Okay—quick pause. Yes, Otani, a multi-millionaire and one of the most recognizable celebrities in Japan, lives in a dorm not unlike the one you inhabited during university. It’s not uncommon for NPB players under the age of 25 to live in team residences and even generational talents like Otani are not exempt from such treatment. In-season, Otani stays at the Fighters major-league facilities in Hokkaido and out-of-season he sleeps at the complex in Kamagaya. If he wants to leave the dorm, he must first secure permission, either directly from his manager, Hideki Kuriyama, or from another team official if Kuriyama isn’t around. This doesn’t happen often, as Otani dislikes the attention he receives in public and has everything he wants at the Fighters complex—food, a gym, rehab facilities, entertainment. He says instead of going out, he fills his free time reading about training and nutrition or watching films about sports, such as his favourites: Rudy and Remember the Titans. He’s never been witnessed enjoying Japanese nightlife despite the entire media beat dedicated to covering his every move. (Reporters tailed him to the airport when he recently renewed his passport.) He doesn’t even have a driver’s license. “If he was up to anything, people would find out,” Coskrey says. “There’s been no scandals, no controversy. He’s just as normal a kid as you can possibly be—humble, mild-mannered, down to earth, even-keeled.”
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But here’s the thing about Otani: money doesn’t motivate him. He’s earned millions playing ball in Japan, and by the looks of it he hasn’t spent a dime. He doesn’t own a car and he’s no connoisseur of high fashion. “Personally, I don’t care about money,” Otani says. “But this is not only my problem.”
Otani’s deeply aware his decision could affect future Japanese players who want to make a jump to MLB. “I don’t want to make a decision for me; I want to make a decision for them,” he says. “I want to be a role model.” He doesn’t want to come across as detached from Japanese baseball or as a player already looking beyond his time with the Fighters. He also doesn’t want to take a stand against the new rules or leverage his talent to lobby for a fairer deal, afraid it could hurt those who want to follow in his trail. Truly, he doesn’t want to let anybody down. The money is hardly a concern. “It’s going to be a tough decision for me—I’m going to be the first guy under the new system and new rules to go over there,” Otani says. “This is going to be for everybody who plays baseball in Japan. I can’t make a decision personally.”