Little League World Series 2012: Key Players for Latin America vs. Japan

Latin America and Japan have made it to the semifinals at the 2012 Little League World Series, and both teams feature some incredibly talented young men. 

Latin America has had to play one more game than Japan in this tournament, but both teams have won three games to make it to the international championship game that will determine which one of them goes on to play in the final. 

Let's take a look at the young men who will be key factors in determining which team moves on to contend for the Little League World Series Championship. 

Noriatsu Osaka, Japan, 2B/SS/P

Osaka has been a key member of Japan's pitching staff as a reliever. He's pitched in all three of the team's games, and in just over seven innings, he's struck out 13 batters while giving up zero walks. Osaka hasn't given up a single run, either, and has one save to his name. 

As a batter, Osaka is equally skilled. For the tournament, he has an average of .364, has driven in three runs and scored one run. 

Osaka is a double threat. He is one of Japan's greatest weapons, and you can count on him to be one of the key players in the game against Latin America.

James Gonzalez, Latin America, SS/P

Gonzalez is one of the best overall players for Latin America. He is more dominant as a hitter and shortstop than he is as a pitcher, but he's no slouch on the mound, either. 

He is batting .571 during the LLWS, piling up eight hits (including three home runs and a double), eight RBI and five runs scored. He's the biggest reason Latin America have gotten this far, and without his production at the plate his team would be doomed. 

As a pitcher, Gonzalez has been a steady performer as a reliever. He's given up two runs off of three hits in five innings of work while tallying eight strikeouts and only one walk. 

Kotaro Kiyomiya, Japan, 1B/P

Kiyomiya is one of the most physically intimidating pitchers in this tournament. At 6'0" and 206 pounds, he towers over batters when he's on the mound. 

It doesn't hurt him that his fastball clocks in at around 80 miles per hour. 

Kiyomiya has pitched in just one game so far, but he's not just a one-trick pony, either. He's a dominating hitter as well. He has four hits in six at-bats so far. One of those hits was a towering home run that may have been long enough to clear the short porch in New York.

Edisson Gonzalez, Latin America, 1B/P

Gonzalez is one of the most dominant pitchers in the LLWS tourney. 

He's given up only seven hits in 10 innings of work, striking out 19 batters while only surrendering two walks. His ERA is 1.20 and he's won both of his starts. 

He's not hardly as good with a stick, but he's still managed to pitch in two RBI, while scoring two more of his own. 

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