New Hanshin import infielder Justin Bour sat down with Daily Sports recently in a Washington suburb and revealed that he is taking after ex-Miami Marlins teammate Ichiro and training without taking any days off this offseason. The team hopes he can bat fourth, as he has shown evidence of power with his 92 career MLB home runs. He indicated that he’s putting in full preparations to be ready to achieve the Japanese Dream.
So you made the decision to play for Hanshin next year. How do you feel about your decision right now?
I’ve always wanted to play in Japan. I’m really excited.
What does this contract mean to you?
Not a lot of players are offered contracts and told that they are needed by the team. It’s an honor to sign a deal with the Hanshin Tigers.
We heard that there were talks of signing you a year ago, as well. Did you have any doubts about coming over here?
Not at all. I was really happy that the team kept their eye on me and continued to see me as someone who could help the team. It’s a team with a lot of history, and I felt like they take good care of their players, and more than anything else, they want to win. That was and is the most important thing to me. It was an easy decision.
What do you expect to get out of coming to Japan?
As a team, I want to win. I’ve played on a lot of losing teams in the Majors. I have no playoff experience. I want to have a season in which every last game is meaningful. I’m not at all worried about [moving to Japan]. I want to learn more about the culture and the language, and everything about Japan.
Do you have confidence that you will be able to adjust to baseball and life in Japan?
Of course.
And you came out to Kobe to meet Ichiro during the 2017 offseason, is that right?
Kobe, Tokyo, Osaka. I walked the Shibuya Crossing, saw the Golden Temple in Kyoto, and I even got to check out the Mizuno Technics bat factory.
And what was the purpose of your visit to Japan?
You don’t get too many chances in your life to go to Japan. I was lucky to have Ichiro as a teammate. Ichiro being there was one of the biggest reasons I went. I loved talking with him when we were together in Miami. It was fun to peek into his brain and find out more about baseball and Japan.
What is it about Ichiro that you respect?
I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t respect him! I really feel lucky to have spent time with Ichiro. He’s got a great sense of humor. He had incomparable consistency and longevity as a player. Whether he was at home or on the road didn’t matter. He kept the same routine. He was a true professional, and I have nothing but respect for him. He is the embodiment of consistency.
What kind of training are you doing this offseason?
I’m doing things a little differently this year. First, I am not taking a single day off. I’m making sure I stay active and build a solid foundation, and staying in this routine. I’m looking out for all possibilities, strengthening my lower body, keeping myself flexible. I’m not worried about how many reps I do or how much weight I lift, but instead, I am focusing on doing it in perfect form. Up until now, I have not paid as much attention to these kinds of details.
Spring camp starts earlier in Japan than it does in the majors.
Most years, I don’t pick up a bat until January. But this year I’ve been swinging since the start of December. Four or five weeks earlier than usual. I’m in a good groove so far.
It took you six years before your first call up to the majors. What did the tough experiences in the minors mean to you?
The most meaningful experience was from 2012 to 2013. My first two years (2009-10) went as expected, and in 2011 I was named to the single-A all-star team and won the home run title. I made it to the double-A all-star game in 2012 and got 110 RBI that year. But then in 2013 I was told that I would be starting the year back in double-A. I had a hard time understanding that. Then that year I broke my wrist when I got hit by a pitch. It was a really hard year. I even had thoughts about quitting baseball. It was really frustrating. But my parents raised me to not throw away the chances I have been given. So that offseason, I was chosen by the Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft, and the following year I made it to the majors. You never know who’s watching you. You gotta just play hard all the time, no matter what. That’s what I learned from that experience.
Have you heard from any guys that have played over in Japan since you signed with the team?
Casey McGehee (Rakuten, Yomiuri, Marlins) talked to me. One of the things he told me was that I should try to think like the Japanese and play like they do – to get accustomed to the Japanese way of doing things. “If you keep thinking that you’re going to return to the majors as soon as possible, you won’t succeed. You really have to try to fit into the Japanese culture.” He also told me to just thoroughly enjoy the Japanese style of baseball from the bottom of my heart. I’ve also started really working on learning Japanese because of what he said.
Your manager with the Marlins, Don Mattingly, had great things to say about your power after he heard you signed with Hanshin. When did you first realize your power played well in baseball?
In my first year of university, I hit a home run to straightaway center that felt really good. When I was in the minors and I started hitting a lot of home runs to the opposite field, I started to realize I had slugging power.
Do you swing with the intention of hitting the ball far?
I actually do not think about hitting home runs, per se. I just try to make good, solid contact. I try to swing hard (but not too hard) and just have the right form. If I overthink things, whether in batting practice or not, I end up putting a lot of topspin on the ball and it doesn’t travel very far.
What size of bat do you use?
Usually I use a 34.5″ (87.6 cm) 32.5 oz (921.4 g) bat. Right now I’m working on strengthening my wrist so I am using a 35″ (88.9 cm) 37 oz (1048.9 g) bat. Just during the offseason.
So you just got married last December, and this past August your first son was born. Now, you’ve signed a deal with Hanshin. A lot has happened in the past year!
Yeah, I got married on December 1 and found out that my wife was pregnant on Christmas Eve. I knew we would eventually have kids, but didn’t expect it to happen that fast! But I’ve got nothing but thanksgiving for what has happened. Big things just keep coming my way, but now things have started to settle down a little, and life is really good.
What kind of changes did you experience as you started your family?
No matter what I do, I think of my family. I have to make the right choices for them. And one of those choices was to go to Japan and play for the Tigers next year. It’s a safe place for my family and I feel we can live comfortably there.
What players did you look up to as a kid?
Actually I didn’t watch much baseball on TV as a kid. I played a lot of soccer, basketball, and of course baseball. I was outside a lot. So I never really had a player that I modeled myself after or wanted to be like. I went to a few minor league games growing up, but never to a big-league park. In fact, the first major league game I went to was my debut in 2014 (on June 5) against the Rays!
Do you know about Hanshin legend Randy Bass, who led the team to the championship?
I’ve heard the name before. When the news came out that I had signed with Hanshin, his picture was in some of the articles. I looked him up and learned that he was really successful in Japan.
A lot of people are expecting that kind of performance out of you.
Obviously it’s an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as him and for people to have high hopes on me, but I also don’t like being compared to other players. I want people to know me, Bour-san. All I can say is that I am not coming over to Japan with the hopes that I’m going to become a legend like him. Things like that take time and need to be built up. I just want to help the team win, no matter how I can. That’s all I’m thinking about right now.