One of the best experiences in my baseball career so far. Japan is a beautiful country and we would love to visit it again someday.
First, let me talk briefly about how I was offered this opportunity. There are many players in the minor leagues who are very good players but just aren’t sticking in the major leagues. Many get chance after chance in the bigs but can’t get the job done. Then there are many, like myself, that have had good minor league careers but just aren’t in the right place at the right time. I was fortunate in 2004 to get my one chance but was not impressive at all.
Japanese teams look for players who are considered 4A players. Great AAA players who can’t seem to stick at the major league level. For those who have been given the chance to play in Japan, including myself, it is a true blessing. I know for me personally, if this didn’t happen to me, it very well might have felt like my playing days were all for nothing. Playing in Japan is a life changing opportunity for every player who gets the chance. If you pay attention to the game over there, you will see some big names pop up every once in a while. For example, Brad Penny, signed to play for the Softbank Hawks a couple years ago.
To go to a foreign country like Japan, you have to be open minded. You have to respect their way of life. If you go over there with the attitude that the way we do things in America is the only way, well then, you might as well turn around and head back home because it will never work. We loved Asian food before we went over there, so the food part was very easy. The accommodations though, was another story. Our apartment had 6′ doorways which took me a whole season to get used to. I had a permanent scab on the crown of my head from hitting it on almost every door jam. We were not provided a car so we had to walk and take the train everywhere. Not a big deal except for that our apartment was a 10-15 minute walk to the station, then I would spend 40-45 minutes on the train where I had to transfer twice and then once I made it to the field, there was another 5-10 minute walk to get to the clubhouse. Now if I had to do this for a little while, it would have been tolerable but doing it almost everyday, rain or shine, hot or cold, it started to ware pretty quickly.
The game of baseball, is baseball where ever you go. Once you step between the white lines, it’s on! Although there are a few differences in the style over there. For example, we call the count balls and then strikes where they call strikes then balls so instead of a full count being, 3-2 it’s 2-3. Took a while to get used to that. They have cheerleaders and would stop the game after the 5th inning for about 10 minutes to fix the whole field, the cheerleaders would put on a show and most of they players would go take a smoke break. I never got used to this and would always start running out onto the field for the 6th but would have to stop and walk back. Talk about a momentum killer!! Very rarely will you see a game over there under 3 hours.
The fans are by far the best fans I have ever been around. In the two years I was there, I NEVER once heard a boo, not once!! Each team also had a cheering section who had a chant/song for every player. When a player hit a homerun, the cheering section would chant their name until they tipped their hat.
Like I said, my family and I are truly blessed to have had this opportunity. We will always have great memories of our time over there and look forward to the time when we can visit there again.
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.
Major League Baseball, it doesn’t get any better. It’s the absolute highest level any one player can play at. It’s where you have to be to become a hall of famer. In our generation, it’s where you have to be if you want to make truck loads of money playing the game of baseball. 
As a parent, I want the best for my children. My youngest is a girl who recently started Ballet. We are very happy to have found someone who has the credentials to make us comfortable that our little girl will get the best ballet instruction she can. 
What does this mean? It’s the player who is the best at what they do and they know it. But the difference is you can’t tell when talking to or watching how this player carries themselves that they are the best. When they hit a home run, they simply put the bat down and run the bases (think Lance Berkman). When they make a great play in the field, they don’t have a huge grin on their face, they simply hold their hand up to let everyone know how many outs there is (think Derek Jeter). When they strike someone out, they get the ball back with a straight face, step on the rubber and wait for the next batter to step in the box (think Justin Verlander). 
The little leagues in my area have between 100 and 300 kids participate every year. In just my city of Vancouver, WA there are 7 different leagues. So we are talking roughly 1400 kids in just the Vancouver city limits. If you expand that to our county (18 little leagues), you are talking approx. 3600 little leaguers. Who knows, that might even be low. 
Every little league has them. The All-Stars. Some tall and over powering, some short with good hand eye coordination and some who are flat out just great. Most of these kids play other sports too. This helps them stay strong and grow up learning how to control their bodies. 
This is way more important than most players, parents and amateur coaches realize. Without good communication between the pitcher and catcher, it can be hard to get in a rhythm. When the pitcher has to consistently shake off the catcher’s signs, it is almost impossible to get in a groove. A pitcher and catcher should meet up before every game and talk about what that pitcher likes to throw in different counts and situations. What is his go-to pitch when he needs to throw a strike? How does the pitcher like the catcher to set up on different pitches? What are his favorite put away pitches? Make things easier on everyone and take a few minutes to see what your pitcher’s plan is.
Every big league hitter starts their day in the cage by hitting the ball the other way. One, this helps us stay back on the ball and keep our weight where we need it to be. Two, this is a skill that every good hitter needs to have. At some point, you will get up to bat and it will be your job to move the runner over by hitting the ball the other way. When you are on the tee, set it up deeper in your stance and work on staying inside the ball and driving it the other way. When doing soft toss, or front toss, have your thrower toss them away so you can get comfortable with this. Finally, the beginning of your first round of batting practice should be focused on hitting it the other way. Like I said earlier, every good hitter can do this on command, can you?
Once we step in the box, we are ready to hit. Look fastball and adjust to the off speed pitches. If we step in the box and are committed to an off speed pitch, the chances of us catching up to the fastball are very slim. Many times a hitters mind will get going way too fast, with too many thoughts and guesses, and step in the box not focused on what they need to be focused on. This will never equal a good result. Have a plan before you even get to the plate for the first pitch. You will more than likely need to make adjustments during the at bat, but never step in the box until your mind is calm and ready!
You can see the whole field from your position. Make sure everyone knows how many outs there are at all times. Step out in front of the plate, raise your voice, and let everyone know. Don’t be afraid to take a free out, and set up picks with your fielders. Make sure your fielders know where to throw the ball in different situations. Besides the pitcher, you can control the thought process of your entire team. If you want to be a big league catcher, get comfortable being vocal!!!
Just as a pitcher or hitter, a fielder needs to have a plan before every pitch. They need to know the situation: how many outs, where are the runners, what is the score, where does this guy tend to hit the ball, what is my pitcher throwing on this pitch? All of these will determine what I will do if and when the ball is hit to me. A fielder without a plan can get caught with the ball in their hand and no sense where to throw the ball. At the amateur level, this happens all too often. Parents and coaches, take the time to explain this to your players. Watch a game in person or on TV and have fun with it. Have your Dude put themselves in that situation and ask them what would they do if the ball was hit to them. A good fielder is always thinking and has a plan for when the ball is hit to them.
Pitchers need to take responsibility for the running game. Too often we will see bases stolen and blame it on the catcher. This mind set must be switched. It is our responsibility to give our catcher a chance to throw that guy out. If we are too slow to the plate, it is OUR fault he was allowed to steal the base. If we do not vary our hold times, hold the ball for different periods of time from pitch to pitch, it is OUR fault he was allowed to steal the base. We as pitchers need to all understand that it is our job, and nobody else’s, to keep that runner at the base they are on.
If you play baseball, I’m sure you know what it means to have soft hands. If you haven’t, then listen up. To have soft hands means to field a ball with your hands moving back towards your body and up just as the ball gets to you. This also means to not have brick hands. How many times have you tried to field a ball only to have it hit right in your glove and bounce right back out? This more than likely happened because you had stone hands. Check out our instructional tip on soft hands to get a better understanding of what this should look like, but understand from this that the reason the ball keeps popping out of your glove is because you don’t have soft hands.
