Spring Training for Japanese professional baseball has been underway since February 1st and for the first time in many years all of the teams will remain in Japan for Spring Training. This is a full two weeks ahead of MLB where most teams pitchers and catchers reported today.In the MLB spring training is divided between balmy Arizona and sun-drenched Florida. In Japan most teams head south for spring training but this spring has been unseasonably cold, wet and in some cases snowy!
As a result of the poor weather many teams have been forced to hold more practices indoors than outdoors. This leads me to one of the interesting things about Japanese baseball. Most teams have state of the art indoor facilities with weight rooms, pitching mounds and a full infield. Below is a photo of the minor league complex for the Chiba Lotte Marines which has an area of almost 22,000 square feet. Most minor league teams in the US could only dream of having such a facility at their disposal.
(Via A typical Life.)
The lastest in Shane Sakata's reports on baseball in Japan. It is interesting that Shane touches on something that Garrett Brushuis pointed out in his blog, indoor training is a must when you live where it is actually cold outside in the winter.
