Akinori Iwamura

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article documents a current sports-related event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.

**Akinori Iwamura**
Major League Baseball debut
Tampa Bay Devil Rays — No. 1
Third base
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
April, 2007 for the Tampa Devil Rays
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Batting average	--
Home runs	--
RBI	--
Former teams
Tokyo Yakult Swallows (1997–2006)

Akinori Iwamura (岩村明憲, b. February 9, 1979 in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan) is a Japanese baseball player who became a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on December 15, 2006. He was a former third baseman for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Central League. He represented Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Iwamura, who played in the Central League from 1998 to 2006, won five Gold Gloves for being the Central League's top defensive third baseman; he also hit 106 home runs in his last three seasons in the Central League, including 32 (with a .311 batting average) in 2006.

During the 2006 offseason, Iwamura opted to be posted for Major League Baseball. The posts were due to the Major League Baseball Commissioner on November 10, 2006; the highest bidder would be rewarded with negotiations with Iwamura to sign a contract. He is close friends with another Japanese All-Star player, Daisuke Matsuzaka who signed a 6 year-$52 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

On November 14th, information leaked that the highest bidder that won the right to negotiate with Iwamura was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Major League Baseball announced the next day that the Devil Rays had made the winning bid; Newsday reported that the Devil Rays had bid $4.5 million. Iwamura was the second player that the Devil Rays had been able to obtain through the posting system; in 2005, they won the rights to negotiate with pitcher Shinji Mori. MLB.com reported that Iwamura's future role with the Devil Rays is currently unclear, since the Devil Rays already have third base prospects B. J. Upton and Evan Longoria in their organization, as well as shortstop Ben Zobrist. At the end of the 2006 season, Zobrist and Upton were the team's regular starters at shortstop and third base, respectively; Longoria, who was drafted in 2006, ended the season with the Class AA Montgomery Biscuits. On December 15, 2006 Iwamura signed a three-year contract with the Devil Rays worth $7.7 million, with a club option for a fourth year at $4.25 million,^[1]