Japan tries to discourage amateurs from playing in MLB with ban

[Wassit3]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3632083

[asianinvasion]

Bit of a catch-22 isnt it? If you go to the MLB, and want to return, you have to wait 2-3 years. During that time, you should continue playing. So thats another 2 years for playing overseas again. You can never return to Japan again.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

So now the player's with scouts hovering around them are just gonna move to the U.S. to get around this.

[reflections]

So instead of mostly proven players, there is going to be more and more hit and miss prospects. With even most of the proven players being hit or miss as far as making it (Irabu anyone?), this should probably provide just more failed ballplayers.

[dps]

Bit of a catch-22 isnt it? If you go to the MLB, and want to return, you have to wait 2-3 years. During that time, you should continue playing. So thats another 2 years for playing overseas again. You can never return to Japan again.

Not really. If you go to the US and become a star, or even just a run-of-the-mill major leaguer, you'll be fine, and not have any particular reason to want to play in Japan. But if it turns out that you don't play well enough to stick in the majors in the US, you're screwed. That should really discourage Japanese amateurs from trying it, because even "can't miss" prospects do end up missing sometimes. Which is the point--to discourage them from trying it.

[reflections]

One ironic effect might be that more American players travel to Japan to play ball.

[JeepGuy63]

One ironic effect might be that more American players travel to Japan to play ball.

Not unless Japanese Baseball changes their rules to the number of "Gaijin" on their teams.