OT: Ohtani

[seanofjapan]

Originally Posted by jingram058

Not on the same level as Ichiro. Not even close. No one even knows who Hideo Nomo is/was today. Ichiro is a household name.

Career wise Nomo isn't on the same level as Ichiro but Nomo was the one who broke the barrier on the Japanese side which allowed NPB players to go to the US in the first place.

Ichiro (along with Shinjo) was the first position player to make the move to MLB so he is also quite important in that respect, but I don't think its fair to sell Nomo short (and Nomo was a household name at one point in the 90s for what it is worth).

[Tomi]

Does anyone know how many different rookie cards there are of Ohtani? I can't keep up with modern.

[GrewUpWithJunkWax]

Originally Posted by Tomi

Does anyone know how many different rookie cards there are of Ohtani? I can't keep up with modern.

I'm not ready to put in that kind of effort. And count both RC and RY classifications? I found this handy rundown https://www.beckett.com/news/shohei-...ie-card-guide/, which states "Inserts and parallels are not included."

I have a few Ohtani cards, nothing super rare, but a few for fun. He's really the only current player that has my interest.

Ichiro's 2025 Hall of Fame enshrinement will be great.

Nomo's instant success in 1995, as well as proving that a MLB career was possible, clearly sparked the interest in Japanese players.

And, then also need to have a 1965 Topps card of Masanori Murakami.

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by GrewUpWithJunkWax

I'm not ready to put in that kind of effort. And count both RC and RY classifications? I found this handy rundown https://www.beckett.com/news/shohei-...ie-card-guide/, which states "Inserts and parallels are not included."

I have a few Ohtani cards, nothing super rare, but a few for fun. He's really the only current player that has my interest.

Ichiro's 2025 Hall of Fame enshrinement will be great.

Nomo's instant success in 1995, as well as proving that a MLB career was possible, clearly sparked the interest in Japanese players.

And, then also need to have a 1965 Topps card of Masanori Murakami.

Yikes! I counted 61 rookie cards.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by seanofjapan

Career wise Nomo isn't on the same level as Ichiro but Nomo was the one who broke the barrier on the Japanese side which allowed NPB players to go to the US in the first place.

Ichiro (along with Shinjo) was the first position player to make the move to MLB so he is also quite important in that respect, but I don't think its fair to sell Nomo short (and Nomo was a household name at one point in the 90s for what it is worth).

It's an unanswerable question, but I wonder sometimes what Oh would have done in MLB. Would he have been a star? His stats, not just the home runs but also the on base percentage due to a staggering number of walks, are off the charts.

[seanofjapan]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

It's an unanswerable question, but I wonder sometimes what Oh would have done in MLB. Would he have been a star? His stats, not just the home runs but also the on base percentage due to a staggering number of walks, are off the charts.

I wonder that too. He would not have hit anywhere near 868 home runs in MLB (smaller stadium size, use of compressed bats definitely helped him in NPB), but at the same time I think he could very well have had a decent HOF career in the US if he had played there.

There are a few other NPB guys from his generation in that "What if" category. Isao Harimoto, Japan's career hits leader, is the most interesting. He is the only player in professional baseball history to literally have survived having a nuclear bomb dropped on him (as a child), and then went on to have a career that in many ways was even better than Oh's, though he isn't as well known outside of Japan.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Here’s my only Ohtani card, can’t believe that it has been sitting on eBay since last year in the $3,000’s and no buyer yet. I don’t think there is much better than his 2018 Topps Chrome rookie auto.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/33479385224...mis&media=COPY

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Here’s my only Ohtani card, can’t believe that it has been sitting on eBay since last year in the $3,000’s and no buyer yet. I don’t think there is much better than his 2018 Topps Chrome rookie auto.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/33479385224...mis&media=COPY

Phil - nothing personal, but those are dreadful photos. Take out of the bag and get nice sharp photos up. Prob sell quickly.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Thanks for the input, Steve. I was just at the safe deposit box this morning too, I need to do that.

[packs]

One of the best buys I ever made. Waited till he got hurt and everyone thought he was all hype: