Author Topic: The next japanese phenom  (Read 6773 times)

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Offline zimm_da_kid

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The next japanese phenom
« Topic Start: October 11, 2012, 10:26:15 PM »
Shohei Otani is apparently the next big thing in japan.  And get this, he is 6-4 190 and clocked as high as 100 as an 18 year old!
He is currently deciding between heading to the npb draft or signing with an mlb team.  If he were to sign with an mlb team he would count against the signing team's $2.9mm bonus cap.  I would just like to point out that the nats have spent little if any of their cap so far.

http://www.giantrobot.com/news/shohei-otani-throws-99-mph-pitch-in-high-school-game/

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/10/shohei-otani-deciding-between-japan-mlb.html

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #1: October 11, 2012, 10:28:09 PM »
MLB will highly discourage any team signing this guy. The NPB and MLB have an agreement not to poach the Japanese kids before they serve their time in the Japanese majors.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #2: October 11, 2012, 11:04:36 PM »
Has he posed nude yet?

Offline spidernat

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #3: October 11, 2012, 11:05:39 PM »
Don't get excited Knorr.  :lol:

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #4: October 11, 2012, 11:08:35 PM »
Actually, judging by his Darvish avatar, it's zimmdakid who would get excited

Offline zimm_da_kid

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #5: October 11, 2012, 11:20:39 PM »
he wasn't naked.

Offline Squab

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #6: October 11, 2012, 11:30:56 PM »
he wasn't naked.

You'll never live it down, just accept it. It's ok.

But seriously wow. Good motion. 99 out of the stretch at 18, that's crazy.

Offline BigMeech

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #7: October 14, 2012, 04:37:14 PM »
Sign him now.

Offline Slateman

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #8: October 14, 2012, 07:54:20 PM »
Go get him.

Offline zimm_da_kid

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #9: October 18, 2012, 03:06:46 PM »

Offline zimm_da_kid

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #10: October 19, 2012, 05:18:05 PM »
Otani's decision is supposed to be in on the 22nd. 

Offline zimm_da_kid

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #11: October 19, 2012, 08:25:55 PM »

best video I've seen of him so far.

Looks like a great fastball, a slider, hard curve, a slow curve with big looping break (almost wainwrightesque), and a filthy changeup (3:39 for a dirty change).  he's got some pretty major control issues but the stuff and potential is there for sure.  i'd love to add him to our system.

Offline Squab

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #12: October 20, 2012, 01:19:13 PM »

best video I've seen of him so far.

Looks like he can't command his fastball much above ~93. Nice little slurve, can't command the changeup either but he doesn't really need to when it's that dirty. Also I love that Japanese power pitchers have that 69mph curveball in their back pocket. He threw it for strikes quite a few times there (2:30, 3:20, 3:50), which is just unfair coming off of the other stuff.

Offline Mattionals

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #13: October 20, 2012, 04:40:27 PM »
If he comes to MLB, he goes to the minors and learns to command his pitches.  Probably won't be expensive.  If he decides to come here, I think it makes sense to try for him.  The next wave of this kid and Little Gio could be quite awesome.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #14: October 20, 2012, 06:13:16 PM »
If he comes to MLB, he goes to the minors and learns to command his pitches.  Probably won't be expensive.  If he decides to come here, I think it makes sense to try for him.  The next wave of this kid and Little Gio could be quite awesome.

I'd guess he'll be really expensive,  just like Giolitto would have been on the open market outside of a draft

Offline Tyler Durden

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #15: October 20, 2012, 06:18:20 PM »
Isn't there a salary cap for international signings?  Like $3mil, I thought.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #16: October 20, 2012, 06:24:14 PM »
Does that apply to Japan,  if so,  I'd assume he goes to the Nipon league

Offline zimm_da_kid

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #17: October 20, 2012, 07:34:14 PM »
Does that apply to Japan,  if so,  I'd assume he goes to the Nipon league

He's an amateur so it counts.  The nats have spent virtually none f their allotted $2.9mm so we could spend like 2 mil or a little more on him.  It would be more of a bonus then he would get if he went npb

Offline blue911

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #18: October 20, 2012, 07:40:43 PM »
He's an amateur so it counts.  The nats have spent virtually none f their allotted $2.9mm so we could spend like 2 mil or a little more on him.  It would be more of a bonus then he would get if he went npb

Japanese high school kids are protected from being signed by MLB teams.

Offline Kevrock

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #19: October 20, 2012, 07:44:12 PM »
Japanese high school kids are protected from being signed by MLB teams.

It is being reported that MLB teams can sign him without a posting fee.

Quote from: MLBTR
OCTOBER 19TH: Otani is set to decide between playing in MLB and staying in Japan on Monday, according to a report from Sanspo (Japanese link) passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter).

Offline blue911

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #20: October 20, 2012, 07:58:14 PM »
It is being reported that MLB teams can sign him without a posting fee.


Yeah I just went to Patrick's site. He can sign but would be barred from playing in Japan until 3 years after he left the States. Weird penalty.

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #21: October 20, 2012, 08:14:54 PM »
Yeah I just went to Patrick's site. He can sign but would be barred from playing in Japan until 3 years after he left the States. Weird penalty.

Plus, I think the NPB will send a nasty letter to the MLB or something like that.

This is against the spirit of the talent agreement they have. I'm surprised MLB is allowing it.

Offline Kevrock

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #22: October 20, 2012, 08:17:19 PM »
Yeah I just went to Patrick's site. He can sign but would be barred from playing in Japan until 3 years after he left the States. Weird penalty.

I'd stick in Japan with that penalty unless Japanese top draft picks get awful amounts of money.

Plus, I think the NPB will send a nasty letter to the MLB or something like that.

This is against the spirit of the talent agreement they have. I'm surprised MLB is allowing it.

Interesting. Are there any articles that cover that angle of this?

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #23: October 20, 2012, 08:20:17 PM »

Interesting. Are there any articles that cover that angle of this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/sports/baseball/20pitcher.html?_r=0

Quote
Many Japanese baseball officials are outraged that United States teams are courting Tazawa, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, because they insist it is long-established practice for amateurs like him to be strictly off limits to major league clubs. Even some American general managers, including the Yankees’ Brian Cashman, agree.

Of course, if you read on... the MLB doesn't seem to care if you do it or not... but I know the Japanese seem to think it as some sort of an unwritten agreement.

Offline blue911

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Re: The next japanese phenom
« Reply #24: October 20, 2012, 08:28:07 PM »
^ The Orioles were fined and the contract voided when they try to sign a Korean kid outside of what Korean officials thought was the handshake agreement they had with MLB.