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The Japanese Pitch: Daisuke Matsuzaka's Impact?
The addition of Asian ballplayers is likely to boost spring training's $453-million Florida impact.
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 |