Last Sunday, we went to Koshien stadium to watch the Hanshin Tigers play the SoftBank Hawks in the Western League. Western League means the minor league in Japan. So, I’d like to explain the difference between the organization of the MLB and the NPB. All teams in the MLB have a farm team organization like a triple-A, double-A, single-A and rookie team. It’s team’s name, uniform and home stadium are different from the MLB’s one. The minor leaguers play their league tournament because they need an opportunity to play against each other. It’s a tough competition, because the MLB team has many minor levels under the Major and finally, they would get a big salary after they debut in the big league. Generally, minor leaguers get a low salary and their home stadium is located in the countryside and they need to travel by bus. On the other hand, there is no major contract and minor contract in NPB. Their uniform is the same and they sometimes use the home stadium. I’m not really sure about which training method is the best, but I think to prefer the American system. I’m hoping, in the future, we will see a big improvement in the level of play of the NPB and MLB.
