March 28, 2024

Sports Business

The Japanese Pitch: Daisuke Matsuzaka's Impact?

The addition of Asian ballplayers is likely to boost spring training's $453-million Florida impact.

Art Levy | 3/1/2007
Florida's Grapefruit League
New York Yankees Tampa 152,024
Atlanta Braves Lake Buena Vista 142,467
Minnesota Twins Fort Myers 121,574
Boston Red Sox Fort Myers 110,291
Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater 105,382
St. Louis Cardinals Jupiter 99,054
Detroit Tigers Lakeland 89,324
Cincinnati Reds Sarasota 84,411
New York Mets Port St. Lucie 83,061
Baltimore Orioles Fort Lauderdale 80,219
Pittsburgh Pirates Bradenton 79,542
Cleveland Indians Winter Haven 74,092
Los Angeles Dodgers Vero Beach 72,523
Tampa Bay Devil Rays St. Petersburg 70,756
Florida Marlins Jupiter 67,015
Houston Astros Kissimmee 60,168
Washington Nationals Viera 58,560
Toronto Blue Jays Dunedin 53,930
Source: Florida Sports Foundation



On the Upswing
Average spring training attendance per game
Year Avg. Attendance
1996 4,795
1997 4,468
1998 4,776
1999 5,042
2000 5,473
2001 5,320
2002 5,028
2003 5,272
2004 5,792
2005 6,244
Source: Florida Sports Foundation
Japanese Visitors to Florida
2001 110,000
2002 65,000
2003 60,000
2004 82,000
2005 66,000
2006 N/A
Sources: Visit Florida, U.S. Department of Commerce



Major Japanese Player Signings (2007)
Player Position Team Contract Negotiation Fee Paid to Japanese Team
Daisuke Matsuzaka Pitcher Boston Red Sox 6 years / $52 million $51.1 million
Kei Igawa Pitcher New York Yankees 5 years / $20 million $26 million
Akinori Iwamura Infielder Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3 years / $7.7 million $4.5 million
Hideki Okajima Pitcher Boston Red Sox 2 years / $2.5 million N/A
Source: Major League Baseball

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