Even though the great majority of the 15 Japanese baseball-playing participants have left the Athletes’ Performance training facility in Phoenix to attend their respective spring trainings in Japan, Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is still working out at AP. Matsuzaka, who began his first offseason training at AP in early Dec., has left a positive impression on the Athletes’ Performance staff, according to the facility’s Director of Methodology Craig Friedman.

“He’s doing great,” Friedman said. “We have two Japanese coaches on staff, one of which has been working with him the whole time. The updates that I’ve gotten on him is that he is doing really well.” It was reported by MLB.com that Matsuzaka had “unexpectedly taken a week off” from AP, but Friedman reports that the pitcher has lived up to expectations during his time in Phoenix.

The other Japanese baseball players participating at AP this offseason, along with Matsuzaka, are: Shuhei Fukada, Hiroyasu Tanaka, Tsubasa Aizawa, Masamitusu Suzuki, Koji Yamasaki, Ryota Igarashi, Yoshinori Sato, Tatsuyoshi Masubuchi, Chikara Onodera, and Tetsuya Iwasaki.

One Comments for “Matsuzaka still at Athletes’ Performance”

1. bosoxyaz8 Says:
   February 6th, 2010 at 8:08 pm

   Good sign !!

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