Today, it has become increasingly common for Japanese players to move to Major League Baseball.
However, only four Japanese players in history have won the Rookie of the Year award.
- Hideo Nomo (1995, Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000, Seattle Mariners)
- Ichiro Suzuki (2001, Seattle Mariners)
- Shohei Ohtani (2018, Los Angeles Angels)
In fact, Hideki Matsui, who debuted with the New York Yankees in 2003, also put together an outstanding season.
However, because stars like Sasaki and Ichiro—who had already built their careers in Japan—had recently won the award, a debate emerged:
“Can a player who has already succeeded in another league truly be called a rookie?”
As a result, Matsui narrowly missed out on the award by just a few votes.
That made Ohtani the first Japanese player to win Rookie of the Year since Ichiro.
All of these players, including Matsui, had already established themselves as stars in Japan.
In that sense, Ohtani’s youth stood out even more.
His performance as a two-way player earned him the award by a wide margin.
Reflecting on the achievement, Ohtani said:
“I’m simply very happy. It’s an honor to be mentioned alongside such great players.”
Today, more young Japanese players are challenging themselves earlier, and some are even aiming directly for MLB without going through Nippon Professional Baseball.
With that trend continuing, it’s possible that more Japanese Rookie of the Year winners will emerge in the future.
Source
This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.
Following Shohei Ohtani: A Reporter’s 10-Year Chronicle, p.203