"That attitude could cut you off." Daily ace to Houston points out 'problematic attitude' by senior baseball player

*This content was translated by AI.

Imai Tatsuya (28), who was called the best pitcher in the Japanese professional baseball (NPB) for his 160km/h fastball and excellent slider, will wear a Houston Astros uniform. Amid high expectations, a senior Japanese baseball player pointed out what could interfere with Imai's success in the Major League (MLB).

Japanese sports media Sponizia Nex quoted a video posted by Rakuten coach Okubo Hiromoto on his YouTube channel on the 2nd, saying, "His attitude is a problem. In fact, some clubs left their hands," he said.

According to Mark Pinesand of MLB.COM, the official MLB website, Imai agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with Houston. Depending on the incentives, it is expected to increase up to 63 million dollars (about 91 billion won).

He signed the second-largest contract among Japanese players in terms of annual average after Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LA Dodgers, annual average of $27 million), but he seems to have had higher expectations on his own. In fact, some teams offered long-term contracts, but Imai could not be satisfied. In the end, he stamped the condition that he inserted an opt-out clause that could come out as a free agent after each season.

Looking at the achievements left by NPB, it is worth expecting. He has been active in 24 games in 2025 with 10 wins, 5 losses, 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts, and is a pitcher who has won double digits for three consecutive years. The fact that there is still room for further growth and Yamamoto entered the big league a year ago and became a huge success also raised Imai's value.

Okubo also praised Imai's performance. He expressed his usual philosophy that the ball falling to big league hitters is effective, predicting that Imai's big slider will be effective. "This ball can induce a swing and miss in the form of a fork ball," he said. "He is also learning the sinker type of ball." This is a strength. "If you ask me if it's possible, I'm sure it's possible," he explained.

The problem was Imai's personality, which had already been exposed several times. Imai drew controversy for his move to send Seibu's pitching coach Toyoda, who visited the mound for replacement in September last year, by pushing him with his glove. Okubo said, "Some people call that attitude and posture great, calling it pride as an ace, but there are people who say, 'What's that guy?' and there are people who like and dislike him. MLB is actually very strict about manners. In the case of U.S. baseball, he stressed that the reality is that a minor league player can be cut the moment he crosses his legs and talks in front of a coach or manager.

He said that Imai's attitude also adversely affected his advance to the big league. Okubo said, "Some clubs have actually withdrawn (from recruitment) because of Imai's behavior," adding, "It's too bad. Even if you ask around about Imai's personality, not many people say it badly. However, if you show such an attitude, it will be a problem in the United States," he said.

It was even more shocking for Okubo, who knows Toyoda well, who was a colleague in Seibu. "Toyoda is a person who is really sincere, values etiquette, and never does anything bad to the player as a coach," he said. "My first impression was, 'What are you doing to Toyoda, what's that attitude?"

Of course, he acknowledged that it has recently become an era where he can strongly assert himself, saying, "I'm expecting from Imai. I want to think that many things were misunderstood or that I was motivated," he said. "He's a pitcher who studies a lot. When I was playing in the minor leagues, I threw the bat, and the coach came and said, 'Dave, that's not possible.' They go through Double A and Triple A and receive personality education. You will learn more and have a greater personality in MLB, where only gentlemen are available, and have pitches to play in. I hope you will perform well enough to overtake Yamamoto," he said in a message of encouragement.

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*This content was translated by AI.