Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball are trying to work out a solution for highly touted fastballer Junichi Tazawa's controversial bid to pursue a major league career by bypassing the Japanese draft.

Kazuo Hasegawa, executive director of the NPB commissioner's office, met with senior MLB officials in New York on Tuesday to discuss the issue following the Nippon Oil corporate team ace's announcement last week that he will test the open market in North America.

Tazawa's decision, revealed prior to the Oct. 30 draft, has sent ripples among Japanese baseball officials who fear further outflows of promising talent from the country.

"Both NPB and MLB don't intend to collide with each other," Hasegawa said. "Since this issue has come up, we've been in contact many times over the phone and by e-mail."

Hasegawa did not reveal details of the talks but MLB appeared to have made some kind of proposal, baseball sources said.

NPB is scheduled to hold a committee meeting of all 12 clubs to review the regulations on the amateur draft.

The upcoming Japanese baseball draft had been expected to revolve around the 22-year-old top pick candidate.

Tazawa proved his worth in the recent intercity corporate championship, helping his team to its first title in 13 years with four wins in five mound appearances.

Players raised in Japan's professional leagues normally need to become free agents or use the posting system for opportunities to play in the major leagues.

Japanese amateurs, however, can sign with any major league club through free competition without having to enter the amateur draft on either side of the Pacific Ocean.

Only two players, Kazuhito Tadano and Mac Suzuki, have made their major league debuts without having professional careers in Japan. But neither case has had as much as impact on Japanese baseball as that of Tazawa.

Last week, Tazawa sent letters to all 12 Central and Pacific League clubs requesting that they not pick him in the draft.

Japanese baseball commissioner Ryozo Kato has said Tazawa's decision is an option he is allowed to exercise under current rules.

Tazawa throws a fastball at over 150 km per hour and also has a forkball and slider in his arsenal.

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