Reese Kaplan -- Baseball Beyond Our Borders

One of the regular readers here called me on the carpet when I characterized the Mets as xenophobic.  My intent with this description was to point out how they are seldom in on major league ready talents from other countries when all it takes is cash to make the deal happen.  Guys like Jose Abreu, Ichiro Suzuki, Yuli Gurriel, Seung-Hwan Oh were readily available to the highest bidder but the Mets never even got a bidding paddle.  Yes, they have spent money on unproven IFAs each year, sometimes offering impressive signing bonuses.  They also have been known to embrace foreign players once they’ve established themselves in the big leagues like Yoenis Cespedes or Hideo Nomo.

No, my frustration is the risk aversion that keeps them from even considering players from outside the USA as potential assets for the big league club.  Around this time last year I profiled a number of Japanese and Korean pitchers (other than Shohei Ohtani) who could have been a help to improve the roster, but as usual under the previous regime it was not to be. 

One of them I profiled, Yoshihisa Hirano, was picked up by the Diamondbacks for the mere sum of $6 million for two years.  For a frame of reference, the Mets paid more than triple that sum for the immortal AJ Ramos. 

What did the Snakes get for their investment?  After all, how could foreign stats possibly translate into Major League baseball?  Well, from 2006 through 2017 he pitched to a 3.10 ERA with a nice WHIP of 1.159.  For the Diamondbacks he appeared in 75 games, delivered a 2.44 ERA and his WHIP improved to 1.085.  Not bad for a $3 million per year investment, huh?

A couple of years ago the Milwaukee Brewers took a chance on former Major Leaguer Eric Thames who was an undistinguished outfielder who went to play in Korea.  Over the course of three seasons there he hit 37, 47 and 40 HRs.  They took a chance and brought him to the USA for $16 million over 3 years.  How did he deliver on that $5.3 million commitment?  Well, in his first season the Brewers enjoyed 31 HRs.  Last year was a downer due to injury, but the point is that foreign players (or American players who have gone to the foreign leagues) can offer something to big league clubs.

Now a team that cries poverty at every opportunity cannot be expected to get into the bidding wars for the likes of Ohtani and others.  Big hype is, of course, no guarantee of success.  The Red Sox are paying Rusney Castillo a nice paycheck to sit in the minors.

The point today is to consider the one-time American baseball prospect Mel Rojas Jr.  He is indeed the son of THAT Mel Rojas.  (I’ll pause while you get your airsick bags).  He made the trip across the Pacific in 2017 and found his power stroke.  His first year in Korea he slammed 18 HRs with 56 RBIs in 336 ABs.  Apparently his team had faith in him and made him a regular.  He responded in 2018 with 43 HRs, 114 RBIs while batting .305.   

Given how thin the Mets are in the outfield, a player of this ilk could be anything from AAA filler to bench player to starter if given the opportunity.  He's still just 28.  And oh, did I mention he plays centerfield?  He’s currently earning $800,000 and may be getting tired of Kim Chee.  His price would warm the cockles of the Wilpons’ hearts. 

I’m sure with some more digging there are others out there worth investigating if BVW can get the Wilpons to look past the US border.