Original Article in Daily Sports HERE 元の記事はこちら
It’s that time of year when Hanshin reloads its roster. Players come and players go, and the expectations on new import talent is sky-high. The way things have gone lately, one can’t help but reminisce fondly on the days when Matt Murton was in the heart of the lineup, churning out hits at a record-setting pace. Since he left the Tigers at the end of the 2015 campaign, the team has yet to keep an import hitter in the lineup for an entire season, let alone the six that Murton stayed for.
Ah, Murton. Not only was he an incredible hitter, but a great human being and a fan favorite. Known for his post-game hero interviews which ended with words like “IESU SAMA WA WATASHI NO CHIKARA DESU,” his Christianity was never kept a secret.
In fact, his faith brought him to Japan in the first place back in 2010, and he answered that same call again this past September when he spent a few days here encouraging the people who suffered through an earthquake on June 18 and a record-setting typhoon on July 5. He also spent some time catching up with old teammates while they were on the road in Yokohama.
But who’s catching up with Matt? What is he doing now, three years after returning to America? We sat down with Mr. Murton to talk about the adjustments he’s made to life “back home.”
After attempting to make a return to the majors in 2016 (playing for the Cubs’ AAA team), Murton played briefly with the Detroit Tigers’ AAA club before being released in early 2017. That offseason, he announced his retirement from the game as a player, but also his new position as the Chicago Cubs’ Baseball Operations Assistant. What exactly does that mean, you ask? Well, he spends much of his time evaluating amateur players for the draft, as well as looking at players within the organization and throughout professional baseball. At times, he is at ground level with Cubs-signed guys, helping them with their hitting.
While not as rigorous as an MLB or NPB travel schedule, he is still on the road for 50+ days a year, though never for more than a week at a time. It hasn’t been a huge adjustment for his family, who was already used to him being away from home. For Murton personally, it has taken some time to get comfortable with “playing baseball” on the other side of the game, but it’s slowly becoming more and more familiar with each passing day.
The position is not one that has lent itself to a predictable daily routine, but often data analysis, meetings, and watching baseball from the stands are part of a typical work day. He believes one of his true challenges is to properly evaluate players for who they are, rather than what they are perceived to be. He says he is always looking for the intricate details as to why something works, as well as how the players are wired.
For a man of character like Matt Murton, finding other quality baseball men seems to play perfectly to his strengths.