Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani works in tandem with Will Ireton, who follows him all over the world as his interpreter.
Ohtani is fluent in Japanese, and his English is improving, but he still cannot speak English fluently, so he requires a translator for media and when speaking with the Dodgers organization.
Ireton has taken over as his point man, though he offers much more than just translation, as he joined Team Japan for the WBC in a strategic role.
Even with the Dodgers, Ireton is the director of player development and performance. This experience within the organization has made him a highly regarded baseball mind, and Samurai Japan hopes he can rub off on the team.
According to Japanese reporter Maya Kotani, who wrote a story for Full Count detailing Ireton’s role, the interpreter provides pre-game reports for the Japanese coaching staff.
“During pre-game meetings, he conveys information regarding opposing pitchers’ pitch sequencing, opposing fielders’ strategies, and other tactical details,” Kotani wrote.
Will Ireton’s baseball knowledge
In fact, pitching coach Kazuki Yoshimi was humbled by the amount of information, noting that he had never seen anything like it.
“Honestly—and please forgive my candor—it was nothing but information I had absolutely no prior knowledge of,” Yoshimi told Kotani.
“I thought to myself, ‘Man, I really don’t know anything.’ In Japanese baseball, too, there are reasons and logic behind how we analyze a batter’s tendencies and how we choose to attack them; however, this wasn’t on that level at all. Instead, he gives us very clear, specific instructions—for instance: ‘Let’s use this particular pitch for the first offering. Then, use this one for the second.’”
Ireton was raised in Tokyo, though his mother is Filipino and his father is Japanese-American. When the role was offered by Team Japan, he had a clear answer.
“I was born and raised right here in Tokyo. It was a truly invaluable opportunity, so I accepted immediately without a second thought. There wasn’t a single thing to hesitate about,” Ireton said.
With the Dodgers, Ireton joined as an interpreter for Kenta Maeda before taking on an organizational role in 2019, then moved to work with Ohtani and eventually earned a major league job in performance operations.
With Ireton getting the team ready, Japan hopes to defend its 2023 title and capitalize on its golden age of talent.
