Nobuhiro Matsuda's pursuit of a big league career could hinge on whether his fielding prowess outweighs his offensive question mark.
Matsuda, a four-time Golden Glove winner for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks is hoping to move to the majors this winter as a third baseman, but will not be deterred if asked to try other positions, agent Peter Greenberg said Wednesday at the baseball winter meetings.
"The teams that know about him have all told us how much they like his defense," Greenberg said. "I think the question is his offense. He hit 35 home runs this year, but they know they (the Hawks) moved the fences in this year and power is not necessarily a big part of his game. He's an all-around player. He's got a good arm, he's got some speed, and he's got some power, but the teams love his defense. Several teams have mentioned that maybe he could play some second and short if necessary and maybe even the outfield.