Sunday, August 17, 2014

We're Major-League Baseball, and We Love Slappers*


Infielder Munenori Kawasaki of the Toronto Blue Jays is a textbook slapper—he hits off his front foot to guide the ball into left field.  Why anyone throws him a ball over the plate, especially a changeup, is beyond me, to say nothing of the White Sox pitching staff.

Next month, the Sox play Kansas City Royals, who have their own slapper in Nori Aoki.  Again, Sox pitchers just love to leave a pitch out there for Aoki to slap at.  Of the two, Aoki is probably the better hitter because he also has some power from the left side.  But what I want to know is why teams feel the need to go to Japan for this type of ballplayer.

Neither of them stands taller than 5’11’’, and they were both thirty-year old rookies.  Tell me again why a college softball player couldn’t fill the same role, at a younger age and without the language barrier.  I’m sure there’s a reason somewhere.

Maybe it has to do with only wanting guys in the dugout.

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