Shaky history? Well, Ishii sucked, Igawa is terrible. Matsuzaka was good this year, but I don't think he was as good as advertised. Nomo and Park each had pretty nice careers, but were extremely inconsistent. I'm fairly confident in a solid hitter contributing in the majors, I don't have a ton of faith in pitchers, especially ones that aren't considered the best of the best. Ishii sucked? He was pretty much as expected. In Japan he was a strikeout pitcher with walk issues. In the US he was a strikeout pitcher with walk issues. His first two seasons were fine: 4.27 ERA and a 3.86 ERA. Granted he was lucky, but he didn't suck. He was as expected. Matsuzaka was fine this season, inconsistent and pitched in a tough division. Nomo had a very good career. Park has as well, but he shouldn't count. He was signed out of high school. We're talking about translating guys who have had success in NPB and guys who came here. Park is irrelevant. Yes, Ishii sucked, there's no question about it. I think you have to differentiate between the elites who came over, Nomo and Matzuzaka, and the rest. This guy doesn't seem to be anything special, and most likely falls into the category of all the disappointments.