repeatedly failing to catch the ball, repeatedly air-mailing throws, and repeatedly not hitting.
Over the past week I've seen many people suggest benching Casilla and starting Plouffe instead, but there is simply no reason to be doing that right now.
Nishioka Nearing Return
Tsuyoshi Nishioka played in his first extended spring training game last Saturday at shortstop, and he got a hit his first two at-bats, ultimately going 2 for 3 with one RBI. On Monday Nishi went 0 for 3 playing second base, but did turn a double play without breaking a leg. The training staff has been helping build Nishioka's instinct to jump while throwing to first on a double play—something not normally needed in Japan—apparently by chucking big rubber balls at him.
The Japanese media originally reported that Tsuyoshi would return to the majors on June 9th, but it appears it could be a couple days later. After running out a grounder to shortstop at full-speed on Monday, Nishioka told reporters, "I wanted to test my condition during the game. I still feel a sense of discomfort. After I finished running, I still felt some pain."
In any case, it appears Nishioka will be back within the next two weeks, and probably before Mauer—who is still suffering from some mysterious knee problem/leg weakness/flu. It makes me worried, knowing Mauer is never one to not want to play, not work hard, and not want to be back ASAP.
In any case, here is a photo of Nishi and Joe exchanging hellos at practice on Tuesday.
Mom's Finnish Language Lesson
Mom, who is from a large Finnish family, says there is a word in the Finnish language that means "ish," "ew," or "yuck." The word is "hyi"—pronounced quite a lot like "Hoey."
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