Munenori Kawasaki spirited as Spring Training continues – MLB News
The Japanese in-fielder Munenori Kawasaki stated on Sunday, February 19, that he was being himself in the club, enjoying every bit of it, as the Seattle Mariners’ Spring Training is gathering pace.
While a lot of things that he says might go beyond the comprehension of team-mates due to the difference of language, Munenori Kawasaki has already won over his team.
"I'm just being myself," Kawasaki said Sunday through interpreter Antony Suzuki. "I'm just trying to communicate in Japanese, because I don't know the language. Now, if you were to ask me how much they understand, I couldn't tell you.”
Luckily, Munenori Kawasaki has his Japanese team-mate Ichiro Suzuki in the club that helps him acquaint himself with the things unknown to him. All the same, the presence of Suzuki has brought a relative ease for Kawasaki to adapt himself with the club’s
environment.
Once asked what he thought of communicating with the team-mates in the Mariners and if he was comprehensible to them, the talkative player said this is how he has been in the past.
"I don't know how much we've communicated, but that's just my style, and that's how I've been in the past, and that's how I'd like to stay.”
While Kawasaki enjoys the camp atmosphere, he has already won a lot of team-mates’ admiration who eagerly express their buoyancy with the presence of Kawasaki in the team.
"I don't understand anything he's saying, but sometimes I act like I do," Justin Smoak – the first baseman of the Seattle Mariners said with a grin. "But it's good to be around him. He's got a lot of energy.”
Brendan Ryan, another team-mate, is really appreciative of the efforts Kawasaki has been making since his induction in the Minor League and in Spring Training.
The energy being exhibited by the Japanese player and the thrill that has pervaded the atmosphere shows that the Seattle Mariners are ready to give their best this season. How this energy translates into success is something the fans have to wait to see
with the start of Major League Baseball this year.
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