Mathieson heads to Yomiuri Giants with one-year deal By Todd Devlin Jan. 3, 2012 With his health fully restored and a recent track record of solid pitching numbers in back-to-back seasons at Triple-A, right-hander Scott Mathieson didn’t need to look to another continent to find work. But in the end, the Yomiuri Giants offered the 27-year- old what his former team – the Philadelphia Phillies – could not: a guaranteed contract and an opportunity to pitch regularly at a high level. And so the former Phillie pitching prospect opted to begin a new chapter in his baseball career -- in Japan. On Dec. 2, the Giants, who play in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), signed Mathieson (Vancouver, BC) to a one-year deal with incentives (plus a club option for a second year) worth $2 million to be the team’s closer. “I’m really looking forward to the experience,” said Mathieson from Vancouver, where he’s spending the offseason. “With the Phillies, it was hard to get a lot of playing time with all the veteran guys. They don’t need a bullpen as much, so I really didn’t get a chance to pitch much up there. Going to Japan will give me the opportunity to pitch, and that’s all I really want.” Despite a resurgence at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2010 and 2011 after nearly three lost seasons due to injury, which included three separate surgeries on his pitching arm, Mathieson logged just six relief appearances in the major leagues over the last two years, posting a 2.70 ERA with three walks and five strikeouts over 6 2/3 total innings. In Japan, he’ll see a lot more action than that. “With a guaranteed contract, I feel like there’s incentive to actually pitch me,” Mathieson said. “I have to go and win a job obviously, but my goal is to have success as their closer and to win. And I’m going to one of the best teams over there. As a closer, you get to pitch a lot more when you’re winning.” The decision to pursue a career in Japan didn’t happen overnight for Mathieson. He was first contacted by the Giants during the 2010 season, when he was serving as a closer for the first time in his career. In his first full season back after undergoing three separate arm surgeries (including two Tommy John operations), Mathieson had a phenomenal campaign, posting a 2.80 ERA with a 1.135 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings over 54 games. His 26 saves were second-most in the International League, and his strikeout total matched current Atlanta Braves closer and 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel for most among IL relievers. With his solid numbers, the right-hander felt he had a good chance to see action out of the bullpen in Philadelphia, so he passed on the Japanese offer. When he didn’t get the innings he’d hoped for with the Phillies, Mathieson was contacted again following the season – this time by a few Japanese teams. “[2010] was the best season I’ve had in professional baseball,” Mathieson said. “I talked to my agent a little bit more about it, but we decided we’d give it one more year over here.” In 2011, Mathieson split the season as a starter and a reliever at Lehigh Valley, and went 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 30 games (12 starts). He had 83 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .230 batting average. But again, the good numbers at Triple-A didn’t translate into opportunities with the big club. So in November, Mathieson pursued the Japanese route, and he chose Yomiuri as his desired destination. “We had talked to them before,” he said. “They’re the top team over there, so obviously I was a lot more interested in going there.” Similar to the posting system for Japanese players moving from an NPB organization to an MLB club, Japanese teams are required to pay a fee for the rights to negotiate with a player on an MLB team – though not on the same scale (nothing like the $51.7 million the Texas Rangers paid the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters for the rights to negotiate a contract with Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish). The Giants reportedly paid the Phillies around $800,000 for the right to negotiate with Mathieson, and a deal was struck shortly thereafter. Money certainly played a factor in Mathieson’s decision to sign with Yomiuri (the right- hander will earn more in two seasons in Japan than he would in several years making the major league minimum). But he insists it wasn’t the primary factor. “My biggest thing is I just want an opportunity,” he said. “Since I’ve been back from my injuries and elbow surgeries, I have just wanted to pitch at the highest level. I felt I could over here [in MLB], but I never really got that opportunity. So I think this is a good career change.” And while it is common for North American players to go to Japan for a year or two with the goal of putting up good numbers and getting an opportunity to return to an MLB organization, Mathieson says he’s not in that camp. In fact, he’s already thinking about a long-term career in Japan. “They have my rights for two years, but I’m really hoping I can spend a lot more time than that over there,” he said. “At some point I’d like to finish my career in the U.S., but I feel like I can go over there for five or six years hopefully.” In preparation for life on and off the field in Japan, Mathieson has sought the advice of some former teammates who played overseas, including Ryan Vogelsong, who played three NPB seasons. He has also been in touch with fellow Canadian Aaron Guiel (Langley, BC), who retired in October after spending five seasons in Japan . “I got a call from him out of the blue,” Mathieson said. “He knows my dad [Langley Blaze GM Doug Mathieson ]. I’m looking forward to talking to him over dinner or something to go over a few things and hear his experiences.” Guiel (Langley, BC) will be passing on the torch to Mathieson, so to speak. The right- hander will be the eighth Canadian to play in Japan over the last 20 years, and just the third pitcher – joining Mike Johnson (Edmonton, Alta.), who had a brief stint with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2002, and Aaron Myette (New Westminster, BC), who had an even shorter career with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2005. But there won’t be any familiar Canadian faces on the field in Japan. In fact, Mathieson doesn’t know any of the foreign players, or ‘gaijins’, currently playing in Japan. “I’m sure I’ll get to know them [foreign players] real well when I’m over there,” he said. “I’m just going to go over there with an open mind.” That attitude, Mathieson says, will extend to all aspects of the Japanese way of doing things, including game preparation and training techniques. “I’m not going to go over and say, ‘No, this is what I do, I’m not doing your thing,’” he said. “I know respect is a big thing over there, so I’d like to try and go over and do their [pitching] program. I’m looking forward to it.” As for what to expect on the field, Mathieson says he’s been told the talent level is at or above Triple-A, and below that in the major leagues. “From what I’ve heard, every team has five or six guys that could be major leaguers, and then it drops off from there,” he said. “They won both World Baseball Classics, so they obviously have some pretty talented players. I hope I can go and prove that I can pitch against some of the best players in the world.” Recently, Mathieson has been putting in long hours at the gym in order to get ready for training camp, which begins earlier in Japan. In terms of health, the 27-year-old says his arm feels great. “When I came back halfway through 2009, I had some stiffness,” he said. “But it slowly got better and better. And it’s been great the last two years. I’ve had no problems at all. Out of the bullpen, I’m throwing harder than I ever did.” In fact, that’s likely what precipitated Yomiuri’s interest in Mathieson. In filling their four foreigner roster spots, Japanese teams usually target players that have skills that can’t be found among Japanese players. For hitters, that usually means home run power, which is what Guiel provided the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. For Mathieson, it’s his power arm. “I throw in the upper 90’s,” he said. “Last year I touched 100 a few times. That’s something that is a rarity over there, so I assume that was the allure that went behind me.” Mathieson and his wife, Jennifer, are set to fly to Japan in late January. Both are excited to embark on a new chapter in their lives. “This is the experience of a lifetime,” the right-hander said. “Getting to go live in a foreign country and one of the largest cities in the world [Tokyo] is going to be quite an experience.” On the field, Mathieson says he hopes to continue the success he’s enjoyed since returning from the string of injuries that temporarily derailed his professional career.