Kamado Report: Asian-American Hot Stove Report

December 7, 3:59 PMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

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Average Ohka got a minor-league deal from Cleveland (AP)

The time betwen the World Series and spring training is traditionally called the Hot Stove League, based on the image of baseball fans huddling around a warm woodstove in the cold days of winter, talking about the season to come.

In recent years, the metaphorical stove has always been hottest just before the GMs gather for their winter meetings. Though the GMs are supposedly there to discuss general league business, such as rule or equipment changes, having that many deal-makers in one place tends to lead to player-related business.

In that spirit, and on the day before baseball's 2008 winter meetings commence, I'm introducing my Kamado Report series—a "Kamado" is a traditional Japanese earthenware "hot stove"—to follow the movements of Asian-American ballplayers.

Here's a taste of what we might expect in the next few weeks, and what's already happened, in my inaugural Kamado Report.

In advance of the meetings, the Cleveland Indians signed Tomokazu Ohka, an average pitcher who's bounced around the league since the Red Sox purchased him from the Yokohama BayStars in 1998, shortly before the posting system was established. A control pitcher, Ohka joined the Pawtucket Red Sox and earned the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 1999. He was perfect in 24 starts between Double- and Triple-A, going 15-0 with a 2.31 ERA. Promoted to the Red Sox, he struggled, with a 1-2 record, with a 6.23 ERA, and a 2.08 WHIP.

Ohka found himself in the minors again in 2000, where he threw only the third perfect game in International League history, and the first ever for the PawSox. Selected as Pitcher of the Year for a second time, they again promoted him to the bigs, and his 3-6 line, with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP was an improvement.

This was probably Ohka's peak. He was part of the Ugueth Urbina trade between Boston and Montreal in 2001, and he spent four more years with the awful Expos, at least holding his own as a league-average pitcher. HIs best year was 2002, when he logged a 13-8 record, with a 3.18 ERA and 1.24 ERA, racking up 118 Ks against 45 BBs in 192.7 IP. His WHIP would never again see the sunny side of 1.30, nor his ERA below 3.40 (which he hit in 2004, the only remaining year when he'd crack a 4.00 ERA).

The contract with Cleveland is a minor-league one, and he will be a non-roster invitee at spring training. If he makes the team, Ohka will eat innings for the Indians as a swingman or spot starter, but if he's in their rotation, Indians fans should be concerned. He does bolster their Asian representation, an should play alongside Shin-Soo Choo and Masa Kobayashi, assuming Ohka pitches in the majors.

The only other move of significance was the waiver-snatching of Yung Chi Chen by the Oakland A's from the Mariners. The Taiwanese Chen is a classic good-field, no-hit infielder, with a .249/.309/.329 line for Tacoma last season. He's an adequate bench jockey, but will do little more than back up Mark Ellis, whom the A's recently signed to a two-year deal with an option for 2011.

As the owners gather in Las Vegas next week, the recession is likely to dampen the free-spending ways of most owners. This means that trades are more likely than big free agent signings, but no Asian players have been recently featured in trade rumors.

Asian free agents of note include Akinori Otsuka, who missed last season to elbow surgery, though it's hard to see a rehabbing 37-year-old pitcher having much of a difference. So Taguchi and Tad Iguchi—who both secured their second World Series rings with Philly—are available as infield and outfield utilitymen.

Chan Ho Park is now a free agent, and offers some value as a righty reliever, and the Dodgers' interest in Trevor Hoffman may mean they're giving up on Takashi Saito, who has also had eblow problems that kept him out of the second half of 2008.

What will become of these moves? Hard to say—part of the excitement of the winter meetings is the feeling that anything might happen, deal-wise. I don't expect anything major—like trading Dice-K or even Kosuke Fukudome—but that's what makes the Hot Stove League—and the Kamado league—so interesting.