Shinjo Tsuyoshi (Tokyo, 1972- )
Baseball is huge in Japan and the poster boy for Japanese baseball
has long been Shinjo Tsuyoshi. Consistently one of the most popular
players on the fan's ballot for the All-Star game, Shinjo is equal
parts style and substance. Well, make that 60-40. His red Ferrari,
Armani suits and dyed-blonde hair are certainly not to help with
his swing. 'The Prince' or 'The Spaceman' as he is known in Japan
learned some time ago that what he lacks in statistics he can
make up for with a cocky smile and a flourish on the field. A
career .248 batter, Shinjo had to work hard during 2001 Spring
training to secure a place in the New York Mets talented outfield,
but though he went through ups and downs, he managed to keep it. Mets manager
Bobby Valentine spent some happy, if frustrating, years with the
Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan and had high hopes for Shinjo. So it came
as quite a shock, not least to the player himself, when he was traded to the
San Fransisco Giants the following season. Ever the optimist, Shinjo said he
looked forward to moving to the west coast.
Shinjo (born Jan 28, 1972 in Tokyo) joined the Hanshin Tigers in 1990
and in many ways his career encapsulates the team's very
essence in recent years. In their decades-long rivalry with 'Japan's
team', the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Giants, the Tigers and their fans
have lived in constant hope of beating
the 'money' team and making it to the top. Only once since they
won the Japan Series in 1985 have they even managed a winning record. But the fans
remain just about the most fanatical in Japan as well as the most
hopelessly optimistic. Shinjo's 'freestyle' batting and league-leading
strikeout records reflect that kind of optimism. That having been
said, Shinjo is very quick on his feet and plays solid, error-free
defense.
Shinjo gave up a very lucrative career in Japan to move to the
US. He turned down a $14 million multi-year contract to play for
the minimum MLB salary of $200,000. As he said: "I'm not
going for the money. I want to play baseball at this level. You
never know what's going to happen. I'm trying to grasp that dream
I've always had." In typical positive style, he added: "I would
have had something in my mind that I would have regretted forever
if I didn't come here. Rather than have that regret, I decided
to go." Certainly in comparison with the occasionaly dour
Nomo, Irabu and even
Ichiro, Shinjo's 'no-tenki'
(carefree) approach to life makes for more cheery news reports. |