The Japanese media contingent for Koji Uehara's exhibition debut this spring is a little smaller than last year. Make that a lot smaller. There are seven Japanese reporters and broadcasters in Port Charlotte. Last year, there were a couple dozen Japanese media members in attendance for his first start.
The explanation is two-fold. The level of attention is higher the first year a Japanese player spends in the majors, and Uehara has been moved to the bullpen, which will make him tougher to cover this year because the reporters will not know when he's going to pitch. That's a problem because most of the Japanese reporters travel around and cover several players on several teams.