23 replies to this topic

[Hairps]

The Red Sox are also eyeing right-hander Kenshin Kawakami, a free agent from the Chunichi Dragons in Japan who is often compared to Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. ...

http://www.baseballp...?articleid=8269

[Hairps]

Kawakami career stats

NPB Tracker's Kawakami profile

Stuff
Kawakami isn’t overpowering; his fastball tops out in the low 90’s. His control is good, though not quite as awe-inspiring as Koji Uehara’s. And his windup isn’t deceptive, like many Japanese pitchers. Kawakami gets by purely on quality stuff.

Kawakami’s featured pitch is a cut fastball, which, according to Wikipedia, is known as Japan’s finest among visiting MLB All-Stars. He also has a slow curve, which he throws at 65-70 MPH. The rest of his arsenal is fairly typical: fastball, shuuto, fork. He changes speeds pretty well, particularly between his curve and harder stuff.

http://www.npbtracke...wakami/#content

Edited by Hairps, 29 October 2008 - 11:37 AM.

[GoWhalers]

East Windup Chronicle did a little scouting report on Kawakami a while back and had this to say:

Kenshin Kawakami - Japan's highest paid starter for the champion Chunichi Dragons (he made around $3MM) mixes a fastball, cutter, and curveball. His fastball runs around 87 and his curve is very slow. He's known as a big game pitcher and always challenges hitters. He was 12-8 with a 3.55 ERA in 2007, but the K/BB ratio was an appealing 6.3 in 167 2/3 IP. He's a HR prone strikeout pitcher. Kawakami has been healthy for the past four seasons.

Hearing this worries me a little, as HR prone strikeout pitcher with high 80s heat Kei Igawa saw how well that skillset transferred to the majors. Maybe the separation on the curve will help him avoid the same fate.

He seems pretty interested in coming to the red sox if these comments from a while ago are any indication.

Forgive me if this was talked about in the article, I don't have a BP subscription.

edit:
Just for fun here's the career stats of the two in japan.

Table

Player	Games	Starts*	Wins	Losses	Win%	AB	Innings	Hits	HRs	BB	Ks	ER	ERA	K/9	BB/9	WHIP
Kawakami	237	198	103	67	0.606	2411	1525	1444	158	326	1216	557	3.29	7.18	1.92	1.16
Igawa	190	144	86	60	0.589	2973	1244	1149	116	395	1174	435	3.15	8.49	2.86	1.24

Edited by GoWhalers, 29 October 2008 - 12:54 PM.

[Hairps]

The Sox also have interest in Kenshin Kawakami, a 33-year-old righty for the Chunichi Dragons who went 9-5 with a 2.30 ERA last season. Kawakami is a Hiroki Kuroda-type pitcher with a cut fastball and good curveball who could man the No. 4 or 5 spot in the Sox rotation.

http://www.boston.co...-- Red Sox news

[mabrowndog]

9-5 with a 2.30 ERA last season

The rest of his 2008 stats: 20 starts, 117.1 IP, 99 H, 11 HR, 112 K, 25 BB.

FWIW, he missed 3 weeks in April due to “illness”, and another 3 weeks in Sept with a strained back.

Edited by mabrowndog, 06 November 2008 - 12:06 PM.

[dylanmarsh]

Since there isn't much on Kawakami, I figured I'd add Keith Law's insider view on him. Law has him ranked 42 out of 50 free agents:

Kawakami reminds me too much of Kei Igawa to ignore it, but he's here on the basis of a pretty strong track record of missing bats in Japan. He sits in the upper 80s with a very straight fastball; he's been more homer-prone in Japan than Igawa was, and that pitch's lack of movement is the major reason why.

He throws a potentially above-average cutter and can generate some ground balls with it, but it's not a clear out pitch. None of his offerings (he also throws a slow curve and a forkball with good-not-great diving action) is good enough to project that he'll strike out hitters here as he did in Nippon Professional Baseball. He throws a ton of strikes and was mostly durable through his career in Japan, although he missed some time in September with back trouble. He's a back-end starter for a National League club.

The Igawa spin is worrisome.

[saintnick912]

I'm also concerned about any JPL pitcher featuring a forkball. Isn't the ball there smaller, and/or the surface different? I remember hearing of that with Matsuzaka arriving here and having to alter some grips for the MLB ball. The forkball is rare in the majors, and I'm inclined to think there's a reason why.

[Resonance Wright]

Since there isn't much on Kawakami, I figured I'd add Keith Law's insider view on him. Law has him ranked 42 out of 50 free agents:
The Igawa spin is worrisome.

I remember hearing two things about Igawa that aren't necessarily going to be the case here -- one, he had a makeup issue and two that Guidry messed him up.

[SoxScout]

The Red Sox are adding two quality Japanese pitchers – 22-year-old Junichi Tazawa and 33-year-old Kenjin Kawakami.

Don't know what's up with that line.... http://www.metronews.../article/148823

[SoxScout]

Marty York, the author of the line I just posted, sent me a message saying that the Kawakami information is based on his own information and not on any other reports. I asked because he wrote "Kenjin" the same way the Herald did this morning.

[ngruz25]

I'm also concerned about any JPL pitcher featuring a forkball. Isn't the ball there smaller, and/or the surface different? I remember hearing of that with Matsuzaka arriving here and having to alter some grips for the MLB ball. The forkball is rare in the majors, and I'm inclined to think there's a reason why.

One of the best forkballs in recent years was thrown by Hideo Nomo.

[67WasBest]

Nikkan Sports, one of Tokyo's biggest daily sports/entertainment newspapers, is reporting that Red Sox have offered Kenshin Kawakami a 3-year, $21-million deal.

http://www.boston.co...as/extra_bases/

[grantb]

According to a baseball source, the report by Nikkan Sports that the Sox have a three-year, $21 million offer out to Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami is not accurate. The Sox apparently have not made an offer to Kawakami.

http://www.boston.co...as/extra_bases/

[SoxFanPJ]

Braves may be in pursuit if Kawakami after loosing out on Burnett.

The Braves are competing for his services along with some of the usual suspects including the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and Orioles. But before you see Boston mentioned and assume he’ll follow Tazawa and join Dice-K in Beantown, it’s worth noting that the Braves are particularly motivated to improve their rotation.

“We had a very productive conversation with the Braves during the Winter Meetings,” said Kawakami’s agent Dan Evans, a former major league GM. “They made a very solid presentation and Frank Wren demonstrated a very good feel for Japanese baseball. That won some points [with Kawakami].”

http://www.ajc.com/b...r_smoltz_w.html

Edited by SoxFanPJ, 13 December 2008 - 03:47 PM.

[OttoC]

From the Washington Post today:

According to Patrick Newman over at NPB Tracker, the Orioles have made their final offer to Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, extending an incentive-laden deal that caps their chase of the starter, who has spent his entire career in Japan.

Newman cites shoulder concerns as the reason for a lower base salary and numerous incentives based on appearances and performance.

NBP Tracker also notes that the Orioles "are interested in Koji Uehara as a starter, and Baltimore was the only club to show any interest in catcher Ryoji Aikawa at all."

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Braves may be in pursuit if Kawakami after loosing out on Burnett.
http://www.ajc.com/b...r_smoltz_w.html

Lock it:

Kenshin Kawakami, 33, a right-hander, has reached an agreement with the Braves and will fly to Atlanta for a physical Monday, two people familiar with the situation confirmed. It’s believed to be a three-year deal, with an announcement expected Monday or Tuesday.