Mason Fernandez, 13, from Mangilao, was grateful for the opportunity to learn from two former professional baseball players from Japan at the 11th Annual Guam Baseball Academy\/Guam Softball Academy\/PONY Summer Skills and Games Academy on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Fernandez has been playing the game for two years as a catcher. This was his first time attending the camp, which is in its second of four weeks this summer.<\/p>\n
What makes this camp special for Fernandez and other kids is the chance to learn under former professional baseball players Ryo Akiyoshi and Shotaro Tashiro.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited and grateful that they came to teach us. We\u2019ve learned new techniques we never knew, like different stretches and different ways to approach the ball in the outfield,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n
Seeing pros come to Guam and encourage his generation to keep playing and get better made Fernandez more confident in sticking with baseball for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n
Tashiro played for the Saitama Seibu Lions and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, known for his speed, defensive ability in the outfield, and strong fundamentals in running the bases, according to the background provided to GBA.<\/p>\n
During the camp, he is coaching outfield defense fundamentals, catching and throwing mechanics, base running and game awareness, effort, attitude, and playing smart baseball.<\/p>\n
Akiyoshi played for several teams across his career, including the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. GBA said he is known for his unique sidearm pitching style and his fastball, which reached up to approximately 90 to 93 miles per hour.<\/p>\n
At the camp, he coaches players on the basics of pitching, proper throwing mechanics, and the importance of repetition and discipline in baseball.<\/p>\n
\u2018Level up\u2019 and \u2018have fun\u2019<\/p>\n
Tashiro and Akiyoshi have both remained heavily involved with baseball as youth coaches since retiring, and this is their second time as visiting coaches for the summer skills camp.<\/p>\n
The lead instructor for the camp Bill Bennett said Tashiro and Akiyoshi played for 10 years in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to bring in different coaches so the kids can get a different look at how the game is played. There is some slight language problems, but we\u2019re working through it. So far, the feedback has been good, and the kids said they learned a lot from these two coaches,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n
Bennett said pitching is a skill the camp emphasized, especially with Akiyoshi, who was primarily used as a relief pitcher and was considered one of the most reliable bullpen pitchers in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cPitching is 70% of the game. We don\u2019t have good competitive pitchers on Guam, so we\u2019re trying to do something about it, because when we go off island, we don\u2019t do well,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n
Akiyoshi responded to the Pacific Daily News through a translation app.<\/p>\n
His hope for the camp is to help young players \u201clevel up,\u201d especially because, as a coach, he always wanted to \u201cshare the greatness of baseball\u201d in Japan and overseas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to teach today\u2019s kids they can succeed and become professional players, too, [and] also teach Japanese etiquette and manners. It is really enjoyable,\u201d Akiyoshi said.<\/p>\n
Akiyoshi said today\u2019s kids are \u201cstill small and can\u2019t throw 100 mph yet,\u201d so it is important to teach them the fundamentals when they are young. He said laying the foundation is crucial to them throwing faster and stronger when they are older.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing is to have fun. Also, it is a team sport, so I hope they learn to listen to each other,\u201d Akiyoshi said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Better chance of going pro\u2019<\/p>\n
Despite not speaking the same language, Akiyoshi and Tashiro said they were having fun with the kids and communicating through gestures and demonstrating skills.<\/p>\n
There were also kids who spoke Japanese that helped interpret the coaches\u2019 instruction, according to Junior Seman, 10, from Saipan.<\/p>\n
Other than local kids, the camp also invited young players from the CNMI and Japan to learn alongside each other.<\/p>\n
Seman said he has been playing since he was six years old as a shortstop and second baseman.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like making new friends when playing on different teams. This is my second time. I saw [Tashiro and Akiyoshi] last year, so I like learning new ways to throw the ball and hitting. If they keep coming, I feel like I have a better chance of going pro,\u201d Seman said.<\/p>\n
Tatsunari Kono, 13, from Tokyo, interpreted for Tashiro.<\/p>\n
Tashiro wants kids to be humble and enjoy the sport, especially to make new friends and connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though the message isn\u2019t clear, he uses the phrases and words he knows and tries to rephrase it so kids can understand. He also shows it through his actions and shows examples, and I [help] translate,\u201d Kono said.<\/p>\n
Keeping the sport alive<\/p>\n
Tashiro added that the population of people who play baseball in Japan is decreasing. He said the popularity of Japan\u2019s Shohei Ohtani, who plas for the LA Dodgers in Major League Baseball, \u201cholds off the rate of decrease by a bit, but the population is still decreasing a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tashiro and Kono told Pacific Daily News that people are not allowed to use local parks to play baseball in Japan. They want to bring back the baseball population, and they want schools to \u201cget know baseball more in PE,\u201d Kono added.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Tashiro] believes that things we do outside of baseball, such as perseverance, are important. He wants more people, not only in Japan but other countries, to meet up with friends and families to play baseball together, especially on weekends or any open day,\u201d Kono said.<\/p>\n
Coaching kids from Guam and the CNMI, Tashiro said he learned a lot about different styles and mindsets to the game compared to Japan. If there\u2019s a chance, he someday wants teams from Guam and Saipan to visit Japan and play baseball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be waiting,\u201d Tashiro said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Free to play\u2019<\/p>\n
Something else Tashiro and Kono realized about Guam baseball is the players are \u201cmore free to play,\u201d and run around, talk to each other, and meet new people. Tashiro said they are not as restricted as how teams conduct themselves in Japan, which he said has its pros and cons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Japan, the style is too restrictive. There are many rules, and there are good sides and bad sides of it. I want [to see] how Guam and Japan styles play together,\u201d Tashiro said.<\/p>\n
The 13-year-old Kono started playing three or four years ago, mainly as a catcher and third baseman. He said he missed Tashiro and Akiyoshi last year by a week when he attended GBA\u2019s last camp, but he already knew Tashiro since he was a friend of his team\u2019s coach.<\/p>\n
Kono said people in Guam hit more home runs than in Japan and are more playful.<\/p>\n
\u201cJapan coaches are more strict and disciplined. I like how Guam plays around and is more free. I want to invite my teammates to Guam, [to] this specific academy. My team was supposed to come, but it got cancelled. That\u2019s how I want to expand the community and interact with each other,\u201d Kono said.<\/p>\n
Kono added that he wants to create more opportunities for Japanese kids to play baseball, going so far as to help put together a school team and trying to bring his current team out to Guam.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told my coach about this camp, and our team is going to come here [soon]. My school doesn\u2019t have a team, so I asked my teacher to make one, and that\u2019s [happening] next year. That\u2019s how I want baseball to come back,\u201d Kono said.<\/p>\n
101 signed up<\/p>\n
Bennett said about 101 kids signed up for the four weeks, but only 93 showed up Monday, and 88 showed up Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Bennett said the camp runs the kids through 15 hours of skills and fundamentals training across five days per week. After a few hours at the Okkodo High School baseball fields in the morning, Bennett said the instructors then take the kids to another fun activity, such as bowling, swimming or a visit to the cinema.<\/p>\n
Registration is closed for the current camp, but spots are still open for GBA\u2019s Summer Softball Camp from July 6 to July 10, run by local coaches, and July 13 to July 17, which will be run by visiting female coaches from Japan.<\/p>\n
Parents can register their kids online at GuamTime or contact GBA\u2019s Mike Soderquist at (671) 858-1238.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mason Fernandez, 13, from Mangilao, was grateful for the opportunity to learn from two former professional baseball players…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":735048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2302],"tags":[5,1299,169,2353,2352,185],"class_list":["post-735047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-npb","tag-baseball","tag-local","tag-news","tag-nippon-professional-baseball","tag-npb","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116809767490590217","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}