ORIX Buffaloes “Super Ace” Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25, will be eligible to play in the Major Leagues after completing all of this season’s schedule. The Oryx announced after Game 7 of the Japan Series against the Hanshin Tigers on Friday that Yamamoto has been granted permission to move to the major leagues via post. It’s a move that was expected when he re-signed with the team last winter for an annual salary of 650 million yen. 650 million yen is the highest salary in Nippon Professional Baseball this year.
He was at the top of his game before heading to the major leagues. In March, he played for Japan in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and helped them win the title. Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels free agent) and Darvish Yu (San Diego) were the main pitchers and confirmed their international competitiveness.
With no WBC hangover, he continued his “monster pitching” for his team. Started 23 games with 16 wins, a 1.21 ERA, 169 strikeouts, and a 7-2 record. For the third consecutive year, he led the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and win percentage. Won the Sawamura Award, which recognizes top pitchers, for the third consecutive year. Threw his second career no-hitter against the Chiba Lotte Marines in September.
Yamamoto has the numbers to show for his dominant pitches. In 164 innings pitched, he gave up just two home runs and struck out 28 batters. He finished 21 of his 23 games with a quality start (6+ innings pitched, 3 earned runs or less). It’s an unrivaled performance that’s hard to compare. 아톰카지노 주소
Born in 1998, he accomplished almost everything at age 25. He’s even done the last bit of homework. He pitched a nine-inning, 138-pitch, one-run shutout in Game 6 of the four-game Japan Series, his first win in five games after struggling in the series.
Major League Baseball teams are interested. Several U.S. outlets have Yamamoto ranked as the No. 1 free agent this offseason, behind only Ohtani.
I put it in second place. It’s gotten almost as much attention as Otani. And for good reason. Yamamoto throws a full arsenal of pitches, including a forkball, slider, and curveball, with a fastball that tops out at 159 kilometers per hour.
He hasn’t had any major injuries at the young age of 25, and he’s got great command of his pitches. That’s why most media outlets and pundits are predicting a 6-7 year, $200+ million contract.
Despite the praise, there are skeptics. This is the repertoire of Japanese pitchers every time they reach the major leagues. In Japan’s domestic leagues, starting pitchers pitch once a week, but in the majors, they are constantly on a five-man rotation. The short intervals between starts make it difficult to stay in top form.
The number of games is also different. Nippon Professional Baseball has 143 games per team, while Major League Baseball has 162. You have to adapt and overcome traveling distances and jet lag.
1.78 meters, 80 kilograms. Yamamoto is relatively small for a pitcher. He’s dwarfed by major league pitchers, many of whom are over 1.90 meters tall. While being big isn”t a requirement to be a good pitcher, it”s certainly an advantage. If you”re smaller, you may not have the power, stamina, and durability to be a good pitcher.
He”s even smaller than the Japanese pitchers currently playing in the major leagues. Ohtani is 1.93 meters, Darvish is 1.96 meters, and Senga Ko
Dai (New York Mets) is 1m85, Yusei Kikuchi (Toronto) is 1m83, Genta Maeda (Minnesota FA) is 1m85, and Shintaro Fujinami (Baltimore FA) is 1m98. ,
While some recognize Yamamoto’s ability, others see him as a second or third starter, not a first. The view is that he’s a good pitcher, but $200 million is an “overpay”.
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