Kenji Johjima Is Going Back To Japan

One thing is for certain, no one will ever say your time here was boring… In his first season with the team, Johjima hit .291 with 18 home runs and 76 RBIs in 144 games.  This was in a post-Ichiro landscape, but also a post-Chan Ho Park and So Taguchi world as well.  What I’m saying is that no one really expected too much from him, yet we were pleasantly surprised with an impact bat.  His second season wasn’t much different, but the whole team was in the shitter, questions began to be asked louder about his defense behind the plate, and there was controversy surrounding whether his lack English language proficiency was the reason Jarrod Washburn sucks.  I think we can clearly go ahead and declare that wasn’t the issue with Washburn. 

Mostly though, I’m going to (unfairly) remember Johjima for his ungodly 3-year, $24m contract extension.  I can’t blame the guy for taking the money and we’ll never really know if this was Bavasi’s folly or the result of pressure from upstairs.  Still, it was $24m to a 33 year old catcher when (at the time at least) we had prospects at the position that had no other way to crack the big league lineup.  It didn’t help that Johjima was slumping out of the gate and batting .200 when he signed the deal.   Heads were scratched.  Worst contract lists were made.   And now he’s gone, leaving behind $15m in guaranteed money for a return to Japan and surely less cash. 

Maybe it’s just me, but given the mysterious circumstances surrounding when Kaz Sasaki suddenly left the Mariners (there was a kid from his much younger mistress) I can’t help but wonder if there is more to this story and if there was similar pressure placed on Johjima to take his wares back overseas.  Not necessarily the same kind of infidelity, but SOMETHING that enabled the front office to say “hey, guy batting .200, time for you to go home.”  US players don’t walk away from that kind of money.  Or maybe he just grew tired of life in the states.  Honestly, we’ll probably never really know.  Johjima’s departure is as weird as his tenure, which was as weird as his arrival.    I wish him the best in his future endeavors and I can’t wait to see how Z uses this new found cash to strengthen the lineup for 2010.