MLB’s top stadium owner ‘strongly encouraged’ Japanese pitcher signing… Verlander-Schuerzer heir apparent Nauna
The value of a pitch can be evaluated in many aspects, but anyway, as a pitcher, it is best to induce the batter to swing wrong. This is because 카지노사이트 when contact is made, even if the ball is out, it leaves ‘room for hits’. It’s no wonder that “swung-and-miss ratio” has recently become one of the criteria for evaluating major league pitchers.
If so, Senga Kodai (30), a Japanese pitcher who is having an impressive first season in the major leagues after signing with the New York Mets this year, has the best equipment in the league. It is the sidewalk pokeball of Jeonga, which has earned a reputation from Japan with the title of ‘Ghost’. Senga is a pitcher who can throw a fast ball in the upper 90s. Against a pitcher like this, it is too difficult to properly pick out a forkball that drops in front of the home plate. In addition, Senga is good at forkball movement as well as control.
In fact, many major league hitters struggle with Senga’s forkball. Senga spends 22.8% of his pitches this year on forkballs. His average velocity is 83.3 miles (about 134 km), which is about 12 miles (19.3 km) away from his average four-seam velocity (95.7 miles). This forkball will fall furiously or burrow into the zone. Senga’s forkball batting average this year is only 0.128 and slugging average is only 0.152. Until the 22nd (Korean time), he threw 498 forkballs, and it is phenomenal that he did not score a single home run.
His miss rate is the best in the league. Batters who hit Senga’s forkball missed 58.6 percent of the time. That’s a higher miss rate than any other pitch by a major league pitcher. It is on par with the slider (56.4%) of Spencer Strider (Atlanta), who has been raging this year and became one of the best pitches in the league.
At the beginning of the season, he struggled in the swamp of walks, but now he is adapting to the league a lot and leading stable grades. Senga is 10-6 with a 3.19 ERA, throwing 129⅔ innings in 23 games this season. His batting average is good at 0.211, and the number of strikeouts per 9 innings is excellent at 10.69. He’s also good at suppressing long hits. That’s enough for his first season, and he really couldn’t ask for more.
However, there is a player that Senga is waiting for with open arms. The main character is Yamamoto Yoshinobu (25, Orix), one of the best pitchers in Japanese professional baseball. It has already won the Sawamura Award, which is given to the best pitcher in Japan, twice (2021-2022), and is already attracting great attention from major league clubs. Although he is small, he can throw a fast ball in the mid-150 km range, and is evaluated as the best in Japan in terms of pitching, command, aggressive pitching, and various breaking balls.
After this season, Yamamoto plans to seek advancement to the major leagues through the posting system (private competitive bidding). He is already ranked in the top 10 in the ‘2023-2024 Off-Season FA Ranking’ by the US media. This year, the FA market is evaluated as lacking top-class aces. That is why Yamamoto’s value can be maximized.
Senga is confident of Yamamoto’s success. In an interview with the New York Post on the 21st (Korean time), Senga said, “I’ve been a top-notch player since I was very young. I know he has a lot of talent. He’s an amazing all-around player.” He has control and command, and he can also use off-speed pitches with large drops.”
In fact, in addition to the basic four-seam fastball, Yamamoto can throw a modified fastball called two-seam and cutter, a high-speed splitter up to 150 km that is said to be the best, and a curve that is used when adjusting the speed. He also occasionally throws a slider. He has many weapons to deal with hitters. ‘Small size’ and ‘durability’ are the biggest issues of major league clubs, but even a winning team is well received for being able to make the 3rd start.
The teams that immediately emerge as the most likely candidates are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. The Mets sold both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, whom they acquired sequentially to win, before the trade deadline. This is because they switched to a strategy to win the championship later than in 2024. They need to rebuild their starting lineup over the long term, and Yamamoto, who is still young, is a perfect fit for the Mets.
Billy Eppler, general manager of the Mets, is also a ‘Jilpa’. Eppler was the person who led the final victory in the heated Shohei Ohtani recruitment match when he was the Los Angeles Angels general manager. After coming to the Mets, he acquired Senga for 5 years and 75 million dollars and achieved success. I know Japan well. Senga also predicted, “It is clear that Billy (Appler general manager) is interested in Japanese culture and knows how to interact with Japanese people. His presentation skills are also amazing. It can work in the Mets’ favor.”
Senga said he was willing to let go of the bridge. Senga said, “I hope he (Yamamoto) is healthy for the rest of the season. (The club’s) permission for the posting system must also pass,” Senga said. “Once that is over, the team will ask me (about Yamamoto), and Yamamoto will ask me. I’ll be able to talk to both of them.” Basically, while the total amount of more than 100 million dollars is certain, it is noteworthy where Yamamoto’s next destination will be.