Biographical

Portrait of Hideki Matsui

Hideki Matsui LFYankees

Yankees Player Cards | Yankees Team Audit | Yankees Depth Chart

Career Summary
Years PA AVG OBP SLG DRC+ WARP
10 5056 .282 .360 .462 118 21.0
Birth Date6-12-1974
Height6' 2"
Weight210 lbs
Age49 years, 10 months, 11 days
BatsL
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP
2003 NYA 29 163 695 179 42 1 16 63 86 3 2 2 .287 .353 .435 101 3.0 0.7 -5.6 1.4
2004 NYA 30 162 680 174 34 2 31 88 103 3 3 0 .298 .390 .522 136 31.9 -1.8 -0.8 4.4
2005 NYA 31 162 703 192 45 3 23 63 78 3 2 2 .305 .367 .496 122 19.5 3.5 2.1 4.1
2006 NYA 32 51 201 52 9 0 8 27 23 0 1 0 .302 .393 .494 136 10.4 0.3 3.7 1.8
2007 NYA 33 143 633 156 28 4 25 73 73 3 4 2 .285 .367 .488 122 20.1 5.9 -4.4 3.4
2008 NYA 34 93 378 99 17 0 9 38 47 3 0 0 .294 .370 .424 107 4.3 -1.4 0.9 0.9
2009 NYA 35 142 526 125 21 1 28 64 75 4 0 1 .274 .367 .509 127 18.8 0.5 0.0 2.5
2010 ANA 36 145 554 132 24 1 21 67 98 1 0 1 .274 .361 .459 126 17.4 -4.5 -2.1 1.8
2011 OAK 37 141 583 130 28 0 12 56 84 1 1 1 .251 .321 .375 97 -1.2 -0.7 3.7 0.9
2012 TBA 38 34 103 14 1 0 2 8 22 0 0 0 .147 .214 .221 79 -2.5 0.1 -1.2 -0.2
Career1236505612532491217554768921139.282.360.462118121.72.6-3.721.0

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
2003 NYA MLB AL 163 695 .264 .331 .422 .309 99 8.3 18.9 -3 101 8 -5.6 0.7 3.0 1.4
2004 NYA MLB AL 162 680 .264 .335 .420 .314 104 33.8 20.2 -4.7 136 8 -0.8 -1.8 31.9 4.4
2005 NYA MLB AL 162 703 .265 .328 .423 .315 102 25.4 20.2 -4.7 122 8 2.1 3.5 19.5 4.1
2006 NYA MLB AL 51 201 .275 .345 .447 .308 106 6.7 6.1 -2.1 136 12 3.7 0.3 10.4 1.8
2007 NYA MLB AL 143 633 .267 .334 .419 .285 103 27.3 18.8 -6.2 122 9 -4.4 5.9 20.1 3.4
2007 TAM A+ FSL 2 6 .260 .315 .357 .333 101 -0.9 0.2 0 96 0 -0.1 -0.1 0.0 0.0
2008 NYA MLB AL 93 378 .265 .333 .416 .320 103 4.5 10.9 -5.8 107 10 0.9 -1.4 4.3 0.9
2008 TAM A+ FSL 3 10 .285 .343 .421 .143 97 1.9 0.3 -0.2 124 0 0.0 -0.3 0.1 0.0
2009 NYA MLB AL 142 526 .269 .334 .435 .273 111 16.2 15.1 -9.3 127 9 0.0 0.5 18.8 2.5
2010 ANA MLB AL 145 554 .257 .322 .406 .302 101 17.2 15.3 -9 126 8 -2.1 -4.5 17.4 1.8
2011 OAK MLB AL 141 583 .255 .316 .399 .274 96 2.2 15.7 -8.7 97 8 3.7 -0.7 -1.2 0.9
2012 TBA MLB AL 34 103 .251 .314 .398 .169 93 -11.2 2.8 -1.2 79 12 -1.2 0.1 -2.5 -0.2
2012 DUR AAA INT 13 54 .242 .306 .360 .211 104 -6.5 1.5 -0.8 52 0 2.5 -0.2 -2.6 0.0

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
2003 NYA MLB AL 695 623 82 179 42 1 16 271 106 63 86 2 2 .287 .353 .435 .148 6 0
2004 NYA MLB AL 680 584 109 174 34 2 31 305 108 88 103 3 0 .298 .390 .522 .224 5 0
2005 NYA MLB AL 703 629 108 192 45 3 23 312 116 63 78 2 2 .305 .367 .496 .191 8 0
2006 NYA MLB AL 201 172 32 52 9 0 8 85 29 27 23 1 0 .302 .393 .494 .192 2 0
2007 TAM A+ FSL 6 6 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .000 0 0
2007 NYA MLB AL 633 547 100 156 28 4 25 267 103 73 73 4 2 .285 .367 .488 .203 10 0
2008 TAM A+ FSL 10 8 1 2 0 0 1 5 1 2 0 0 0 .250 .400 .625 .375 0 0
2008 NYA MLB AL 378 337 43 99 17 0 9 143 45 38 47 0 0 .294 .370 .424 .131 0 0
2009 NYA MLB AL 526 456 62 125 21 1 28 232 90 64 75 0 1 .274 .367 .509 .235 2 0
2010 ANA MLB AL 554 482 55 132 24 1 21 221 84 67 98 0 1 .274 .361 .459 .185 4 0
2011 OAK MLB AL 583 517 58 130 28 0 12 194 72 56 84 1 1 .251 .321 .375 .124 9 0
2012 DUR AAA INT 54 47 3 8 2 0 0 10 4 4 10 0 0 .170 .231 .213 .043 1 0
2012 TBA MLB AL 103 95 7 14 1 0 2 21 7 8 22 0 0 .147 .214 .221 .074 0 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA
2008 1361 0.5195 0.4386 0.8543 0.6025 0.2615 0.8967 0.7485 0.1457 0.0092
2009 2051 0.5002 0.3949 0.8309 0.5673 0.2224 0.8935 0.6711 0.1691 0.0011
2010 2231 0.5303 0.3989 0.8247 0.5858 0.1880 0.8658 0.6802 0.1753 0.0031
2011 2197 0.5180 0.4110 0.8427 0.5685 0.2417 0.9011 0.6953 0.1573 0.0024
2012 377 0.4881 0.4483 0.7633 0.6359 0.2694 0.8547 0.5577 0.2367 -0.0010
Career82170.51580.41000.83310.58160.22690.88680.68770.16690.0033

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2012-07-06 2012-07-14 DTD 8 4 Left Thigh Tightness Hamstring -
2012-07-03 2012-07-05 DTD 2 2 Left Thigh Tightness Hamstring - -
2011-03-21 2011-03-23 Camp 2 0 Neck Soreness -
2009-08-15 2009-08-18 DTD 3 3 Knee Swelling -
2009-05-13 2009-05-14 DTD 1 1 Right Thigh Soreness Hamstring -
2009-04-17 2009-04-17 DTD 0 0 Left Knee Soreness Cortisone Injection -
2009-03-31 2009-04-01 Camp 1 0 Neck Stiffness -
2008-09-22 2008-09-29 60-DL 7 6 Left Knee Surgery Cartilage 2008-09-22
2008-09-14 2008-09-21 DTD 7 7 Left Knee Inflammation -
2008-06-23 2008-08-19 15-DL 57 48 Left Knee Inflammation -
2008-06-18 2008-06-20 DTD 2 2 Left Knee Soreness -
2008-03-03 2008-03-13 Camp 10 0 Neck Stiffness -
2007-11-14 2007-11-14 Off 0 0 Right Knee Surgery 2007-11-14
2007-09-29 2007-10-04 DTD 5 2 Right Knee Soreness Drained -
2007-09-26 2007-09-27 DTD 1 1 Right Knee Soreness -
2007-08-28 2007-08-28 DTD 0 0 Right Knee Soreness -
2007-04-08 2007-04-23 15-DL 15 13 Left Thigh Strain Hamstring -
2006-05-11 2006-09-12 60-DL 124 111 Left Forearm Surgery Fracture Radius and Ulna 2006-05-12
2005-06-12 2005-06-12 DTD 0 0 Right Ankle Sprain -
2004-06-01 2004-06-01 DTD 0 0 Left Shoulder Soreness -
2003-03-11 2003-03-11 Camp 0 0 - Neck Stiffness -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2012 TBA $
2011 OAK $4,250,000
2010 ANA $6,000,000
2009 NYA $13,000,000
2008 NYA $13,000,000
2007 NYA $13,000,000
2006 NYA $13,000,000
2005 NYA $8,000,000
2004 NYA $7,000,000
2003 NYA $6,000,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
9 yrPrevious$83,250,000
9 yrTotal$83,250,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
9 y 65 dArn Tellem1 year (2012)

Details
  • 1 year (2012). Signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent 4/30/12 (minor-league contract). Salary of $0.9M in majors, $10,000 a month in minors. Contract purchased by Tampa Bay 5/29/12. DFA by Tampa Bay 7/25/12. Released by Tampa Bay 8/1/12. Retired 12/27/12.
  • 1 year/$4.25M (2011). Signed by Oakland as a free agent 12/14/10. Performance bonuses.
  • 1 year/$6M (2010). Signed by LA Angels as a free agent 12/16/09.
  • 4 year/$52M (2006-09). Signed extension with NY Yankees 11/05. 06-09:$13M annually.
  • 3 years/$21M (2003-05). Signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 12/02. $1.5M bonuses. 03:$6M, 04:$7M, 05:$8M.
  • 1 year/$4.7M (2002). Signed with Yomiuri of Japan 12/01.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
Weighted Mean???????00??.000.000.00000.0?0.0

BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with Hideki Matsui

BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2012-11-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)Apparently Houston is considering making a run at Hideki Matsui to DH for them in 2013. Wouldn't Travis Hafner be a better option? Any chance they make a run at him?
(Ashitaka1110 from Houston, TX)
Thanks for the question, Ashitaka1110. It sounds as though the Astros are planning to keep their payroll to a minimum for now, so while Hafner might be a better option than Matsui in terms of performance, Luhnow is probably just looking for a cheap placeholder. I do think there's a chance they'll consider Hafner instead, but ultimately, I'd expect this to come down to cost. (Daniel Rathman)
2012-06-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)Any impressions of Hideki Matsui so far?
(Glow from Memphis)
He's been hitting the ball hard in the air, but only two have cleared the fence, leading to some debate as to whether he has warning-track power. Still an upgrade over Stephen Vogt. (R.J. Anderson)
2012-04-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)Hi Jay! I'll be having some very traditional Uruguayan lunch by the time of the chat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asado) but I wanted to drop by, say hi, and ask a very profound question: if I, being 10000 miles away, can see through at least half of the childish mental mistakes players/managers/GMs make daily, how come these still happen? Is the next market inefficiency to cut down on all those Caught Stealing third for the 3rd out / not using your best reliever in the highest leverage situations / keeping 'veterans' in the roster instead of giving promising young players a chance / etc.?
(Guillermo from Montevideo, Uruguay)
Hey Guillermo! Always good to hear from Uruguay's number one BP fan, and man, I'm jealous with regards to lunch (Uruguay is a carnivore's paradise, for those who are unaware).

I think some of the mistakes you talk about (caught stealing for the third out) are ones that will always be with us, but the game does slowly evolve, and we've seen something of a movement where certain veterans have trouble finding jobs because of a general trend towards younger players - take the absence of Vlad Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon (though he finally signed with Cleveland) from rosters after competent but hardly stellar seasons.

Sooner or later, some team is going to get more daring with their reliever usage, though it's worth noting that in some places like Cleveland (Vinny Pestano), Detroit (Joaquin Benoit), Los Angeles (Kenley Jansen) and Washington (Tyler Clippard) teams already have their best relievers in non-closing situations that are often higher-leverage. It happens more often than you think. (Jay Jaffe)
2012-03-08 15:00:00 (link to chat)Do you see Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui finding jobs anytime soon?
(Cody from Indianapolis)
Their best bet is probably an injury somewhere during spring training. I found Jon Heyman's tweets tying Damon to the Orioles yesterday rather comical, and a possible indication that there is literally zero interest in his services right now. There's just no logical fit in Baltimore, and if that's where Heyman (and Boras) are currently pitching Damon, they're out of ideas. (Daniel Rathman)
2012-02-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)Why Ibanez over Posada?? I mean, come on..
(steele from Vermont)
Well, for one thing, Posada decided he didn't have it in his heart to continue in a lesser role. It takes two to tango, you know. That said, there were better low-cost lefty-swinging DH options out there, such as Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. I wrote about them all here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15861 (Jay Jaffe)
2011-11-30 13:00:00 (link to chat)Keeping with a Japanese import theme, who are the 5 greatest Japanese MLBers of all time?
(Paul from DC)
Ichiro Suzuki is the clear #1. For #2, I'd go Hideo Nomo, with Hideki Matsui #3. The falloff after that is steep; I'll argue for Hiroki Kuroda as #4 and Takashi Saito #5 based upon peak performance and for not disappointing relative to expectations. (Jay Jaffe)
2011-04-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)Will only time tell about Granderson hitting lefties or did he look that good in spring training?
(Matt from New York)
Kevin Long and he really have seemed to figure out an approach that works for him, and I'd like to think he will be surprising LOOGYs all year long. One reason I believe is that the Yankees have had some recent lefty hitters, like Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, who were unusually adept at altering their approach and hitting opposing lefties, and so there is a history of success and reservoir of learning to be drawn from there. (Steven Goldman)
2011-03-08 14:00:00 (link to chat)Is Nishioka going to be worth a good hard look to be fantasy worthy?
(Will from Kentucky)
He's certainly worth a look but outside of Ichiro and (to a lesser extent Hideki Matsui) how many Japanese players have lived up to expectations? I'm sure it's an unfair comparison, but when I read about Nishioka and look at his stats, I can't help but be reminded of guys like Akinori Iwamura and Kaz Matsui. Both were decent for a short period of time, but neither came close to living up to their advance billing. (Cory Schwartz)
2011-02-02 13:00:00 (link to chat)Of Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, and David DeJesus, which of the A's new additions do you expect to adapt best to hitting in the Coliseum?
(Dave from Chicago)
The Coliseum isn't quite as unfriendly to lefties as it is to righties, so Matsui and DeJesus shouldn't see their value plummet. DeJesus should continue to be good for close to 10 triples.

I see that Larry Granillo already has two posts up, and R.J. Anderson has published three pieces--hasn't anyone told them that it's a marathon, not a sprint? Just kidding, guys. (Ben Lindbergh)
2010-01-19 15:30:00 (link to chat)I think Nick Johnson could turn out to be a very good grab for the Yanks. How much playing time do you see him getting and what stats do you expect?
(macman from va)
I'd like to think that keeping him off the field will help him stay healthy, but who knows -- he not only got hurt with the Marlins, he got sick as well. If the Yankees are smart, they might treat him a bit like they did Hideki Matsui last year, which is to give him the odd scheduled day off, skip him against the occasional left-hander, and if there's turf involved, let him watch the game from the best seat in the house. Short of wrapping him in Mylar and filing him between the team copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 and Showcase #4, I think that's probably the best formula. (Steven Goldman)
2009-11-19 13:00:00 (link to chat)Where do you see Hideki Matsui ending up?
(Dennis from Monterey Park, CA)
I feel like the Tigers make sense, a contender that got nothing from its DHs this year. Maybe the Rangers. He has to go a team that won't ask him to play the outfield much. (Joe Sheehan)
2009-05-04 14:00:00 (link to chat)Does Fukudome fall apart again, or keep this up?
(Mike W from Chicago)
I wonder if the pattern we saw with Hideki Matsui holds, where the first season was something of a disappointment, and the second one great. Fukudome's swing doesn't seem geared for power, but the average, OBP and defense will play. (Joe Sheehan)
2008-11-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)Should the Yankees trade for Swisher preclude them from going after Texiera? What's your opinion of Swisher?
(Eric from Manorville)
Let's start here, since this is what's on my mind anyway. Well, that and the awful, hideous Wolfman Jack impersonator that is on Sirius/XM's 60s channel just now. I hated that guy before, and now he's on in the daytime. I like Swisher and his power/OBP approach and I think he's going to rebound nicely for the Yankees. As many (including myself over at YESnetwork.com) have pointed out, his BABIP numbers from last year argue loudly for a case of extreme bad luck this year. Now, I love Swisher as a roamer, a guy who can help you at both OF corners, 1B, and CF in a pinch. I DON'T like him as a reason not to get Mark Teixeira. A lot of commentators are assuming that is the case, that Swisher signals the Yankees are out of the Teixeira business. I'm not sure, and Brian Cashman sounded equivocal. Teixeira is a star 1B. Swisher isn't. What Swisher could be a star of is helping the team stay above replacement at four positions depending on injury, or a star of getting rid of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, or Xavier Nady. Especially Nady. The Yankees are crazy focused on pitching right now, when they need to be looking at offense and defense. Teixeira would help with both... And he'll be valuable for many more years than Sabathia will. I'll stop now. (Steven Goldman)
2008-10-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)It's south park, right? the cubs have 3 years and a lot of money invested in fukudome. sunk cost? salvageable? move him to CF? Bench? Iowa? Never saw a guy go from two really good months to not being able to hit anything ever so fast.
(mike from chicago)
Our own John Perrotto seems to think it's likely Fukudome will be dealt this offseason, and with the money he's owed, chances are good we can file this under the "sunk cost" category, at least for Chicago. I'm interested in seeing how he performs in year two; maybe a Hideki Matsui-esque turnaround, though without the power?

I didn't get to see a lot of Fukudome this year, certainly not enough to make this canon without further evidence, but I get the sense that pitchers started to challenge him more and take away his walks, much like they did to Jacoby Ellsbury.

You don't know how much I want to type "Tacoby Shellsbury" every time I mention his name. (Marc Normandin)
2008-10-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)Since you mentioned Fukudome - I watched a LOT of him this year and his troubles were ALL about the outside corner. With the drag-step, he couldn't make good contact on balls in that part of the zone and pitchers POUNDED him there. My question is this - I didn't really see much of the beginning of Hideki Matsui's career (just didn't pay attention), so I don't know what went into his second-year turnaround. Was it a completely different approach (which might actually be what Fukudome needs, unfortunately) or minor adjustments?
(Ameer from Bloomington, IN)
Thanks for clearing that up, Ameer. Matsui began hitting far more flyballs during his second year in the majors, eschewing groundballs (he had a 2.3 G/F ratio his first year, 1.0 the second) and that did wonders for his power. He jumped his HR/FB up just a little bit, from 12.4 percent to 16, but with almost a 16 percent increase in his flyballs, that seemed even larger.

Matsui is one of the few Japanese imports who doesn't use the drag-step to the same degree as an Ichiro, or Iwamura...not that Fukudome is going to turn into a power hitter, but maybe trying to level out his swing some and add some liners to his output would help. (Marc Normandin)
2008-06-20 13:30:00 (link to chat)Is fukudome going to hit for more power than this? more doubles at least? And should his being in the top 3 for the NL all-star squad a terrible thing?
(Mike from Chicago)
Power is the skill that has not really translated for the Japanese position players, save for Hideki Matsui. Over here, Fukudome will hit .290/.400/.425 or so, and if you look at how he hits, you can see that there's not much more power to be had. He's still an excellent player, a better hitter than the guy in Seattle is. (Joe Sheehan)
2008-03-18 17:00:00 (link to chat)The miost fascinating question about this season to me is: Who has the guts to sign Bonds? My money's on Kenny Williams? What do you think?
(BeplerP from NYC)
I can't vouch for the moisture content, but that's an intriguing answer as any. Buster Olney suggested the Mets should sign him and that was intriguing. In fact, what is there about adding this kind of offensive productivity to ANY team that isn't intriguing? How about the Yankees sign him and make him a first baseman? How about they sign him and put him in left and move Hideki Matsui to first? We can play this all day and it will still be fun three hours from now. (Jim Baker)


BP Roundtables

DateRoundtable NameComment
2010-04-05 09:30:00Season Opener RoundtableHideki Matsui and Kendry Morales go back-to-back off of Jose Mijares. Probably not what the Twins were hoping their lefty specialist would do in that situation. (Dan Wade)
2009-10-28 17:00:002009 WS Game OneThere's a story about Hideki Matsui's wife? (Christina Kahrl)
2009-10-28 17:00:002009 WS Game OneHas anyone seen Hideki Matsui's wife yet? That was one of the strangest stories ever. (Will Carroll)
2009-10-28 17:00:002009 WS Game OneFrom tonight? For the Yankees, I'm sure Hideki Matsui's due for something on his knees. Alex Rodriguez's hip remains to be seen. I'm sure there's someone I'm missing there. On the other side, the Phillies are remarkably healthy, something that is a big factor in why they're here. I'm sure I'm skipping someone. (Brett Myers, maybe?) (Will Carroll)
 

PITCHf/x Hitter Profile

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