Critics often claim that Japanese baseball is at least one level below their Major League counterparts. On the whole that may be true, but only because Japan's two leagues are diluted with hundreds of players who would never make it at the triple-A level. Distill the current twelve teams down to three or four franchises, and those teams would give any Major League ball club a tough fight.

Japan has several Major League-caliber players, all of whom have potential to be stars anywhere. Here are the best...

Ready for the Majors:

Japan's top batter, 24-year old Orix BlueWave outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has earned four straight batting titles and three MVP awards since his 1994 breakthrough (.385, 41 doubles, 13 home runs, 29 steals). The following year, he slugged 25 homers, stole 49 bases and batted .342. Fast and powerful, Ichiro (he prefers to be called by his given name) also posses a gold glove and a rifle arm.

Yokohama BayStars top reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki wants to go the Major Leagues, and he should have no problem getting offers. Compiling a career 2.51 career ERA with 165 saves, the 30-year old closer has led the CL in saves three years running. In 1997, the right-hander compiled a 0.90 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 60 innings, while picking up 38 saves. In addition to a 95 mph fastball, Sasaki posses an "unhittable" forkball.

Arguably Japan's top slugger, 24-year old Yomiuri outfielder Hideki Matsui has already compiled 128 home runs, but has twice fallen one long ball short of winning his first title. Nicknamed "Godzilla" because of his pock-marked complexion, Matsui is well-known for bouncing balls off the Tokyo Dome's upper deck bleachers.

The best catcher in either league, two-time MVP Atsuya Furuta has no equals behind the plate. When healthy, the 33-year old backstop helps Yakult's mound crew post best-in-the-league ERAs. When injured, opposing batters have a field day. A career .296 batter, Furuta's clutch-hitting earned him the 1997 Japan Series MVP award.

The Hiroshima Carp are loaded with talent, and feature one of the best offenses and defenses in the league. Shortstop Kenjiro Nomura recently flirted with the idea of moving the Major Leagues but decided to stay with Hiroshima at least one more year. A career .293 hitter and solid defensive infielder, 32-year old Nomura has compiled 121 home runs with 219 steals. Prone to injury, 28-year old all-star third baseman Akira Eto twice led the league in home runs and since 1990 has compiled 193 roundtrippers and a .282 lifetime batting average.

The Carp outfield is one of the best in Japan. Tomoaki Kanemoto finished 1997 with 33 home runs while batting .301. The 30-year old right fielder has slugged 105 homers and stolen 47 bases since 1993. At age 29, Hiroshima right fielder Koichi Ogata has led the CL in steals three years running while injury-plagued 27-year old center fielder Tomonori Maeda has compiled a career .304 average since 1990.

Taking a pay cut after his disappointing debut with the Giants, first baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara has compiled 361 home runs and a career .274 average. Pampered even before his 1986 debut with the Lions, the 30-year old all-star has the maturity of someone half his age and an ego big enough to fill the Tokyo Dome.

Kiyohara's teammate and high school chum Masumi Kuwata has long wanted to try his arm in the Major Leagues but apparently gave up his dream by signing a four year contract with Yomiuri shortly after the 1997 season. Though sidelined for nearly two seasons with elbow problems, Kuwata recovered from surgery and posted a 10-7 record. Since 1986, the 30-year old right-hander has compiled a 119-92 record, 1452 strikeouts and a career 3.17 ERA.

The most successful pitcher of the 1990s, 33-year old Giants hurler Masaaki Saito appears to be slowing down. Winner of three Sawamura Awards, the three-time ERA leader has topped the CL in wins five times, including back-to-back 20-win seasons (1989-90). Suffering shoulder problems throughout 1997, the Yomiuri ace finished with his worst season in a decade (6-8, 4.11 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 58 walks in 118 1/3 innings). Since 1984, Saito has compiled a 160-84 record with 1523 strikeouts and a career 2.66 ERA.

Like Saito, 27-year old Chunichi starter Shinji Imanaka struggled through 1997, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.03 ERA in ten games. Winning the 1993 Sawamura Award, the lefty workhorse pitched 14 complete games (249 innings), going 17-7 while compiling a 2.20 ERA and leading the league with 247 strikeouts. Since 1989, Imanaka has compiled an 89-60 record, 1072 strikeouts, 371 walks and a 3.02 ERA.

While Imanaka struggled through 1997, southpaw Masahiro Yamamoto helped pick up the slack with an 18-7 record and a 2.92 ERA while leading the CL with 159 strikeouts. Winner of 1994 Sawamura Award, Yamamoto has compiled a career 106-68 record with a lifetime 3.20 ERA. Deciding not to exercise his right to free agency, Yamamoto re-signed with Chunichi, claiming he hoped to spend the rest of his career with the Dragons.

Both Yamamoto and Hawks Kimiyasu Kudo pitched erratically in 1996 and recovered the following year. A lifetime 144-78 pitcher with a 3.23 ERA and 1755 strikeouts, the Daiei lefty led the Hawks with an 11-6 record and a 3.35 ERA. On a team with miserable pitching, Kudo is the Hawks' one all-star hurler.

After pleading guilty to tax evasion with a "so what?" defense, Hawks second baseman Hiroki Kokubo may miss a large chunk of the 1997 season. And that's bad news for Daiei. Missing the 1997 home run crown by one dinger, the 26-year old slugger batted .302 with 36 homers while leading the PL with 37 doubles and 114 RBIs. Since 1994, Kokubo has belted 96 home runs, extremely impressive considering the Fukuoka Dome is probably the toughest place in Japan to drop a ball into the bleachers.

Rivaling Kokubo for the title of Japan's top second baseman, 29-year old Kazuyoshi Tatsunami hit rather poorly (.269) after the Dragons moved to the Nagoya Dome. Not much of a power hitter, Tatsunami actually hit more home runs in Chunichi's new home than in any year at cozy Nagoya Stadium since 1993. But swinging for the fences probably caused his average to drop from a career high .323 in 1996. A career .287 hitter, few Japanese infielders rival Tatsunami's defense.

Probably the fastest player in Japan, Seibu shortstop Kazuo Matsui stole 62 bases in 1997 while batting .309 and leading the league in triples. As Nigel Wilson told Mainichi Daily News columnist Dave Wiggins, giving a walk to Matsui "is as good as a home run. They [Seibu] will find a way to score him!" Nicknamed "Little" Matsui (as opposed to big Godzilla), the 23-year old lead-off hitter has stolen 133 bases in just three seasons.

Matsui's 26-year old teammate, pitcher Fumiya Nishiguchi earned the 1997 Pacific League MVP and Sawamura awards with a 15-5 record and a 3.12 ERA while leading the PL with 192 strikeouts. Posting a three-year 35-15 record, many critics thought Nishiguchi's fastball would blow the Swallows away in the 1997 Japan Series.

But two days before winning the Sawamura, Nishiguchi was out-pitched in game one of the series by Yakult power pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii. Though he missed the first two months of the season recovering from shoulder surgery, Ishii compiled a 10-4 record in 18 games with a 1.91 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings. Despite being ineligible for the league's pitching title (minimum 130 innings), the Swallows southpaw struck out more batters per game than any other starting pitcher while on average allowing the fewest hits and home runs. In a crucial game against second place Yokohama on September 2, Ishii no-hit the BayStars while striking out nine. Winning game one of the Japan Series six weeks later, Ishii three-hit the Lions while tying the Japan Series record of twelve strikeouts in a nine inning game.

Aging stars:

Though there's little chance they'll be moving to the Major Leagues, Japan also has several older all-stars playing the ninth-inning of their careers.

After playing eighteen years with Lotte, Chunichi and Yomiuri, three-time triple crown winner Hiromitsu Ochiai joined the Fighters in 1997 and collected just three home runs with a .262 average. A lifetime .313 hitter, Ochiai clubbed 508 career home runs.

Pitching for Hiroshima since 1977, Yutaka Ono has compiled a career 145-98 record with 138 saves, 1709 strikeouts, 701 walks and a 21-year 2.90 ERA. At age 42, Ono won the 1997 CL pitching title with a 2.85 ERA in 135 2/3 innings.

In the Pacific League, 36-year old Daiei center fielder Koji Akiyama has been slowing down for years but since 1981, he has clubbed 394 home runs, stolen 290 bases and compiled a career .272 batting average.

A former teammate of Akiyama and now a designated and pinch-hitter with the Kintetsu Buffaloes, 40-year old Kazunori Yamamoto has belted 172 home runs with a .283 average since 1980. A fan favorite for his clutch-hitting, Yamamoto entered the first 1996 all-star game (there were three) as a pinch-hitter and put the game away with a blast over the Fukuoka Dome's outfield wall.

Foreign players:

Ochiai and the other three veterans won't be around forever, so it's a good idea to see them play before they retire. But they may not be the only ones on their way it. It seems no matter how well foreign players perform, there's always a chance they'll be released.

Almost let go before he played his first game, Yakult left fielder Dwayne Hosey temporarily silenced critics by slugging 38 home runs and taking the 1997 CL home run crown. A fan favorite, Hosey is well-known for aggressive play on the field and joking around before and after games. During the Japan Series, Hosey received criticism for his fielding, so if the Swallows falter in 1998, look for their popular outfielder to take the fall.

Because of his overwhelming offense, third baseman Leo Gomez escaped the ax even as the Dragons fell into the CL cellar. Leading the team in virtually every batting category, Gomez batted .315 with 31 home runs and 81 RBIs.

Playing for the largely-ignored Kintetsu Buffaloes, Tuffy Rhodes and Phil Clark may not get the recognition they deserve but no pair of foreign players have been more crucial to their team's success in 1997. While Clark clubbed 23 home runs and made a late-season run for the PL batting title (eventually finishing second with a .331 average), Rhodes collected 37 doubles and 102 RBIs, batted .307 and stole 22 bases.

Both Yokohama second baseman Bobby Rose and Nippon Ham pitcher Kip Gross have been consistent performers for the past several years. Leading both leagues with a .444 on base percentage while batting .328 with 30 doubles, Rose collected 18 home runs and 99 RBIs. Since 1993, the 31-year old infielder has compiled a five-season .313 average with 90 home runs, 144 doubles and 462 RBIs. Pitching for the Fighters since 1994, Gross led the PL in wins in both 1995 and '96. In four years, the Nebraska-native has earned a 52-45 record with 353 strikeouts and a 3.58 ERA.

The Giants top pitcher in 1997, Balvino Galvez posted 12-12 record with a 3.32 ERA. One of the best hurlers with a bat, the Dominican Republic-native helped his own cause with five home runs, five doubles and 14 RBIs. In two seasons with the Giants, Galvez has gone 28-18 with a 3.18 ERA.

Though his first year with the Dragons was a bust, Dong Yol Sun had a fantastic second season. Tying Kazuhiro Sasaki for the league lead with 28 saves, the Korean ace struck out 69 batters in 63 1/3 innings while tallying a 1.28 ERA. In 1998 Sun will be joined by former Korean league Haitai Tigers teammate Jeong Bum Lee, the so-called "Ichiro of South Korea," who batted .334 in 1997 with 30 home runs and 64 steals.