Getting a job in American pro baseball is an uphill battle, even more so for foreigners. But Naoto Masamoto is proof that the American dream is not an impossible one.
Masamoto, the video coordinator for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs, spoke little English after graduating from high school in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and entered the University of Massachusetts Boston. Good timing and eagerness to help have opened doors, and Masamoto has taken full advantage.
"We did work together when he first came on staff with the Cubs. He was the minor league strength and conditioning coach," former Hanshin Tigers star Matt Murton told Kyodo News by email. "It's really cool to see how far he has come and grown during his time in the organization."