Norichika Aoki, also known as Nori Aoki, is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder who currently plays for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has also played for several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets. He is a two-time NPB champion, a two-time World Baseball Classic champion, and a 2014 World Series champion. However, despite his accomplishments and skills, he has often been overlooked and underrated by fans and the media. In this article, we will explore why Aoki was underrated and why he deserves more respect and recognition.
Aoki started his professional career with the Swallows in 2004, after graduating from Waseda University in Tokyo. He quickly established himself as one of the best hitters and outfielders in NPB, winning three batting titles, six Gold Gloves, seven Best Nine Awards, and two MVP Awards. He also represented Japan in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic, winning both tournaments and earning All-WBC honors in 2009. He was considered one of the top players in Japan, along with Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.
In 2012, Aoki made his MLB debut with the Brewers, at the age of 30. He signed a two-year contract with a club option for a third year, after posting a .292 batting average with four home runs and 44 RBIs in his final season with the Swallows. He made history by homering on the first pitch of his MLB debut on April 6, 2012. He also homered in his first at-bat for the first three seasons of his MLB career. However, he also battled injuries and inconsistency, leading some teams to exclude Nori from their plans. He was traded to the Royals after the 2013 season, as the Brewers declined his option.
With the Royals, Aoki helped them reach their first World Series since 1985, hitting .285 with one home run and 43 RBIs in 2014. He also hit .333 with two RBIs in the World Series against the Giants, but the Royals lost in seven games. He became a free agent after the season and signed a one-year deal with the Giants.
Aoki continued to produce with the Giants in 2015, hitting .287 with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 93 games. He also had a career-high .353 on-base percentage and a career-high .141 OPS+. However, he missed time due to injuries, including a fractured right fibula and a concussion. He was released by the Giants after the season and signed a one-year deal with the Mariners.
Aoki struggled to adjust to the American League in 2016, hitting .245 with four home runs and 28 RBIs in 118 games for the Mariners. He also spent some time in Triple-A Tacoma to work on his swing. He was traded to the Astros in November 2016 as part of a five-player deal. He played 71 games for the Astros in 2017, hitting .272 with two home runs and 19 RBIs. He was traded again to the Blue Jays in July 2017 as part of a six-player deal that sent Francisco Liriano to Houston. He played 12 games for the Blue Jays, hitting .281 with one home run and five RBIs. He was claimed off waivers by the Mets in August 2017 and finished the season with them. He hit .284 with one home run and six RBIs in 27 games for the Mets.
After playing for seven different MLB teams in six seasons, Aoki became a free agent after the 2017 season and returned to Japan to play for his original team, the Swallows. He signed a three-year contract worth ¥1.5 billion (about $13.8 million) plus incentives. He had a bounce-back season in 2018, hitting .323 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 143 games. He also won his fourth batting title and his seventh Gold Glove. He followed that up with another strong season in 2019, hitting .303 with nine home runs and 58 RBIs in 143 games. He also won his eighth Best Nine Award and his third MVP Award. He had a shortened season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but still hit .277 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 88 games. He is currently playing in the 2021 season, hitting .282 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 32 games as of May 6.
Aoki’s career MLB statistics are not eye-popping, but they are respectable. He has a career batting average of .285, with 33 home runs, 219 RBIs, and 98 stolen bases in 759 games. He also has a career on-base percentage of .350 and a career OPS+ of 102. He has been a reliable and consistent hitter, with a career strikeout rate of only 9.5%. He has also been a versatile and valuable defender, playing all three outfield positions and recording a career fielding percentage of .987.
However, Aoki’s MLB statistics do not reflect his true value and potential as a player. He has shown flashes of brilliance and versatility, playing both shortstop and second base, and switching between left-handed and right-handed batting. He has also been a clutch performer in the postseason, hitting .304 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 25 games. He has also been a leader and a mentor for his teammates, especially for other Japanese players.
Aoki’s career NPB statistics are impressive, and they show his dominance and longevity in Japan. He has a career batting average of .291, with 201 home runs, 837 RBIs, and 363 stolen bases in 1,823 games. He also has a career on-base percentage of .369 and a career slugging percentage of .454. He has won numerous awards and honors, including four batting titles, eight Gold Gloves, eight Best Nine Awards, three MVP Awards, and two championships. He has also represented Japan in international competitions, winning two World Baseball Classic titles and earning All-WBC honors.
Aoki’s career achievements in both Japan and America make him one of the best Japanese players to ever play in MLB. However, he has often been overshadowed by other Japanese stars like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish, and Shohei Ohtani. He has also been underrated by fans and media who have focused more on his flaws than his strengths. He has been criticized for his lack of power, his age, his injuries, and his frequent trades. He has also been underappreciated for his skills, such as his contact hitting, his speed, his defense, and his versatility.
Aoki deserves more respect and recognition for his accomplishments and skills. He is a talented and hard-working player who has overcome many challenges and obstacles to succeed in both Japan and America. He is a role model and an inspiration for many young players who aspire to play in MLB. He is also a humble and respectful person who has always played the game with passion and joy. He is one of the most underrated players in MLB history, at least in my (very humble) opinion.
