Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s arrival as the first Japanese native to play for the Twins has added to the media delegation covering the team and the potential for club merchandising in Japan.
Japanese media have been covering the Twins’ new second baseman in spring training and about 20 journalists from Japan are expected to report daily on Nishioka and the team during the season. Signage in Japanese will be on display in the Target Field press box this season.
Sales of Twins merchandise and memorabilia in Japan is expected to increase not only because this is Nishioka’s first year with the team, but also he’s a high profile player, a former batting champion and gold glove winner in his home country. “I think it can’t help but raise our profile significantly over there,” said club marketing executive Patrick Klinger.
When Nishioka was brought to Minneapolis in December for a news conference to announce his signing with the Twins, the Japanese paparazzi were there, too. “It was like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt walked in the room with all the flashbulbs popping,” Klinger said.
A baseball trading card industry authority said autographed minor league cards of Twins prospects Kyle Gibson and Miguel Sano are worth $25 to $50 via online websites. The 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card is still among the most prized baseball memorabilia, but generally the trading card industry remains depressed and may never recover to its popularity during the 1980s.
Gibson, the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher, drew long lines of autograph seekers when he attended TwinsFest in January. If any of the Twins starters falter this spring, Gibson is a likely replacement. Sano, the 6-3, 195-pound 17-year-old infielder is described by one club spokesman as a “man-child.”
Twins’ outfielder Michael Cuddyer, a skilled magician, recalled on KSTP Radio last Sunday that former teammate Luis Castillo was frightened by his tricks. Castillo relocated his locker room far from Cuddyer’s when the two were teammates.