Junichi Tazawa

From SoSH

Junichi Tazawa (born June 6, 1986 in Yokohama, Japan), was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent on December 4, 2008.

Contents 1 Scouting Report 2 Japanese Career 3 Minor League Career 3.1 Minor League Awards 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Scouting Report

• Small-framed Japanese pitcher with very good potential and top-notch secondary offerings. In an unprecedented move, Tazawa asked his home country pro teams to refrain from drafting him in order to allow him to pitch in the United States directly from the amateur ranks. He signed with Boston despite receiving larger offers from several other U.S. clubs. His delivery is somewhat unconventional, similar to Michael Bowden's. His arm lags behind his shoulder and he has an abrupt whipping action down from his elbow as he releases the ball. His follow through isn't all that smooth. However, his lower body has solid mechanics and stays balanced throughout his motion. He pitches almost exclusively out of the stretch, but the team has only started with Tazawa working out of the windup. Tazawa makes use of an 88-92 mph fastball that works inward on righties. It flattens out at higher velocities. Presently it's about average, but it has some plus potential. His secondary stuff is very advanced for his age, and he relies on it heavily. He mixes in an excellent low-80s backdoor slider, a nice low-70s curve (his out pitch), and occasionally makes use of an above average forkball (basically a split-fingered change-up). His forkball has awesome potential. He has excellent command, and likes to paint corners similar to Daisuke Matsuzaka, one of his idols. A couple things to watch as Tazawa moves through the system is how he adapts to pitching from the windup and how well he responds to bad innings. ~ SoxProspects.com

Japanese Career

• Update

Minor League Career

• 2009: Update

Minor League Awards

• 2009 Futures Game All-Star
• 2009 Eastern League All-Star

Trivia

• First Name Pronounced: Joo-neesh-ee

Transactions

• December 4, 2008: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent.

External Links

• Junichi Tazawa - Minor League Information Courtesy of Sox Prospects