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Hanshin Tigers News |
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Associated Press NEW YORK - Tsuyoshi Shinjo knew he wanted to play for a major league team. So why did he decide on the New York Mets? "The coolness of the uniforms," he said Monday when his new team showed him off at Shea Stadium. Back in Japan, where he was a four-time All-Star, the 28-year-old outfielder was tired of being trailed by photographers and reporters. "I couldn't shop without being followed," he said. When he arrived Saturday at Kennedy International Airport, Shinjo was greeted by dozens of photographers. He is considered one of the more personable players in Japanese baseball, a contrast to players such as Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu, who have come to the major leagues and showed little personality. On Sunday, Shinjo was just another face in the crowd as he strolled Fifth Avenue. "I was very, very excited," he said through a translator. "I was like a kid in a candy store." Shinjo spent nine seasons with the Hanshin Tigers and won seven Gold Glove awards. He had a .249 career average with 145 homers and 518 RBIs in 1,061 games. But he wanted to come to the United States and play against baseball's best. "If I finished my career in Japan, I definitely would have had something in my mind forever, there would have been that regret. I said, 'Let's go.' " So he signed a $200,000, one-year contract with a $300,000 bonus with the Mets, turning down a higher guarantee to remain in Japan. His deal with New York has two option years and performance bonuses that could make it $5 million over three seasons. Mets general manager Steve Phillips said he anticipated Shinjo would see starts in the outfield, where he joins a mix that already includes Jay Payton, Benny Agbayani, Darryl Hamilton and Timo Perez. "He's got some juice in his bat," Phillips said. But Shinjo is a free swinger, so he probably would hit sixth or seventh in the batting order, Phillips said. Shinjo has been a center fielder, but Phillips said manager Bobby Valentine wouldn't hesitate to use him in left or right. "I don't look at Shinjo as just a backup center fielder," he said. Copyright 2000
The Associated Press From The Daily Yomiuri (December 20, 2000) Note: For what it's worth, a couple of months ago I had a feeling that Shinjo had a chance of signing with a major league team. You see, he played well against the visiting major leaguers last November, he's got a great arm, speed, and he is indeed a free swinger, as Steve Phillips said. Unlike many Japanese players, who take the game much too seriously, Shinjo has fun out there, and would adapt quite easily to the American style of play. I thought that with Orix's Ichiro going across to the Mariners, why not Shinjo? I thought money might have been the sticking point, but as the article above says, Shinjo is more interested in the challenge. But alas, only my wife can vouch for my foresight. I won't make any predictions about how well he'll do at the sport's highest level - only to say that he'll probably surprise some of the naysayers over here who expect him to fail miserably. Shinjo's star quality - and for a country boy from Kyushu, playing in New York will be a dream come true. Good luck to him! Ganbatte!
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