For the first time in a long time, the next big major league player to come out of Japan could well be a position player, Tokyo Yakult Swallows second baseman Tetsuto Yamada.
The 24-year-old Yamada is on a pace to far surpass his production from a year ago, when he earned all but eight of 270 first-place votes to win the Central League's MVP Award.
"He has a real passion to improve and be consistent," a major league scout told Kyodo News. "Most players don't get a lot better from the time when they arrive as regulars at the top level, but he has."