2022 Asian Leagues: NPB, KBO, CPBL

Awesome Fossum

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Also checking in on Carter Stewart, the MLB 8th overall pick in 2018 from Florida who decided to go to Japan rather than MiLB or college. Looks like he had a pretty solid 2021 in the Western League and a rough Pacific League debut for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Although 36 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. Hoping he can put in a full season in the big league this year

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=stewar004car
 

jon abbey

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(That account was a Japanese scout for the Yankees for a while.)
 

Tokyo Sox

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I was coming to post these. He just threw the first perfect game in Japan since 1994. 19 K's in the end, tying the Japanese record. 13 in a row at one point as noted, which is a new record. Fastball was sitting 99, dialing up to 101.5+. Splitter was also working great.

Here are the 13 in a row:
View: https://twitter.com/lovelovemarines/status/1513041693372989440?s=20&t=RpG--pbrlBEK3Hpe94leWw
 

Tokyo Sox

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Also checking in on Carter Stewart, the MLB 8th overall pick in 2018 from Florida who decided to go to Japan rather than MiLB or college. Looks like he had a pretty solid 2021 in the Western League and a rough Pacific League debut for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Although 36 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. Hoping he can put in a full season in the big league this year

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=stewar004car
Thanks for starting the thread btw. I didn't do a thread last year, and my Tokyo Yakult Swallows won the Japan Series for the first time in 20 years! Here is the 2020 thread in which I said I was paying attention to four youngsters in particular:
A few young players I'll be following this year:
Carter Stewart - the pitcher who bypassed the US minors to go straight to the SoftBank Hawks. He spent last year on the AA-equivalent team (san-gun) but is starting in AAA-equiv (ni-gun) this year, and is expected to see some time with the big club if all goes well.

Rohki Sasaki - this kid was throwing 102mph as a 16-yo and attracted MLB scouts, one of whom told me at the time that if you needed him to get 6 outs in the bigs right now, he could do it. He's 18 now and with the first team of the Chiba Lotte Marines, though he hasn't appeared yet this season.

And a couple of my local Tokyo Yakult Swallows youngsters, 20yo 3B/1B Munetaka Murakami who hit 36 HR last year as a 19-year old and who I think will be Stateside in 4-5 years, and 19yo RHP Yasunobu Okugawa who was a Koshien star. He struck out 23 in a 14 inning CG in Koshien, and also notably K'd 18 Canadians in 7 IP in last year's U18 World Cup.
Apart from Stewart, they have all shined. Murakami won the Central League MVP last year, slashing .278/.408/.566 and tying for the league lead in HR with 39, as a 21-yo. He became the youngest player ever to 100 career HR.

Okugawa won the CLCS MVP in November by throwing a Maddux in the opener.

Roki Sasaki had a pretty good year last year after getting the call up, starting 11 games and posting a 2.27 ERA/1.06 WHIP with 68 K in 63.1 IP. And then of course there was today, with what yakyuu Twitter is calling possibly the single best game ever pitched in Japan. I switched it on when I saw tweets about 10 K's in a row after 4 IP. It was edge of your seat stuff the rest of the way. Here are all 27 outs:

View: https://twitter.com/chibalotte/status/1513073144885837829?s=20&t=kcqtcB0TduoqMKZfNdI7Ew
 

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After throwing NPB's first perfect game in 28 years last Sunday, Roki Sasaki took the mound today and picked up right where he left off. He threw 8 perfect innings, with 14 K's, and then...didn't come out for the 9th. He was on 102 pitches, and it was 0-0. Chiba manager Tadahito Iguchi will have a lot of questions to answer. I think everyone understands why he was pulled, but hates it anyway. The kid was three outs (and a run) away from back to back perfect games.

He has now retired 52 straight batters, striking out 34 of them.
 

Awesome Fossum

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That's unbelievable (both that he did it and that he was pulled). He was just pulled for pitch count? I don't know how you can deny someone a chance at that kind of history.
 

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That's unbelievable (both that he did it and that he was pulled). He was just pulled for pitch count? I don't know how you can deny someone a chance at that kind of history.
Pitch count and situation apparently as he threw 105 last week and was on 102 yesterday, but also it was 0-0 and there was no guarantee he'd get the perfecto even if he did throw a clean 9th. But yes, I think you have to give him the chance and then hope they can walk it off in the bottom half.

How would someone in the United States who wanted to watch his next start go about it?
There are probably ways to stream it for free but Pacific League TV might be your safest bet if you don't mind spending a couple bucks. They do daily or monthly subs. Jim Allen has a PLTV sign up explainer on his blog: https://jballallen.com/japanese-baseball-guide/pacific-league-tv/ or you can let me know if you have any questions. Again I'm sure there are streams (of varying legitimacy) but I don't know what they are, sorry.
 

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Pitch count and situation apparently as he threw 105 last week and was on 102 yesterday, but also it was 0-0 and there was no guarantee he'd get the perfecto even if he did throw a clean 9th. But yes, I think you have to give him the chance and then hope they can walk it off in the bottom half.


There are probably ways to stream it for free but Pacific League TV might be your safest bet if you don't mind spending a couple bucks. They do daily or monthly subs. Jim Allen has a PLTV sign up explainer on his blog: https://jballallen.com/japanese-baseball-guide/pacific-league-tv/ or you can let me know if you have any questions. Again I'm sure there are streams (of varying legitimacy) but I don't know what they are, sorry.
Didn’t Dice-K throw tons of pitches while in Japan? My memory is hazy but perhaps that was in HS? Do Japanese teams focus on pitch counts as much as we do here? I’ve been to a few Yomiuri Giants games and but the ones I went to didn’t have someone going deep.
 

finnVT

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Trying to parse the current rules, and curious if I've got this right (or close)-- he's not likely to be eligible to come to MLB freely until he has 9 years of pro experience there; he can be posted before that, but given the international bonus pool restrictions, that seems unlikely to be an appealing proposition for his NPB team. So seems like the earliest he'd likely to be available is once he's 25yo and the bonus pool rules no longer apply?
 

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Didn’t Dice-K throw tons of pitches while in Japan? My memory is hazy but perhaps that was in HS? Do Japanese teams focus on pitch counts as much as we do here? I’ve been to a few Yomiuri Giants games and but the ones I went to didn’t have someone going deep.
Dice-K threw...a lot of pitches, yes. Both in high school and in NPB. In the Koshien HS tournament he famously threw a 250-pitch 17-inning CG in the quarter-finals, the day after he threw 140-something in a CGSO. Then he pitched the 9th inning and got a W the next day. Then he threw a no-hitter in the final the day after that. Four days, over 500 pitches.

Generally speaking letting (or making) a starter go as deep as possible is still definitely a thing here, and the answer to the bolded is no. I don't think that's necessarily changing with the times, but Sasaki has had several coaches be careful with his development over the years. His high school team's coach famously didn't throw him in a Koshien qualifier because of usage concerns, the team lost, and the manager took a ton of heat. This is Sasaki's third pro season, but they didn't have him make his debut until May last year. It is actually nice to see, but I still think you gotta keep him out there for the 9th yesterday.
 

BigSoxFan

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Dice-K threw...a lot of pitches, yes. Both in high school and in NPB. In the Koshien HS tournament he famously threw a 250-pitch 17-inning CG in the quarter-finals, the day after he threw 140-something in a CGSO. Then he pitched the 9th inning and got a W the next day. Then he threw a no-hitter in the final the day after that. Four days, over 500 pitches.

Generally speaking letting (or making) a starter go as deep as possible is still definitely a thing here, and the answer to the bolded is no. I don't think that's necessarily changing with the times, but Sasaki has had several coaches be careful with his development over the years. His high school team's coach famously didn't throw him in a Koshien qualifier because of usage concerns, the team lost, and the manager took a ton of heat. This is Sasaki's third pro season, but they didn't have him make his debut until May last year. It is actually nice to see, but I still think you gotta keep him out there for the 9th yesterday.
Wow, thanks. I didn’t know the specifics of Dice-K’s usage but that is absolutely nuts and malpractice. I know that tournament is a huge deal in Japan but, man, 500 pitches in 4 days is just insane.
 

Tokyo Sox

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Trying to parse the current rules, and curious if I've got this right (or close)-- he's not likely to be eligible to come to MLB freely until he has 9 years of pro experience there; he can be posted before that, but given the international bonus pool restrictions, that seems unlikely to be an appealing proposition for his NPB team. So seems like the earliest he'd likely to be available is once he's 25yo and the bonus pool rules no longer apply?
I think that's broadly correct. The posting system has changed several times over the last 15-20 years, but under the current version, this sounds right to me. From this MLB link:
The caveat of the posting system is that foreign-born players are subject to international bonus pool money restrictions unless they are at least 25 years of age and have played as a professional in a foreign league recognized by Major League Baseball for a minimum of six seasons. Under the 2017-21 Collective Bargaining Agreement, each Major League club has a cap between $4.75 million and $5.75 million to spend on the non-exempt foreign-born player pool. Clubs will be able to acquire up to 75 percent of their initial international bonus pool money in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 signing periods and up to 60 percent of their initial pools in subsequent signing periods. This means that a club with an initial pool of $5.75 million can increase its pool total via trade to approximately $10.1 million during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 signing periods.

Under the terms of the 2022-26 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the international amateur talent system will continue under the rules of the 2017-21 CBA for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 signing periods. MLB and the MLB Players Association have until July 25, 2022 to agree to the implementation of an annual International Draft, which would be held for the first time in 2024. If the International Draft is not agreed to, the remaining international signing periods of the 2022-26 Collective Bargaining Agreement would continue to operate under the existing system established in the 2017-21 CBA.
Sasaki will turn 21 at the end of this season, so if the rules don't change it's possible you won't see him in MLB until the 2027 season. That said the 2017-21 rules cited above were just going into effect as Ohtani was heading Stateside as a 23yo, and he/the Fighters didn't care about the money. If the Marines get 2-3 spectacular seasons from Sasaki, and especially if they win a Japan Series, they may agree to post him early, if he wants it.
 

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Roki Sasaki gave up a hit to the first guy he faced today, so the perfect streak is over. He actually gave up three hits in the 1st, but Orix' Fukuda was gunned down at the plate so he's still got a scoreless streak going.
 

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Sorry I haven't updated this thread much. Just checking in now to say, my NPB defending champion Tokyo Yakult Swallows are crushing it, and have now won 13 straight series. That covers interleague play so they've become the first team ever to beat every other team in the country (other 5 in CL, all 6 in PL) in consecutive series.

They're getting contributions from all over but my main man Munetaka Murakami is the standout. The 22yo 3B, who I have mentioned many times here over the last couple years, is having an unreal month and is slashing .430/.526/.987 for the month of June. Yes that's a 1.513 OPS for the month. He's hit 14 HR this month & 29 now for the season.

View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1542287565406908416?s=20&t=wseA_PHZxSne_wdNYMMYfw

text: The gap in wRC+ between Munetaka Murakami (228), first in the Central League, and Yasutaka Shiomi (172), second in the Central League, is basically the same gap as between Shiomi and Gregory Polanco (113), sixteenth in the Central League among qualified hitters.

He appears to be well on his way to a second consecutive CL MVP award. To answer the obvious question, I don't think he'll be posted for next year. I would expect him to be here at least through 2023, and possibly try to make the move via posting for the 2024 season. Just my guess based on his age.

Checking in on other names while I'm here, Roki Sasaki got knocked around a bit by the Yomiuri Giants at the beginning of the month, but has thrown 15 IP of 1 run ball in his two starts since. Through 12 starts now, he's got a 1.56 ERA/0.73 WHIP and 114 K in 81 IP. Getting less hype but performing just as well is the defending PL MVP and Sawamura Award (Japan's CY equivalent) winner Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto is 23 (turns 24 in August), and has thrown to a 1.95/0.95 line in 635.1 IP for his career. I think there's a chance he could go to the majors this offseason, but 2024 is more likely for him too, imho.

Anyway, Go Go Swallows.
 

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Roki was cruising through his latest start on Friday, striking out 4 in the 1st and 10 through 4 IP, but was pulled early after a blister popped.

And here's a decent vid about Murakami's ridiculous June. I was at the game shown at 4:38 in the video. That's a 3-run shot to dead center that broke an 8-8 tie late.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AARqVgc4OCI&t=1s
 

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Roki was cruising through his latest start on Friday, striking out 4 in the 1st and 10 through 4 IP, but was pulled early after a blister popped.

And here's a decent vid about Murakami's ridiculous June. I was at the game shown at 4:38 in the video. That's a 3-run shot to dead center that broke an 8-8 tie late.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AARqVgc4OCI&t=1s
How would you compare him to Seiya? Any idea on his defense?
 

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How would you compare him to Seiya? Any idea on his defense?
Murakami is a much bigger dude. He's got about 3 inches and 30 lbs on Seiya, and accordingly has considerably more raw power. Murakami is the youngest player in NPB to 100 career HR, and generally is a bit ahead of where Suzuki was at the same age -- Suzuki being about 5.5 years older.

Defense, I don't know. He split time in his first couple years (age 19-20 seasons) between 1B & 3B, but has played exclusively 3B all of last year & this year. From my own eye test, I think he's probably good enough to play 3B at the MLB level, but won't win any gold gloves there. He's fine. If he had to play 1B for defensive reasons, hopefully he brings his power with him.

I'd be devastated if he went to MLB and became Tsutsugo.
 

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Murakami is a much bigger dude. He's got about 3 inches and 30 lbs on Seiya, and accordingly has considerably more raw power. Murakami is the youngest player in NPB to 100 career HR, and generally is a bit ahead of where Suzuki was at the same age -- Suzuki being about 5.5 years older.

Defense, I don't know. He split time in his first couple years (age 19-20 seasons) between 1B & 3B, but has played exclusively 3B all of last year & this year. From my own eye test, I think he's probably good enough to play 3B at the MLB level, but won't win any gold gloves there. He's fine. If he had to play 1B for defensive reasons, hopefully he brings his power with him.

I'd be devastated if he went to MLB and became Tsutsugo.
Thanks - any idea on when he’d be eligible to come over and if he’s indicated a potential interest in doing so? That highlight reel was impressive. The raw power is insane.
 

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Thanks - any idea on when he’d be eligible to come over and if he’s indicated a potential interest in doing so? That highlight reel was impressive. The raw power is insane.
"Eligible" is always the same answer - they become domestic FA's after 8 years, and unrestricted international FA's after 9 years, I believe. But that said, I'm not sure who the last guy would be that made the move to MLB as a free agent. Okajima did and I'm sure there are a few others, but all the big names tend to go via the posting system well before that, and the answer to when that happens is a nebulous combination of when they make the push and when their team allows them to go, based on their career contributions to date.

Allowing a player to be posted is not something the team is required to do but they usually grant the wish if the player has made a significant contribution over the course of 4-5 years or so, which of course is completely subjective. As I mentioned upthread, even though Murakami looks on track to win his second consecutive league MVP, and the Swallows appear to be the class of the CL and possibly all of NPB again, it seems unlikely he would go next year. He's just too young and hasn't paid enough dues here yet.

So my guess is 2023 is very unlikely, 2024 is a legit possibility, but 2025 as a 25yo is the most likely scenario.
 

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in Japanese high school baseball news, a team from Chiba is currently up 82-0 in the 5th. The mercy rule is 10 runs after 5, so their opponent Wasegaku just needs a cool 73 run bottom half here to stay alive.

https://baseball.yahoo.co.jp/hsb_local/game/C215822/inning

Chiba was...stealing bases while up 80. Basically the kids are expected to give it their all until the game is over. Just a totally different approach here sometimes.
 

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In other high school baseball news, this clip made the rounds on Twitter this weekend everywhere from domestic yakyuu twitter to Barstool -- kid switches sides of the plate between every pitch until he finally gets beaned on the 2-2 pitch (not that the beaning appeared intentional though). But I thought you were only allowed to switch sides until you had two strikes? Maybe the HS rules here are different or maybe my memory is bad.

View: https://twitter.com/tom_mussa_v2/status/1550808972843687937?s=20&t=MO1PC_IvkWZQ6m5VZPnHsA
 

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So I went to the Swallows game last night oblivious to the fact I might have a chance to see history. My main man Murakami homered in his final three ABs on Sunday, and in the bottom of the 1st last night he murdered this baseball to make it 4 straight plate appearances with a HR:

View: https://twitter.com/tom_mussa_v2/status/1554403813343346691?s=20&t=wC5-KRcckXvXZR6IqHYDkg


...making him the 14th player in league history to accomplish that. Then his next time up...

View: https://twitter.com/JCoskrey/status/1554412495489888256?s=20&t=wC5-KRcckXvXZR6IqHYDkg


5 PAs, 5 HR. He's the only player ever to do it in NPB -- has it ever been done in the Majors? Then he doubled his next time up so 6 PAs, 6 XBH. He's now slashing .321/.452/.721 on the season and at the moment seems like a lock for his 2nd straight Central League MVP award.

*****

Elsewhere in NPB, Roki Sasaki is back on the mound tonight for first time in over a month (except for an inning in the ASG); hopefully his blister issues are behind him.
 

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View: https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1555390137005129728?s=20&t=9ehdIGR473d6wSFoS72ZkQ


Text from Morosi tweet:
Sources: RHP Kodai Senga of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks is expected to consider @MLB contract offers this winter. Senga, 29, starred at the ’17
@WBCBaseball and is 8-4 with a 2.05 ERA this year. He is eligible for international free agency and won’t need to be posted.

He's been on MLB scount radars for many years now but hasn't been able to stay healthy. He'll be 30 in January and I guess given the age & injury history would probably be looking for a 3-4 year deal.
 

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Murakami hit a solo shot tonight in a losing effort, but it was his 40th of the year, making him the youngest player in NPB history to have a 40HR season. Sadaharu Oh and one other guy both did it as 23 year olds.

The Swallows have lost 6 straight unfortunately and have seen their division lead shrink to 7 games.

EDIT: he hit it off Nik Turley, who google tells me was once briefly in the Sox minor league system. Here's the shot:

View: https://twitter.com/Ds_Swallows_out/status/1557696975893843968?s=20&t=oXboXSBi2bOeIqA20PtNJA

Also, for anyone interested in a language pun, at the 0:22 mark you can hear the announcer call him "Murakami-sama." Sama is an elevated, more polite version of the honorific -san name suffix. However players are not normally even called -san but rather -senshu (player). So typically they'd refer to him as Murakami-senshu, Ohtani as Ohtani-senshu etc. This was why I found the Angels broadcast call of, "Big fly Ohtani-san!" so grating at first. (Funnily though and as an aside, Japanese people have picked up on that and embraced the slight oddity of it, and now he is frequently referred to in Japanese media as Ohtani-san.) Anyway in Murakami's case why use -sama? Because the kami in his name 村上 is a homonym for the kami in kamisama (神様), which means god. And since he's basically in god mode right now, you get Murakami-sama. On twitter you can find hashtags of both #村上様 and #村神様. And here's a sports paper front page that used the latter in print a couple months ago:
AD0D50C8-2D2D-4A17-BDF5-1BFD83D0ADCC.jpeg
 
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Oh, man. That video reminds me that I still have a teeny tiny clear plastic Swallows umbrella packed up in a box in my closet. I ought to take it out and use it during Sox games.
 

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Wandering far outside my narrow area of expertise, I saw two items of note from Korea. Perhaps @SeoulSoxFan or others can elaborate if appropriate.

The first is that several KBO watchers and foreign players are mourning the passing of a KBO and Lotte Giants superfan named Kerry Maher:
View: https://twitter.com/JoshLindblom52/status/1559546179771318273?s=20&t=4EaO1QdT64a2WDxpa-oz0w


https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/17/sports/Baseball/Kerry-Maher-Lotte-Giants-KBO/20220817105604962.html

The second item is that it looks like one of the best HS prospects in the country will be skipping the Korean draft and, already being repped by Boras Corp, will try to get signed as an international FA by an MLB team:
View: https://twitter.com/sung_minkim/status/1559555358347100161?s=20&t=4EaO1QdT64a2WDxpa-oz0w

text:
Top Korean HS RHP prospect Shim Jun-Seok is not entering the KBO Draft, which would certainly mean that he is aiming to sign with an ML club. Shim is also a Boras Corporation client.

Shim has a big FB that's clocked up to ~98 mph in HS tourney games this year (as well as close to 100 mph in a scrimmage). carries a big 6'4'' 227 lbs frame. He's been marred with command inconsistencies after suffering back muscle cramps/pains, but the ceiling is undeniable.
 

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The Swallows' Murakami is at it again. He went 3-4 yesterday including HRs # 43 & 44. He's now slashing .329/.457/.727 on the season, and leads in all three triple crown categories. His leads in HR & RBI will be insurmountable if he stays healthy, but the batting crown race will be tight as there's two other guys hitting better than .320.

Here are yesterday's HRs. The raw power is real.
View: https://twitter.com/swallows_taxi/status/1560870177746882562?s=20&t=pX6BSraVK07v3VvMzRvp3A

View: https://twitter.com/swallows_taxi/status/1560891046196039680?s=20&t=pX6BSraVK07v3VvMzRvp3A


In "guys potentially going to MLB" news:
View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1561159848716550145?s=20&t=pX6BSraVK07v3VvMzRvp3A

text: DeNA Baystars ace Shota Imanaga says he has aspirations to go to MLB “in the near future.”

...the tweet calls him an "ace" but he'll be 29 in a few weeks and is having a career year with a 2.73 ERA/0.97 WHIP and 86 K in 95.2 IP. I'm not sure how he profiles really, maybe backend starter or swingman.
 

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Guess this is the right place for this -- MLB will send an All-Star(ish) team to Korea for an exhibition series in November. It's basically a shifting, at least this time around, of the series that happens in Japan every 4 years or so.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-sending-team-of-stars-to-south-korea-for-mlb-world-tour-korea-series-exhibition-games-in-november/

Typically the hitters are legit All-Stars (Acuna & Soto both came here in 2018) and the pitchers are whoever MLB can get to raise their hands.
 

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Guess this is the right place for this -- MLB will send an All-Star(ish) team to Korea for an exhibition series in November. It's basically a shifting, at least this time around, of the series that happens in Japan every 4 years or so.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-sending-team-of-stars-to-south-korea-for-mlb-world-tour-korea-series-exhibition-games-in-november/

Typically the hitters are legit All-Stars (Acuna & Soto both came here in 2018) and the pitchers are whoever MLB can get to raise their hands.
Here's the MLB announcement of it. Not sure if it's intentional but either way a nice homage that the guy Kerry I mentioned upthread is visible in the video:

View: https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1563167245777649664?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw
 

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That was a blast. Is the Big Papi demonstrative bat flip frowned upon in Japan?
I wouldn't say it's frowned upon but it's just never really been a thing. As opposed to Korea where, well

View: https://twitter.com/sung_minkim/status/1557338418585247744?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw


...but here I dunno. I'm sure some people will ascribe it to Japanese culture generally that you're not supposed to show anyone up or whatever. But as you've obviously noticed, Murakami has been showing some swagger and sometimes seems to be on a one man mission to normalize bat flips in NPB. He hasn't gotten in any trouble for it because I think it's recognized that he's just pumped for himself and his team, and not trying to disrespect anyone. He's always quite respectful in all his other interactions and interviews etc, so I think people are fine with this exuberance from a star player on the top of his game. Just my take.

Also, he hit two more tonight as the Swallows beat the 2nd place Yokohama Baystars in the opener of an important weekend series. #'s 46 and 47 on the year. The first one made him the youngest ever to 150 HR in NPB:
View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1563115629112344576?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw


View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1563124544768212992?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw
 

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I wouldn't say it's frowned upon but it's just never really been a thing. As opposed to Korea where, well

View: https://twitter.com/sung_minkim/status/1557338418585247744?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw


...but here I dunno. I'm sure some people will ascribe it to Japanese culture generally that you're not supposed to show anyone up or whatever. But as you've obviously noticed, Murakami has been showing some swagger and sometimes seems to be on a one man mission to normalize bat flips in NPB. He hasn't gotten in any trouble for it because I think it's recognized that he's just pumped for himself and his team, and not trying to disrespect anyone. He's always quite respectful in all his other interactions and interviews etc, so I think people are fine with this exuberance from a star player on top of his game. Just my take.

Also, he hit two more tonight as the Swallows beat the 2nd place Yokohama Baystars in the opener of an important weekend series. #'s 46 and 47 on the year. The first one made him the youngest ever to 150 HR in NPB:
View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1563115629112344576?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw


View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1563124544768212992?s=20&t=j3C0yB2izGERJZdL1n3ULw
Thanks. He's a fun player to follow so I appreciate these updates. I know in the handful of NPB games I've been to, I haven't see anything demonstrative and I know that's clearly the Japanese culture. But I do like the swagger that Murakami brings. I've also noticed that Ohtani sometimes does a little posing after home runs, which I like. Don't see any issue with it as long as it's not some Jose Bautista type demonstration.

How is his defense? Looks like he has 12 errors on the season at 3B. His body type and power kind of remind me of Devers.
 

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Thanks. He's a fun player to follow so I appreciate these updates. I know in the handful of NPB games I've been to, I haven't see anything demonstrative and I know that's clearly the Japanese culture. But I do like the swagger that Murakami brings. I've also noticed that Ohtani sometimes does a little posing after home runs, which I like. Don't see any issue with it as long as it's not some Jose Bautista type demonstration.

How is his defense? Looks like he has 12 errors on the season at 3B. His body type and power kind of remind me of Devers.
Yeah and I'd add that when he does do any chirping, it's always at his own guys, into his own dugout and never at the other team.

I think we talked a bit about his defense upthread. I didn't realize he had 12 errors on the year - I think he's pretty average defensively, not a liability. I would hope he can stick there if he goes to MLB but time will tell.

The Devers comp is appropriate I think -- young lefty 3B who mashes, has some defensive questions, and has that baby face. My 12yo daughter thinks Murakami is "kawaii" (in like a Hello Kitty way, not in a boys are cute way, which would be a different word).
 

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Yeah and I'd add that when he does do any chirping, it's always at his own guys, into his own dugout and never at the other team.

I think we talked a bit about his defense upthread. I didn't realize he had 12 errors on the year - I think he's pretty average defensively, not a liability. I would hope he can stick there if he goes to MLB but time will tell.

The Devers comp is appropriate I think -- young lefty 3B who mashes, has some defensive questions, and has that baby face. My 12yo daughter thinks Murakami is "kawaii" (in like a Hello Kitty way, not in a boys are cute way, which would be a different word).
Ah, yes. Sorry - forgot about the previous defense discussion. I’ve gotten my oldest (8) into Ohtani highlights and now he’s addicted. Was hoping Seiya would pop a bit more this year after his great start but I still think there’s something there. His injury may have disrupted his development a bit.
 

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Heading into play Saturday, Nippon Ham Fighters' Cody Ponce had made 10 starts on the season, all on the road. Saturday was his first home start of the year, and it turned into a pretty special one:

View: https://twitter.com/tom_mussa_v2/status/1563427434166648832?s=20&t=YL7EevxcKMtcI9iafxP8Cw

View: https://twitter.com/tom_mussa_v2/status/1563433948503371777?s=20&t=YL7EevxcKMtcI9iafxP8Cw


He's the first foreign pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Rick Guttormson of the Swallows 16 years ago.

Speaking of the Swallows, they went into the weekend series with a 4 game lead over the 2nd place Yokohama Baystars. The Baystars had won 17 in a row at home and this was a crucial series for both teams. The defending champ Swallows put a beating on the home team, sweeping the series by outhitting Yokohama 44-21 and outscoring them 27-11 across the three games. And not to turn this into all Murakami all the time but...he started the series 0-2, and then didn't make an out for the rest of the weekend:

Friday: groundout, K, HR, HR, BB
Saturday: 1B, IBB, 1B, 1B, 1B, HR
Sunday: BB, BB, BB, HR, 1B

...so he's got hits in 9 straight AB, and has reached base safely in 14 straight PA. He's also walked 12 times in the last 6 games and has a 97:97 K:BB for the year. When play resumes tomorrow, he'll be chasing two NPB records: hits in consecutive AB (record is 11, so 2 shy) and reaching base in consecutive PA (record is 15, so 1 shy). Yesterday he broke the Swallows team record of 10 straight PA reaching safely, which had been held by...Charlie Manuel.

He's added 20 points to his average in the last two weeks, and leads the league in basically every offensive category except SB, where his 12 on the year are good for 7th. Now slashing .340/.476/.756. He's got 49 HR; his next will make him the first Japanese player to hit 50 since Hideki Matsui in 2002, and he's on pace to tie Wladimir Balentien's all time record of 60.

From Twitter:
Munetaka Murakami’s wRC+ is now 243. The next best hitter in the Central League is Shugo Maki at 151.
He's just on another planet right now.
 

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Murakami hit #50. He's the first Japanese player in 20 years -- since Hideki Matsui in 2002 -- to hit 50 in a season. He's also now the youngest player in NPB history to have a 50-HR season; Sadaharu Oh did it when he was 23.
View: https://twitter.com/fujitv_baseball/status/1565644562374492161?s=20&t=FAykPfjdfAOct0MVYKLwrw


Out in Chiba, Roki Sasaki was on the mound at home vs Orix and was perfect through 4 with 6 K's. He beaned the guy leading off the 5th, then gave up a hit, and the first guy eventually scored on a groundout. He went on to throw a 93-pitch complete game with 9 K's, but took the loss 1-0. Here he is striking out the side in the 3rd:
View: https://twitter.com/chibalotte/status/1565637468015456256?s=20&t=FAykPfjdfAOct0MVYKLwrw
 

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Murakami-sama hit #'s 54 & 55 on the season tonight. Here's the historic 55th:

View: https://twitter.com/tom_mussa_v2/status/1569680976355250182?s=20&t=gbQVVUynCM8MyzRlaFxJLg


It ties him with Sadaharu Oh for most ever in a season by a Japanese-born player. Tuffy Rhodes & Alex Cabrera both also hit 55. The single season record is 60, by Wladimir Balentien of the Swallows in 2013. Murakami has 15 games left to try to get there.

Today's game also saw him set a new NPB record for multi-HR games in a season, with 12.
 
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The Ringer with an article on Murakami & Roki Sasaki: https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2022/9/15/23354090/munetaka-murakami-roki-sasaki-npb-baseball-japan

Frequent readers of this thread will already know some of the Murakami stuff, but there's a lot of other great info in there too -- his absurd spray chart and heat map, and stuff like this:
Unsurprisingly, Murakami blisters the ball, another thing he has in common with Judge. Per DeltaGraphs, no NPB player with at least 200 plate appearances has a higher hard-hit rate, and his homers typically clear the wall with plenty of real estate to spare. “I can’t recall a single one where I’ve gone, ‘Oh man, is that going to be a homer? Oh, it just snuck out,’” says Swallows starter Cy Sneed, who joined Murakami’s team last year after pitching for the Astros from 2019 to 2020. “It’s like, ‘Oh, that ball’s absolutely crushed. How far is it going to go?’” According to team batted-ball data accessed by Sneed, Murakami hit a homer on August 26 that left his bat at 193 kilometers per hour, or 119.9 miles per hour. Since Statcast started tracking batted balls in MLB in 2015, only Giancarlo Stanton (in 2018 and 2020) and Judge (in 2017) have hit homers that hard. Granted, NPB’s TrackMan system may produce slightly different readings from Statcast, but Murakami’s dinger appeared totally tattooed.
What makes Murakami’s monster season even more astounding is that—despite the best efforts of Murakami himself—offense is significantly down in Japan. No one knows why, but suspicions about the ball abound; the league says the ball hasn’t changed (though the packaging has), but NPB secretary general Atsushi Ihara has a history of secretly tampering with the pill’s construction. Whatever the cause(s), leaguewide OPS in the Central League is down 19 points since last season, 35 points since 2020, and 51 points since 2018. If NPB’s ball, like MLB’s ball, has been deadened, it hasn’t seemed to bother Murakami, and he’s only heated up as the season has gone on.
One scout for an MLB team, who praises Murakami as “the total package at the plate,” says, “the question will be if he can stay at third base. He is more [Yoshi] Tsutsugo than Seiya Suzuki athlete/body type-wise, but the bat is easily ahead of both of those guys at this stage of his career. I think he could be playable in left field or profile as a bat-first third baseman in the vein of a Rafael Devers.”

Because he’s not a great glove at a premium position, Murakami doesn’t quite boast the best MLB WAR projection of any player under 23. Szymborski’s ZiPS projections put Wander Franco and Julio Rodríguez ahead of him in projected five-year WAR, though Murakami edges out other highly touted rookies such as Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr., Nolan Gorman, Michael Harris II, and Riley Greene. But both the ZiPS and Oliver projection systems peg Murakami as the best hitter in the world under 23. Oh told The Asahi Shimbun that Murakami is “in a class of his own among today’s young players.” The legendary slugger was talking about NPB players, but bat-wise, Murakami is in his own class among any league’s young players.

“Not very long ago, Ohtani was here,” Sneed says. “That guy’s pretty good. And he wasn’t doing this.”
...it goes less in depth on Sasaki before speculating when they'll both eventually make the move to MLB (I disagree with the article's timeline, and think they'll both be earlier) but does have this to say about him:
Sasaki “has electric stuff,” the MLB scout says, saluting his “easy 100 mph fastball with the best forkball in Japan” and “advanced fastball command.” Sneed, scout, and stats alike say that Sasaki’s curve and slider, which he’s thrown a combined 10 percent of the time, are still works in progress, as are (the scout adds) “some of the subtleties of the position, such as holding runners and fielding his position.” But, the scout concludes, “if he keeps progressing, he will be the highest-ceiling pitcher to come out of Japan since Darvish and Ohtani.”

ZiPS is unequivocal: Sasaki projects to be by far the best of the thin crop of current under-23 pitchers over the next five years.

ZiPS-Projected 5-Year WAR, Under-23 Pitchers
[TH]Name[/TH] [TH]WAR[/TH]
Roki Sasaki 18.5
Grayson Rodriguez 10.4
Hunter Greene 10.1
Kyle Harrison 9.8
Matthew Liberatore 8.9
Reese Olson 8.6
Reid Detmers 8.5
Eury Pérez 8.5
Taj Bradley 7.9
Joey Cantillo 7.6
Anyway, the whole thing is worth a read. Enjoy.
 

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Outside of keeping an eye on Roki, I haven't paid much attention to the Pacific League this year. But as the playoffs approach things are getting really interesting there: Softbank and last year's pennant winner Orix are essentially tied at the top, with 3rd place Rakuten only 2.5 games back, and Seibu and Lotte are both within 3 games of them for the 3rd playoff spot. So the only team that's out of PL contention is, sadly, Big Boss' Nippon Ham Fighters. A disappointing first season for Shinjo after he started with such a bang (see the first post in this thread). All teams have between 6 and 10 games left.

---

As an update on guys (pitchers) that might make the move to MLB soon:
- RHP Kodai Senga of the Softbank Hawks. Average FB velo is 96mph, dials up to 99+, has a 2.06 ERA/1.04 WHIP this year with 142 K in 131 IP. As I've mentioned previously he has been on MLB scouts' radars for quite a while now but is often dinged up. He has thrown 150 innings only twice in his career, and not since 2019. But the raw stuff is intriguing. He'll be 30 in January. I think he's actually got 4 years left on his existing contract, but for a guy with his service time hopefully Softbank would agree to post him.
- LHP Shota Imanaga of the DeNA Yokohama Baystars. He announced mid-season that he was looking to make the move, and then put up 5 starts of 35 IP/3 ER total. He got knocked around in his latest outing vs the Giants but is still sporting a 2.50 ERA/0.96 WHIP on the year. He just turned 29.

I think those two are both likely to head Stateside this offseason. Another guy who *might* make the move this year, but I think is more likely for 2024, is RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With Roki's innings limited, Yamamoto has been Japan's best pitcher the last two seasons. Pitching in the league with the DH, he's nevertheless got the country's best ERA & WHIP this year at 1.71 / 0.92. He turned 24 last month so it makes sense for him to be here one more year and not be subject to the international signing money restrictions. Since becoming a full-time SP in 2019, Yamamoto has about ~650 IP of a 1.77 ERA/0.91 WHIP. Here's some color on his pitch mix:
View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1572041827540430848?s=20&t=5hvTMwCa-2rMx6WxH-csGw
 

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A bit surprising but 28yo RHP Shintaro Fujinami has notified the Hanshin Tigers he'd like to be posted to MLB this offseason:

View: https://twitter.com/dylanohernandez/status/1574894699923447808?s=20&t=hof7x9igDrYCl_A1_I4bIg


text of the tweet:
Shintaro Fujinami has told the Hanshin Tigers he would like to move to the major leagues this offseason, according to reports in Japan. 100-mph fastball. Once considered Shohei Ohtani's equal as a pitcher. Career stalled by command problems.
I would add overuse/abuse to the reasons his career hasn't followed the hoped-for trajectory. He was actually drafted ahead of Ohtani (in the sense that he was more sought after, and only the Fighters put in for Ohtani) and the Tigers immediately put him to work, having him throw 135 innings as a 19yo (more than twice what Ohtani threw in his rookie year). A few years ago I saw him make his first start of the season vs the Swallows in a drizzly cold early April game at Jingu. He was obviously gassed around 95 pitches...and ended up throwing 140+. Anyway, his average FB velo this year is 95.7 MPH, and he can dial it up to 98-99. He could be an interesting bullpen arm.

In other news, the Swallows clinched the CL pennant over the weekend (whoooo!) for the second year in a row. Yokohama looks like a lock for the 2 seed, but all three of Hanshin, Yomiuri, and Hiroshima are still alive for the 3rd Central League playoff spot. The Tigers & Giants are tied with two games left each, and the Carp are only half a game back of them both with three left to play. I'll be at Swallows vs Tigers tonight, hoping to see Murakami hit #56. He's been in a serious slump since hitting his 55th but with the pressure of the pennant off, maybe he'll regain his swing.
 

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An emotional and eventful night for the Swallows at Jingu tonight, in the last game of the regular season. It was the final career games for three players: IF Seiichi Uchikawa, OF Tomotaka Sakaguchi, and C Motohiro Shima. They're not exactly Pujols/Yadi/Waino, and they all spent their early careers elsewhere, but it was still pretty emotional for all in attendance.

Uchikawa & Sakaguchi both got the start, both got hits, then came off the field together after a few innings. Shima PH'd late and got part of an inning in at catcher, then came off as well. Now there's a long post-game ceremony for all of them. Uchikawa was a national team guy for a number of years in the late 00's/early 2010s, and was a five-time All Star. Shima was the primary catcher for Ma-kun on Rakuten back in 2013 when Tanaka went 24-0 and Rakuten won the Japan Series. Sakaguchi is the last player in the league to have played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, as Kintetsu merged with Orix following the 2004 season, so his retirement closes that chapter of NPB history as well.

Oh, and this happened:
View: https://twitter.com/baseballcosmo/status/1576895227528237056?s=20&t=ML1BrduItaE7PbQFgufAYA


Murakami had been realllly pressing since hitting #55, but with an RBI single early and then his 56th HR of the season in his last regular season AB, he not only set a record for most HR in a season by a Japanese-born player, but he locked in getting the Triple Crown this year. He is the first player to hit for the Triple Crown since 2004, the youngest ever to do it, and the only one to ever do it while mixing in double digit steals as well.