The native of "the city of bridges" knows Japanese baseball like few others; he knows the weight that the distance from family has, also, he knows every mile he has traveled from the second team to the first team. But it`s all worth it when you do it all for one goal: to play baseball every day.
Every morning when the alarm clock in his room rings relentlessly, Ariel Martínez Camacho prepares for another day of the regular season. After a hearty breakfast, he gets ready to go to the place where he feels best when he is away from his family: the baseball field. It`s been five years since he first arrived in the city of Nagoya, and since then he has done nothing but sacrifice for his dream: to play every day. Baseball is the biggest dues collector there is, but sometimes it doesn`t deliver the rewards.
After 125 games in the Western League, the Chunichi Dragons` second-team league, the matancero is finally getting a real chance in the Japanese League (NPB). "My goal is to play every day, now that I am achieving it gives me a lot of satisfaction. As long as I play every day I am sure that the results will come, I have a lot of confidence in me," Ariel told OnCuba.
The road has not been easy in Japan, but, despite the obstacles, the Yumurino is achieving success in a new role and with a different approach. His offensive line (Average/Hitting Average/Slugging/Slugging/OPS) has been .291/.365/.464/.829 in 222 appearances, which he has distributed in 63 games (his highest amount in a season). By modern metrics, Ariel Jose Martinez Camacho has been 57 times better than the average hitter.
The most amazing thing has not even been his performance at home plate, after all, every time he was given the opportunity to play in previous years he performed well offensively. The pleasant surprise has been his change of position to an unthinkable place: left field.
"Since last year I was already training to defend the outfield, because since I came to the first team in 2020 the manager always wanted me to be an outfielder. Honestly, I play wherever, what makes me happy is to play every day and be able to help in some way," said Ariel Martínez Camacho.
His defensive metrics in the left field are good, if we go by UZR (the best defensive meter we have in NPB) his score would be 0.5. If we look at his above average range it is 1.4. That`s great for a player who had only totaled one game in the outfield in the National Series.
"Ariel is a driving force for the team, always, his joy is contagious in the clubhouse. The opportunity they are giving him this year has been fundamental, first because he contributes offensively and second, because he has defended well in the outfield. He is very complete," said Raidel Martínez, who is Chunichi`s closer and one of the league`s best stoppers.
If anyone has followed Ariel Martínez Camacho`s career since he arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun, it is Yuichi Terawaki. The 32-year-old is dedicated to collecting photos of Cuban players, in addition, he attends almost every game of the Chunichi Dragons.
"Ariel is a player made for NPB, especially because he knows and understands every training method. It`s been almost five years since he came here on a minor league contract. Since then, his serious and cheerful personality was accepted by the franchise, establishing a solid position," Yuichi, who considers himself a biographer of Martinez, told us.
Another person who is amazed with the new version of Ariel is Camagüeyan pitcher Yariel Rodríguez. "He is having an amazing season, no one expected him to settle in so well in the outfield as he is doing. Regarding his offensive level, it has always been high, of course, if he plays consistently more those numbers stand out."
Nagoya`s team is full of talented young players, among them, several West Indians stand out. In addition to Yariel, Ariel and Coujil, there are also Pedro Pablo Revilla, Guillermo Garcia and Frank Abel Alvarez, who are advancing in their development process.
"This year has been difficult, despite having a good pitching, it has failed us in key moments, the batting continues to be a point against us. However, the future of the franchise looks promising. We have not thrown in the towel yet because there is still a full half and we will try to win as many games as possible to reach the playoffs", assured Ariel, aware of the difficulty of the challenge, since they are last in the Central League.
The Dragons have not won a title since 2007 and have not qualified for the post-season since 2012. As Ariel Martínez Camacho explained, there is work to be done, at least, the use they are making of Cubans is correct.
"Since I have been a Dragons player I feel I am better in all aspects. My offense has progressed along with the defense and I have learned to be a versatile player," said Ariel. As the same versatility helped the Yumurino to get more opportunities, it will also help other youngsters coming to any team in the Japanese circuit.
"Since I have been a Dragons player I feel that I am better in all aspects. My offense has progressed along with my defense and I have learned to be a versatile player," said Ariel. As the same versatility helped the Yumurino to get more opportunities, it will also help other young players coming to any team in the Japanese circuit.
"Versatility helps to find the space to play. You are not competing against the rivals only, also, you are doing it against the imports of your team since there are only four foreigners on the active roster. So, if you can cover multiple positions you have more opportunities. In Central League teams, where there is no designated hitter, then versatility becomes more valuable".
Ariel Martínez Camacho`s message is not only for young players coming to NPB, in MLB, that modus operandi with prospects has become a pattern. Players who debut have had to adapt to various positions and we have several examples to illustrate that (from Nick Sencell to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.).
The native of "the city of bridges" knows Japanese baseball like few others; he knows the weight that the distance from family has, also, he knows every mile he has traveled from the second team to the first team. But it`s all worth it when you do it all for one goal: to play baseball every day.
"I want to help my team, I want to be a part of every win and how can I accomplish that? Only one way, by playing every day. That`s my goal."
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