Lost in Translation?

The Cubs went out yesterday and signed 27-year old outfielder Seiya Suzuki to a five-year deal worth $85 million. Last year, Suzuki hit .317 with 38 homeruns and 88 RBIs for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Japanese Central League. After reading at least four stories, I have three unanswered questions, starting with, who’s going to translate? I think the language barrier is a lot tougher for Asian players than Latinos. An increasing number of MLB coaches speak Spanish, and there are always teammates who can translate. If there are any coaches on the big-league level who speak Japanese (or Korean or Chinese), I haven’t heard of them. Like any rookie, Suzuki is going to need advice. Unlike other rookies (and Latin players), he’s going to have to lean on his interpreter for virtually all of it. If that person doesn’t come from a baseball background or does but lacks a strong grasp of English, Suzuki will suffer. If the Cubs are willing to pay their new player $85 million, here’s hoping that don’t scrimp on an interpreter. According to baseball-reference.com, Suzuki has hit 189 homers in Japan. So, how many were against former MLB and affiliated minor-league pitchers? And what are his other stats against that competition? To me, those are numbers worth looking into.