Archive > 04 September 2009

Mets to Sign Teenager

» 04 September 2009 » In mlb prospects » 13 Comments

This one is about is about as under-the-radar as it gets — according to ChuSpo, the Mets have agreed to sign Japanese teenager Taiki Kawasaki to a minor league contract. Kawasaki is a 17 year-old left handed pitcher who had been training at Julio Franco’s baseball academy in Florida. The Osaka native left Japan after finishing junior high school in April 2008 with the hopes of catching on with an MLB organization. In his time in Franco’s academy, Kawasaki has grown from 177cm, 66kg (5’10, 145) to 185cm 77kg (6’1, 170), and added velocity to his fastball, which now averages around 140kmph (about 87mph). An older report mentions that Kawasaki has a slider and curve as well.

I couldn’t find any English info on this signing, but this ESPN Deportes article from last year mentions Kawasaki’s presence at Franco’s academy. Franco will reportedly travel to Japan in mid-October to officially announce the signing.

Continue reading...

Tags: ,

Matsuzaka Speaks

» 04 September 2009 » In mlb » 1 Comment

Daisuke Matsuzaka spoke to the press after his latest rehab appearance. These comments are a few days old, but still worth sharing. Matsuzaka got knocked around a bit in this outing. This translation is “unofficial”, courtesy of me.

-on finishing his appearance

I need to fine-tune my form, but I didn’t feel like I was way off. I didn’t expect to get hit that hard (in the first inning).

-Five runs

I didn’t give any thought at all to whether I was shutting down the other team or not. I was thinking it would be good if I could confirm that I was stepping up, one step at a time, during the game.

-Pitches thrown

Straight fastball, slider, changeup. I used the a major league ball.

-The next rehab outing is expected to be the last

If I could throw hard in the second inning, I can throw hard from the start in my next appearance.

-On signing for the fans for 15 minutes prior to the game

I don’t normally do that before games, but this isn’t a place I have the opportunity to come to, and a lot of fans came out, so I signed.

Continue reading...

Tags: