1. Major League Baseball
& Asian-Born
Baseball Players
Sangmi Park
Business of Baseball/Economics of Spring Training
Spring 2016
2. Executive Summary
Baseball is called the “All-American” sport. Today, it has become an international
sport. With its history and how widely the sport has expanded, baseball is played and
watched in different parts of the world. When looking at the Major League team rosters,
international players made up at least 27% of the Opening Day roster. A part of the
international players is made up of Asian players from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
All of these Asian countries have a history of baseball being introduced to their country
by Americans, and now, each of these countries has its own professional leagues.
Former Asian players including Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park opened doors in
the U.S. Now Asian players on Major League rosters are common. Others are scouted
and signed straight out of high school as amateur international players and go through the
minor league system. However, there are challenges and cultural differences that these
Asian players face and struggle with.
The differences between Asian and American baseball have provided
environmental and cultural challenges, which have led to determining whether or not an
Asian player becomes successful. For many Asian players, teams provide an interpreter,
who plays a significant role by helping with communication between the player and the
team. Along with communication, Asian players face challenges in the change of
environment as well. As more Asian players come to play in the MLB, these challenges
cannot be ignored, as these are the reasons why some go back to their home country.
3. Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................1
History of Asian Baseball..................................................................................................1
Challenges: The Struggles Asian Baseball Players Face................................................4
Information & Insight .......................................................................................................7
Asian Baseball Organizations & MLB.........................................................................7
Influence of Asian Baseball Players .............................................................................8
Marketing & Sponsorship.........................................................................................8
Scouting Asian Baseball Players.................................................................................11
Recommendations............................................................................................................14
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................17
Bibliography/References .................................................................................................19
4. 1
Introduction
Baseball has become an international sport. Today, Major League Baseball is
considered to be the top league within all international baseball leagues. Within Major
League Baseball, many countries are represented including Dominican Republic, Cuba,
Venezuela, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and most
recently, China. These are countries that have players within both the major and minor
league system of MLB.
The number of baseball players born outside the U.S. increased since 2001. When
looking at the rosters of the past five seasons, 18 countries and territories are represented
on the Opening Day roster and is the highest record of countries and territories
represented. This season, 238 international players represented 27.5 percent of the pool of
864 players. This is found to be the highest figure of international players in Major
League Baseball since 2013 (Major League Baseball, 2016).
Among the 18 countries represented in MLB, Asia is well represented in the list.
Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have become the most common countries that have
players that represent them. Players who were the “first” to play for the MLB have
opened doors for future players. At the same time, the failure of some Asian players has
been a factor where these players are often forgotten or just seen as disappointment even
though a player may have played strongly in their home country. However, baseball has
been a way for Asian Americans to resist stereotypes and demonstrate that they love and
could play the game (Ardolino, 2009).
History of Asian Baseball
Baseball was introduced to Asia in the 1800s. It started with Americans bringing
baseball to the various Asian countries through missionaries and soldiers. Other ways
5. 2
baseball has reached Asian countries is through pioneers who visited the United States
and were exposed to the sport. These Asian pioneers were typically students who studied
in the U.S. and then returned their love of baseball to their home countries.
For the Japanese, baseball goes back to the immigrants who first moved to the
United States. In Japanese communities, leagues formed and teams were created. These
teams played against American teams. Many of these teams were created mostly in
Hawaii after World War II (Regaladao, 2013). The start of the Japanese baseball is said
to start in 1905 when a student from the First Higher School of Tokyo, Moriyama
Tsunetaro, who was on the Japanese team, threw a fastball that shut off the opposing
American team. Also many Major League players toured Japan as early as 1908 and
played exhibition games against Japanese university teams. In 1936, the Japanese
formally founded its own professional baseball league in the image of Major League
Baseball, now known as the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) (Reaves,
2002). After the war, the NPB expanded by establishing two leagues in 1950, and like the
World Series, the winners of the Pacific and Central League meet in the annual Japanese
series. Then in 1995, Hideo Nomo signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and
won the National League Rookie of the Year Award. His success led the way for
Japanese players in the Major Leagues (Reaves, 2002).
In Korea, a U.S. missionary Philip L. Gillett introduced baseball in 1905. Gillett
taught the game to members of the Hansong YMCA in Seoul throughout his missionary
career in Korea. The passion for baseball and development of the game to survive in
Korea continued through Korean youth who had visited and studied in Japan in 1909. By
1912, teams from the Seoul YMCA were playing over sixty games a year and baseball
6. 3
spread beyond Seoul (Reaves, 2002). Between the years of the mid 1930s-1950s, Korean
baseball had essentially disappeared due to war and politics. Then in 1982, the Korean
Baseball Organization was established and the first professional game was played. In the
1990s, the United States created a sensation in Korea when the Los Angeles Dodgers
signed a young pitcher named Chan Ho Park from Han Yang University, who became the
first and most successful baseball player in the Major Leagues from Korea.
Like Korea, Taiwan can trace its history of baseball to the influence of Japan as
Japan took control of the island in 1895 (Baseball Reference, 2011). The game of
baseball in Taiwan follows the Japanese model, but has some influence of the United
States. In 1968, baseball gained popularity in Taiwan was born when a team called the
Red Leafs Little League team defeated the Little League World Champions from
Wakayama, Japan. From then on, Taiwan continued to play in the Little League Baseball
and won consecutive World Series title until the U.S. banned foreign participants in 1974
due to the complaints of U.S. players, coaches, and parents who were embarrassed of
being beaten by a foreign team. In 1989, the Chinese Professional Baseball Organization
was formally created and the league began to play in 1990 starting with four teams
(Reaves, 2002).
China also has a history of baseball. Like the other three major Asian countries,
the influence comes from the United States and missionaries are credited with
introducing baseball to China. However, baseball did not become culturally significant in
China as it did in the other countries. Shanghai is considered to be the birthplace of
baseball and baseball has been used for military training in Chinese history (Reaves,
2002). Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, baseball was labeled
7. 4
as an evil Western influence and banned by Chairman Mao (Swiryn, 2008). It was not
until Mao’s death in 1976 when baseball started to slowly reemerge in China.
Today, the four Asian baseball league organizations (Nippon Professional
Baseball Organization, Korean Baseball Organization, Chinese Professional Baseball
Organization, and China Baseball League) each have its own season and World Series
like Major League Baseball. Of the Asian leagues, the China Baseball League is the most
recent league as it was formed in 2002. Each league continues to expand and spread the
love of baseball in their country.
Challenges: The Struggles Asian Baseball Players Face
Several Asian baseball players are signed right out of high school, and there are
many who are signed as a free agent after playing in their own professional leagues for
several years. For example, Ichiro Suzuki was one of the first Japanese players to sign a
contract with a Major League Baseball franchise, the Seattle Mariners in 2001 after
playing in the Japanese league from 1992 to 2000. However, there have been instances
where players signed before they achieved free agency, such as Chan Ho Park who was
scouted and drafted straight out of high school and the same case for former Korean
baseball player Hee Sup Choi.
There have been several Asian players who have gone through the minor and
major league system of MLB. However, not all players have had success. There are
players who had difficulty in overcoming the differences and cultural barriers in the
United States and returned back to their home countries. Also, it has been a common
stereotype that only Asian pitchers can be successful and position players will fail.
8. 5
The common challenges Asian players face all lie within culture. Baseball may be
the same sport played internationally, but there are cultural differences among the
countries baseball is played in. Many of the Asian players signed straight out of high
school never made it to the majors because they faced several challenges, such as culture,
language, depression, lost weight/muscle mass, nutrition, and much more. Other factors
that influence Asian players are the training system, the way the field was designed, and
equipment such as the baseballs used (H. Lee, personal communication, February 26,
2016). These challenges are continuously addressed as Asian players come to the MLB,
and have become the reason why Asian players choose to go back to their home
countries.
One of the challenges Asian players face is language. Hee Sup Choi is a former
baseball player who was signed in 1999. He is considered to be the first position player
from Korea to have successfully made it to the Major Leagues. Unlike many of the
Korean players in the Major Leagues today, Choi started in the minor league system. The
first challenge he faced was communication. During Choi’s first year in the Minor
Leagues, he had an interpreter with him, but after that he was on his own. The Minor
League system did offer English classes, but for Choi, who took classes with his Hispanic
teammates, was initially confused between English and Spanish and first needed to figure
out the difference between the two languages.
Other than language and communication, others face challenges in the difference
in environment and the style of play. Baseball is not only a physical game, but also a
mental game (H. Choi, personal communication, March 13, 2016). When it comes to the
mentality of a player, the environment plays an important role. If there is a change in
9. 6
lifestyle and in environment, a player may struggle in playing baseball well. The changes
in environment can be changes such as the equipment, the playing field, and the training
system.
In regards to equipment, pitchers have noted the difference in the balls used in the
MLB. The difference in balls was brought to attention even during the World Baseball
Classic as a majority of the Asian pitchers could feel the difference. In MLB, the
Rawlings ball made of cowhide is commonly used. Pitchers have mentioned that the
texture, size, and even the seams of the Rawlings ball are different from the balls used in
Asia (Ellsesser, 2006). Asian players found the baseball to be slippery (J. Duru, personal
communication, February 10, 2016). With training, the length of practice and training
methods are different from Asian leagues and MLB. Some American players who have
played in the NPB were surprised in how long practices were (Schiller, 2012). A
difference in training is another challenge Korean players faced. In the KBO, the
emphasis on muscle mass and weight lifting is not as focused as it is in the MLB (J.
Duru, personal communication, February 10, 2016).
Environment changes not only involve equipment or training methods, but also
involve changes in travel schedule. In the KBO, one day is always designated as an off
day, so teams play games six days straight in a week. In both Japan and Korea, even
though you are traveling to various locations to play games on the road, there is no time
zone difference as both countries are smaller than the United States (Schiller, 2012). This
is something Asian players need to adjust to because in the US, they cross four different
time zones going from the East Coast to the West Coast.
10. 7
Asian players commonly and continuously face these challenges when they come
to play in the MLB. However, the basis of these challenges does involve cultural
differences. A common cultural difference includes the difference in the baseball culture
in how Asian players were taught to play baseball and how they interacted with coaches.
This is something that Asian players must overcome to splay in the MLB. It is also
something that clubs need to be aware of and understand.
Information/Insight
Asian Baseball Organizations and MLB
The KBO (Korean Baseball Organization), NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball
Organization), and CPB (Chinese Professional Baseball League) have similar models to
Major League Baseball (MLB). These organizations have many developments, one in
particular, being free agency. Many of the Asians players who have came to the MLB
come as a free agent. Within many of the Asian organizations, free agency has increased
and more players are seeking the opportunity to play in the MLB after playing in their
native league for several years.
For Japan and Korea, MLB clubs go through a posting system. The posting
system is a player transfer system between the KBO/NPB and MLB (Baseball-Reference,
2016). Through the posting system a player requests to be posted and the KBO/NPB team
notifies the KBO/NPB Commissioner’s Office this player will be posted. Then through
the KBO/NPB Commissioner’s Office, the MLB Commissioner’s Office is notified, and
the MLB Commissioner’s Office notifies all the MLB teams. MLB teams have four days
to submit a “silent” bid to obtain the right to negotiate a contract with the player. After
the four days, the KBO/NPB team is notified of the highest bidding team and has four
11. 8
days to accept or reject the bid. If the bid is accepted, the highest bidding MLB team has
thirty days to reach an agreement with the player (Baseball-Reference, 2016). To make it
less costly for teams when there are highly sought players, the current system has a
twenty million dollar cap (MLB.com, 2013). Also each KBO/NPB may set a release fee
that the Major League Club must pay for the player’s release, but the release fee may not
be higher than the twenty million dollar cap. Through this posting system, several
Japanese and Korean players have signed with Major League teams.
Currently, there has not been a Chinese baseball player in MLB, but recently, the
Orioles have signed a Chinese player from the MLB Development Center in Wuxi
(Berra, 2015). Xu Guiyuan or “Itchy” is the first athlete to be signed from one of the
three MLB Development Centers in China. These development centers in China were
created as part of a strategy by MLB to develop Chinese players. At these development
centers, student athletes attend class during the day and play baseball after school and on
weekends. Itchy became one of the first Chinese-born baseball players signed by a Major
League team and is now playing in the Orioles minor league system. Itchy has provided
hope that there may be a Chinese baseball player in the big leagues.
Influence of Asian Baseball Players
In recent years, several Asian players have risen to popularity and have brought
awareness to their home countries. Many teams have been able to use the asset of having
an Asian player on their team for marketing, brand recognition, and sponsorship. Clubs
have been able to utilize the popularity of the player to reach out to the local and
international fan base and also expose Asian culture to their non-Asian fan base.
12. 9
Marketing & Sponsorship
With having Asian players on the team, clubs have been able to use that asset in
promoting their brand to the Asian community both locally and internationally. The
advantage of having an Asian player on the team has created opportunities of brand
marketing and brand recognition to the Asian player’s native country and to the local
Asian community in the U.S. Teams have been also able to obtain international
sponsorship opportunities by signing deals with international companies. The Dodgers
are a good example in how they reached the Korean community locally and overseas
when they signed pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are already known as having the first Korean-born
pitcher Chan Ho Park back in the 1990s. This impact was again seen when the Dodgers
decided to sign Hyun Jin Ryu. When a team signs a foreign player, it has a huge impact
in terms of marketing & development (M. Kim, personal communication, February 9,
2016). There are three areas that are impacted in terms of marketing and development:
ticket sales, broadcast rights, and sponsorship and business development.
The Dodgers have seen an increase in attendance within the local Korean and
Japanese fan base whenever the player plays, which contributes to a spike in revenue in
ticket sales. This allows the team to become a more popular team with a diverse
community. Another influence area is broadcast rights. MLB is in charge of signing
broadcast rights, but currently, MBC Sports in Korea has exclusivity in carrying
broadcast rights, which also contributes to revenue. Also, the Dodgers have an exclusive
radio deal in broadcasting the games in Korean. This Korean broadcast is the first for any
Major League team. Times Warner Cable SportsNet LA, which handles the broadcast of
the games, have now broadcasts available in English, Spanish, and Korean (MLB, 2014).
13. 10
Lastly, the influence is seen in an increase in sponsorship and business development. For
example, the Dodgers are the only team that sells Korean brand beer Hite within its
stadium. Selling Hite beer has not only attracted more Korean fans to come to the
stadium, but also giving the Korean company brand awareness to international
consumers. On the other side of sponsorship, current Dodgers sponsors have the
opportunity to expand their global investment. For example, Coca Cola gets added
exposure in Korea, Japan, and Mexico.
Recently, the Dodgers hosted Korea Night where top Korean singers were invited
to throw the ceremonial pitch, perform before the game and during the seventh inning
stretch, and sing the Korean national anthem pregame. The team also partnered with the
Korean Tourism Organization to expose their non-Korean fan base to various cultural
activities by having taekwondo performance and intertwining the Korean culture through
promotional items and giveaways (M. Kim, personal communication, 2016). In the 2014
season, the Dodgers celebrated Korea Night with giving away a Hyun-Jin Ryu
bobblehead presented by Asiana Airlines along with having an autograph session with
former first Korean-born MLB player, Chan Ho Park.
With the recent signing of Kenta Maeda, the Dodgers also hope to see a possible
increase in their fan base with the Japanese community. Already, the Dodgers are known
to have an outreach to the Japanese community as former Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo
played for the team. Nomo is considered to be a pioneer who opened the doors for his
future Japanese followers to MLB (Okada & Greyser, 2013). Ichiro led the second big
MLB boom in Japan when he joined the Mariners through the posting system in 2001
being the first Japanese position player to sign with a MLB club.
14. 11
The Yankees are a good example of a team that had several Japanese companies
sign sponsorship deals when they formerly had three Japanese players on their team.
Until the 2014 season, the Yankees had three Japanese players, Hiroki Kuroda, Ichiro
Suzuki, and Masahiro Tanaka. All three players brought a significant impact on the
Yankees as a brand to the Japanese community. Numerous Tanaka and Ichiro jerseys
could be seen throughout Yankee Stadium. The 2014 season was when half a dozen
Japanese companies’ names and logos were around the outfield at Yankee Stadium
(Dorman, 2014). Having Japanese players has brought profits to both Japanese and U.S.
companies. Another impact of having Japanese players is an increase in informing
Japanese baseball fans about the success of Japanese players in MLB (Takahashi &
Horne, 2006).
Baseball is driven by revenue, and MLB has become the core of world
professional baseball. A part of why MLB was able to increase its revenue and expand
globally is due to playing the game, broadcasting the sport, and selling MLB franchised
products overseas (Chen & Zhang, 2012). A majority of the commercialization of the
clubs’ investment in international players is focused on ticket sales and sponsorships, but
clubs do earn their one-thirtieth portion of total revenue from international broadcasting.
Having high ratings on local TV stations in Japan or Korea allow these clubs to increase
their local rights revenue at the next TV contract negotiation. Clubs also benefit from
increased rates for advertising if they own part or all of the local channels (Okada &
Greyser, 2013).
Scouting Asian Baseball Players
Recently, there has been an increase of Asian players being signed by Major
League teams. Before most of the Asian players signed were pitchers and it was rare for
15. 12
Asian position players to be signed as free agents by Major League teams. This has since
changed as some Asian players have produced successful results when they start their
Major League career. For example, Jung Ho Kang, who currently plays for the Pittsburgh
Pirates, has produced results that have significantly impacted the perspective about
Korean position players. This past season, Kang was one of the finalists for National
League Rookie of the Year, the first for any Korean Major Leaguer. It was unfortunate
that his career was cut short due to injury, but many, without a doubt, expects him to do
well this 2016 season.
With the success of Kang, more Korean baseball players are being scouted. This
season there has been the most number of signings of KBO players: Dae Ho Lee (Seattle
Mariners), Hyun Soo Kim (Baltimore Orioles), Seung Hwan Oh (St Louis Cardinals),
Byung Ho Park (Minnesota Twins). There will be a trend in clubs looking more at KBO
players as the level of play increases (M. Snyder, personal communication, February 11,
2016). Scouts look for talented players everywhere and this year it happened to be that
there were a few in the KBO. It is possible that the track record of Korean Baseball
players will influence MLB decisions in the near future (M. Snyder, personal
communication, February 11, 2016).
After Cuba and Japan, it is possible that Korea could become the next resource
and dollars that clubs will be willing to commit for talent. There have been sources that
about eight to ten clubs are currently devoting significant scouting resources to the KBO
with some clubs having full-time scouts in Korea (Neal III, 2016). There may be teams
willing to invest into Korean players to be legitimate big league players when looking at
the significant escalation of the posting fee for Byung Ho Park ($12.95 million)
16. 13
compared to what Jung Ho Kang received ($5 million) (Castrovince, 2016). Scouts have
noticed there is a difference in how Korean players approach plate, body type, how fast a
player runs, and how hard a player can throw (Neal III, 2016). When looking at Asian
players, scouts compare the statistics and talent to the universal players internationally. If
an Asian player offers a better return on investment, then the club pursues the deal as
they would to an American player (M. Snyder, personal communication, February 11,
2016). However, there is also an opinion that KBO lacks the depth the NPB has,
especially in regards to the velocity of pitching.
When trying to scout and sign an Asian player, there are many struggles a team
can face. Both amateur and professional players face the challenge in the
language/culture aspect to make the transition of playing in their native country to the
United States go smoothly. Professional players have the advantage of playing long
enough at the professional level to have a slight feel of what it may be like playing in the
MLB. However, to scout or sign a professional player, MLB is required to have
permission from the Japanese and Korean leagues, and the player also needs to go
through the posting system. International amateur players are considered as “free agents”
and are allowed to sign with any team they would like unless they go through a draft in
their domestic league.
It is not “new” news that there are talented players in Asia, but scouts have been
eyeing Korea with a growing interest of acquiring players. People have been noticing that
the Korean game is similar to the game in the U.S. (Neal III, 2016). Korea used to be a
market only for amateurs, but it has started to become more common for a player to play
in the KBO for several years and then transition to the MLB. With the level of play
17. 14
increasing among the clubs, there may be an increase in the number of Korean players in
the league in the long run.
Recommendations
Today, there are players representing Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and most
recently, China. This 2016 season, both Japan and South Korea each has a total of eight
players represented within MLB teams. Four of the South Korean players have signed
after playing in the KBO for several years and are all making their Major League debut.
For South Korea, this season marks to be a record high since 2006 (Major League
Baseball, 2016). Japan has continuously been the largest Asian market that has sent
players to the MLB. This season also is the second highest number of Asian players there
has been in Major League Baseball of eighteen Asian players since 2010 when there were
nineteen (Major League Baseball, 2016). Looking over the past 6 years, Asian players
have been continuing to make their presence known at Major League teams and it is
possible there will be more in the future.
However, challenges and culture differences that Asian players face still exist.
Global Sporting Integration (GSI) is a company started by CEO Han Gil Lee. Global
Sporting Integration (GSI) helps cultivate international professional athletes to adapt to
their new surroundings while playing in the United States. GSI helps these athletes
overcome the different challenges, such as language and cultural including the different
food, climate, training schedule, daily regimen, and media expectations (Global Sporting
Integration, 2014). GSI was initially based on idea from an analysis of Asian players that
were washed out from the minor league system. Due to these many challenges, Global
Sporting Integration found that these were the reasons many players decide to go back
18. 15
and play in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) and NPB (Nippon Professional
Baseball). Many times, these players develop depression, as they do not have anyone they
can communicate with about their frustrations. Some managers described these players as
being aloof and not being a part of the team.
The concept of GSI focuses on the many challenges Asian players face in both the
Major and Minor Leagues when they first arrive to the United States. Most teams hire an
interpreter that may help with the player’s success, but never the sole answer. Teams
offer English instruction for Asian players with the Spanish players, but as mentioned,
many of the Asian players at first think Spanish is English and sometimes even end up
picking up more Spanish than English. Private tutoring for the Asian players may be
helpful in the beginning and an easier way for the players to learn English. Some players
have also learned English through their interpreter or by watching American TV shows
(H. Choi, personal communication, March 13, 2016).
Recently, MLB has required all 30 clubs have a full time Spanish translator who
can represent the front office in all means of communication, media, interpretation, and
much more. Spanish-speaking players make up about 25% of the MLB league population
with the most players from the Dominican Republic. This new initiative issued by the
Commissioner’s program is known as the “Spanish-language translator program” and
was created so that all Hispanic players in the 30 clubs can have someone they can rely
on when it comes to media obligations. Just as Spanish speaking players, when an Asian
player joins a club, it is obligated that the club finds an interpreter for the player. This is
to break down the language barrier between the player and his teammates and coaches
along with being able to speak during media obligations.
19. 16
For international players, the interpreter plays a significant role in the relationship
with the player and the club. All Asian players who sign a deal with a MLB club has
always had an interpreter be a part of their negotiation and requirement in their contract.
For many clubs who have more than one Asian player, each player has his own
interpreter. For example, the Yankees had an interpreter for each Japanese player they
had on their team. For an Asian player, the interpreter has a very important role and
unless the Asian player speaks fluent English, the player has no choice, but to fully rely
on their interpreter to communicate with his coaches, teammates, and the media.
However, merely having an interpreter who is fluently bilingual does not solve all
communication problems.
Baseball language can be translated only so far that the interpreter plays a key role
when it comes to team chemistry, culture, and communication (M. Kim, personal
communication, March 4, 2016). It is difficult to tell whether or not what a coach or
player means is fully communicated and interpreted if an interpreter is only interpreting
the conversation word for word. The interpreter is expected to be able to translate for the
player in all situations, whether it is during practice, on the field, during an injury, with
management, and in contracts. An interpreter must make sure that the coaches and media
understand what the player is really trying to communicate. Having an interpreter that
understands baseball culture prevents missed opportunities to have deep conversations
and misunderstandings (H. Choi, personal communication, March 13, 2016).
Having the interpreter being the only Asian person on the team may not always be
helpful. Recently, MLB has formed a new diversity pipeline program to increase the pool
of minority and female candidates in the front office for on-field and baseball operations
20. 17
positions (USA Today, 2016). The program is hoped to identify candidates and bring in
qualified minorities and females on a team-by-team level for internship and entry-level
jobs (Singer, 2016). Having other front office members in the club will allow the club to
provide additional support to the Asian player’s transition to the MLB.
Conclusion
The history of baseball has expanded from being the All-American sport to being
an international sport as more international players have been crossing borders to play in
the biggest league in the world. When Asian players come to play in the MLB, there are
opportunities for the club and the players. Players may receive a higher salary
compensation compared to what they may receive in the KBO or NPB and a chance to
play internationally.
The number of Asian players in the MLB has increased and it has become more
common for players who have played professionally to be signed as free agents. As more
Asian players come over, the struggles, the success, and the opportunities they provide
for the club become of interest to the club. Asian players have provided marketing and
sponsorship opportunities for the club with international brand recognition for the club
and for its local sponsors. It has provided the club with opportunities to partner with
international companies and expand to reaching local and overseas Asian communities.
Despite the success of some Asian players in the past and in the present, Asian
players still face cultural challenges. An interpreter solves some of these challenges, but
at the same time, these challenges are the reasons some of these Asian players are
unsuccessful. Clubs must be aware of these cultural differences and realize that they are
also responsible for helping the player overcome these challenges.
21. 18
Baseball has become an international sport that is played and seen all over the
world. The changes in diversity at the player level have provided opportunities for
diversity in baseball culture. However, it is a slow and progressive change, but with the
awareness and increase of Asian players and some of the recent changes in regards to
Hispanic players, there may be more opportunities in the future where Asian players can
transition more smoothly in playing in Major League Baseball.
