New Baseball School Trains Future Nomos

Seeking to take advantage of the burgeoning Japan-America baseball connection, Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Reggie Smith is continuing a series of clinics for amateur Japanese ballplayers.

More than 100 players, most age 13 to 18, have attended 10-day sessions of the daily camp over the past year. Smith, who played two seasons in Japan and has gotten to know Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo as a coach, said he conceived the for-profit camp to help young players frustrated by Japan’s limited avenues. The country has just a dozen minor league teams, a small fraction of the number in the U.S.

“We’re trying to give them an opportunity to catch up,” Smith said during a break in hitting drills Tuesday at the Encino Little League fields. “They’re absolutely dreaming” of big league success.

Hironori Taniguchi, a 23-year-old catcher from Sapporo, has drawn interest from some major league scouts. He gave the clinic a good review.

“Everybody here has really helped me,” he said through an interpreter. “In Japan, players are really small and we’re trying to go up against these big American players. But pretty soon, with this kind of instruction, size won’t matter.”

Smith’s son, Reggie Smith Jr., is baseball coach at Montclair College Prep in Van Nuys. Many clinic participants have come from Montclair and the school has helped arrange for academic instruction for players who stay more than a couple of weeks.

Despite this new chapter, Smith has lately had trouble organizing his clinics.

Last year, he announced plans to relocate his Baseball Development Center in Woodland Hills to a 100,000-square-foot facility in Warner Center. After great fanfare, including endorsements from Dodger greats Tom Lasorda, Bill Russell, Manny Mota and others, the plans were scrapped because Smith’s financial partners failed to secure the necessary funding.

Organizers of the Encino venture say it is running smoothly.

“These kids know baseball and are impressed to get such expert instruction,” said assistant instructor Hiro Misawa. “Many of our players hope to be in the majors someday, and they are delighted to not only receive instruction but to be given some insights on the discipline needed to make it in ‘the show.’ ”