Shohei Otani

[valleyofsun]

Will he end up pitching or hitting when he comes over here to MLB?

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/th...001630360.html

[Orange October]

I think I've read in the past that teams would probably like to keep him as a pitcher. If he plays in the NL though, maybe it'll be like having a DH instead of a pitcher hit!

[DaClyde]

I'm thinking he won't sign with a team that doesn't let him do both.

[StayingWarm]

OP - Care to mosey on over to the thread about you setting up shill bidding accounts and address those, rather than engaging here? We'd all love to see you set the story straight.

[PejaD]

Is he the Japanese version of MadBum?

NPB pitchers have been more successful than NPB hitters in making the transition to MLB, so I'm going to guess he won't really be looked at seriously as a position player.

[JWBlue]

Scouts say he will be a pitching prospect.

[texmcpherson]

I figure he'll be looked at for pitching since that comes a little more rare than hitters. If he ends up in the NL then that's just a plus.

[Birdmandig]

When will he be posted? 2018 at earliest?

[Wrightfan85]

The 2080 Baseball blog (made by some of the BP crew) thinks he's a top of the rotation starter:
Shohei Ohtani | 2080 Baseball

[wadedaniel84]

I think He'll come over and help schill your auctions.

[Ty Hope]

[markinca]

Dave Cameron on Fangraphs did a pretty good article about Otani a couple weeks ago.

[suplexcity]

Originally Posted by PejaD

Is he the Japanese version of MadBum?

NPB pitchers have been more successful than NPB hitters in making the transition to MLB, so I'm going to guess he won't really be looked at seriously as a position player.

He is pitching like Yu Darvish, hitting like Hideki Matsui.
22HRs/288AB this season. More polished as a hitter than MadBum.

[xbignick]

I already drafted him like two years ago. He's my Bumgarner.

[bobthewondercat]

MadBum, eh?

More like Kershaw as a pitcher and more like Trout as a hitter


Obviously NPB is not MLB but this is totally unprecedented in Japan and incredible to watch unfold.


Best baseball story of 2016!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VeedonFleece]

Originally Posted by bobthewondercat

More like Kershaw as a pitcher and more like Trout as a hitter

Steady on! You're comparing him with two guys who are on a clear path to the HoF. I agree that it's a great story and am as excited as the next man to see him in MLB. That said, I read an article that said while he had been the best pitcher in NPB this year, he 'only' rates as about the 4th best hitter - terrible, i know! I also read someone's chat (possibly KLaw) that said he wouldn't be in the top 100 prospects if they were ranking him solely as a hitter. Whatever the case, one would have to think the NL would be his preferred destination, unless an AL team is prepared to let him DH occasionally, assuming Otani wants to continue hitting.

I do hope the changes to the posting system don't delay his making the move, but the financial incentives to NPB teams to release their stars isn't nearly as great as when Matsuzaka and Darvish were going for crazy money. Think it'll be 2018 at the earliest but hope I'm wrong.

[Ottomatic]

If he can truly hit, then the AL makes more sense than the NL because he could DH on off days. If he's more like MadBum where he would be awful as an everyday hitter, but his line for a pitcher is amazing then obviously the NL is better.

Maybe the Phillies will finally get one of these big international guys.

[okumeister]

Ohtani sets NPB record with 102.5 mile pitching (165km/h)
He was DH-ing whole throughout the game, but came on as a closer at the end.
With him closing out the game, the Nippon Ham Fighters now advance to the Nippon Series (NPB version of World Series).

As good as his fastball is, he got nasty slider and a fork ball that runs 94miles.
The first batter that struck out was 3rd baseman of Softbank Hawks - Matsuda who was considering to come to the Majors in the last off-season, but at the end decided to stick with his current team (with 3.8 mill x 4 year deal).

The video's voices are all in Japanese, but it shows the full 9th inning pitching of Ohtani.
I didn't upload the video myself, but thought some of you might enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UyK8IGGJNw

[dhcollecting]

will he come over soon or will he have to wait like other japanese players until he is 26/27?

[Skipscards]

Originally Posted by Ottomatic

If he can truly hit, then the AL makes more sense than the NL because he could DH on off days. If he's more like MadBum where he would be awful as an everyday hitter, but his line for a pitcher is amazing then obviously the NL is better.

Maybe the Phillies will finally get one of these big international guys.

90% this ^^^^^ (everything but the Phils)

Originally Posted by okumeister

Ohtani sets NPB record with 102.5 mile pitching (165km/h)
He was DH-ing whole throughout the game, but came on as a closer at the end.
With him closing out the game, the Nippon Ham Fighters now advance to the Nippon Series (NPB version of World Series).

As good as his fastball is, he got nasty slider and a fork ball that runs 94miles.
The first batter that struck out was 3rd baseman of Softbank Hawks - Matsuda who was considering to come to the Majors in the last off-season, but at the end decided to stick with his current team (with 3.8 mill x 4 year deal).

The video's voices are all in Japanese, but it shows the full 9th inning pitching of Ohtani.
I didn't upload the video myself, but thought some of you might enjoy.

I imbedded the video for you.

[okumeister]

Originally Posted by dhcollecting

will he come over soon or will he have to wait like other japanese players until he is 26/27?

With the NPB rule, players can only get their overseas FA rights after playing in Japan for 9 years, so if he goes by that rule, yeah he will be around 27 yrs old by the time he comes to the US.
But, if the team (Nippon Ham Fighters) wait till then and lets him go by FA, there will be no money coming into themselves, so it is likely that they will let him go little earlier by using the posting system, like the case of Tanaka/Maeda/Darvish and maybe many others.

In Ohtani's case especially, he was announcing that he will go to the Majors (or American baseball including Minors) after his graduation from high school.
So, nobody else except Nippon Ham Fighters drafted him.
Nippon Ham Fighters persuaded Ohtani to join the team by telling him, that he can play in Japan for several years, and it won't be too late to try out for the Majors after then. I think there was some kind of promise/deal to let him go to the Majors little early too, though I'm not too sure how firm that was.
Nippon Ham Fighters used their 1st round draft pick towards Ohtani, and it turned out to be a success.

There is also weird rule in NPB that, if you go straight to Majors (or maybe any overseas baseball) without playing in NPB, you cannot play in NPB for 2 years after you come back to Japan.
So, Tazawa playing Red Sox won't be able to play in Japan for at least 2 years if he decides to return to Japan.
This might have had slight effect on Ohtani's decision, while he knew that already when he had initially announced that he will skip NPB to try out for the Majors.

With the above special circumstances in mind as well, I think Nippon Ham Fighters will let him go little earlier than they have to by the posting system.
Many Japanese people see him as NPB's treasure now, but they still wish to see him dive into the Majors as soon as possible rather than stay in Japan.

[okumeister]

Originally Posted by Skipscards

90% this ^^^^^ (everything but the Phils)


I imbedded the video for you.

Thanks man

[Skipscards]

Originally Posted by okumeister

Thanks man

You're welcome.

[enyouartist]

Wow. I watched the above video: FYI: 165klph is converted to 102mph!!!

[dhcollecting]

probably irrelevant question...are all Japanese baseball stadiums indoors?