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 More Mets NewsWith Mike Piazza almost certainly headed to the American League, the Mets need a first-string catcher, and the free-agent market offers a few options. In addition to Kenji Jojima, who played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Angels' Bengie Molina and the Padres' Ramon Hernandez are available. Along with the Mets, Angels and Padres, the Mariners and Astros will be looking for catchers. Jojima also intends to visit with the Mariners and Angels. He presents a great deal of intrigue within the baseball industry, a final frontier for Japanese players looking to succeed at the major-league level. For nowhere, of course, is communication more important than at the position of catcher. Jojima, thought to be strong defensively and offensively, has been taking English lessons in the last year in preparation for this jump. "We are talking about that," Minaya said of the unique communication issue. "That is something that's going to weigh into our decision of signing him or not." |
