We're way overdue for an Otani thread here. Some of you will remember that coming out of high school in 2012 as one of the nation's top prospects, Otani announced his intention to go straight to MLB. It seemed like a done deal, with both the Dodgers and the Sox showing a lot of interest. Then in the 2012 draft Nippon Ham drafted him anyway and, unlike Tazawa, he eventually did agree to terms, and stayed in Japan. There were all kinds of rumors about the hows and whys of that process, as it took a month to come to terms which is unusual. There was some speculation that the team or the league leaned on his family to pressure him to stay, or may have paid his family, and/or may have agreed to post him on the earlier side if he does well and is still intent on going. That exciting origin story out of the way, lets take a look at Otani the player. He is electric, and is the single biggest name in NPB at the moment.
In 2014 he became the first player in Japanese history to record double digit W's as a pitcher, and hit double digit HRs as a hitter. He had a down year at the plate last year, but this season he's taken it to another level both on the mound and at the plate. His final 2016 regular season start clinched the Pacific League #1 seed for Nippon Ham last week, as he threw a CG SHO, 1 H, 1 BB, 15 K, in 125 pitches.
From the Japan Times:
Earlier in his career, and the first part of this season, he sat comfortably around 96-97, dialing it up to 100 a few times a game when he needed to. Somewhere around mid-season he said screw it, and in one start threw 31 pitches 160 kph (99+) or higher:
Since then he broke his own domestic record on the gun, recording Japan's first ever 164-kph pitch (just under 102 mph).
That vid is obviously just those 31 pitches; to get a look at some of his other stuff, here's one from the end of last season vs Korea showing every pitch he threw. He held them hitless for the first 6 innings:
Last 3 year pitching splits:
2014 155.1 IP, 179/57 K/BB, 2.61 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
2015 160.2 IP, 196/46 K/BB, 2.24 ERA, 0.91 WHIP
2016 140 IP, 174/45 K/BB, 1.86 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
His workload was down a bit this year because of a blister issue on his finger for a few weeks, though he still hit semi-regularly during that time.
The current posting system agreement between MLB and NPB is set to expire this offseason, so who knows what it will look like if/when Otani goes after the 2017 season. But regardless, he is 6'4", 205 lbs, and just turned 22 in July, so if he posts to MLB after the end of next year, he'll still be 23 when he arrives in the majors. The hype machine will soon be in overdrive.
In 2014 he became the first player in Japanese history to record double digit W's as a pitcher, and hit double digit HRs as a hitter. He had a down year at the plate last year, but this season he's taken it to another level both on the mound and at the plate. His final 2016 regular season start clinched the Pacific League #1 seed for Nippon Ham last week, as he threw a CG SHO, 1 H, 1 BB, 15 K, in 125 pitches.
From the Japan Times:
He was playing RF 2-3 times per week in between starts for a while last year, but the Fighters eventually moved him to DH for this season. He hit leadoff a few times. He won the ASG HR derby.(That) victory left him with a 10-4 record, 1.86 ERA, and 174 strikeouts (in 140 IP). At the plate, he’s hitting .322 with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs in 323 at-bats. He can hit, he can pitch, and he might just be the most interesting man in baseball. NPB fans count their blessings to be able to watch him up close and MLB fans count the days until he (possibly) is available to North American teams.
Otani, who had a pinch-hit double the day before his whirlwind turn on the mound, is a generational talent. He can throw 163 kph and he can mash home runs. He was a pretty decent right fielder, too, before the team put the kibosh on that — lest the established order of things gets shaken up too, too much.
He can quite simply do it all. On Wednesday, he did it from the mound, and his night only added to the growing phenomenon that is Shohei Otani.
Earlier in his career, and the first part of this season, he sat comfortably around 96-97, dialing it up to 100 a few times a game when he needed to. Somewhere around mid-season he said screw it, and in one start threw 31 pitches 160 kph (99+) or higher:
Since then he broke his own domestic record on the gun, recording Japan's first ever 164-kph pitch (just under 102 mph).
That vid is obviously just those 31 pitches; to get a look at some of his other stuff, here's one from the end of last season vs Korea showing every pitch he threw. He held them hitless for the first 6 innings:
Last 3 year pitching splits:
2014 155.1 IP, 179/57 K/BB, 2.61 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
2015 160.2 IP, 196/46 K/BB, 2.24 ERA, 0.91 WHIP
2016 140 IP, 174/45 K/BB, 1.86 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
His workload was down a bit this year because of a blister issue on his finger for a few weeks, though he still hit semi-regularly during that time.
The current posting system agreement between MLB and NPB is set to expire this offseason, so who knows what it will look like if/when Otani goes after the 2017 season. But regardless, he is 6'4", 205 lbs, and just turned 22 in July, so if he posts to MLB after the end of next year, he'll still be 23 when he arrives in the majors. The hype machine will soon be in overdrive.