NPB Tracker

Ryan Sadowski is indeed headed for a bay, but it’s the San Francisco Bay, not the Yokohama Bay. After watching the Giants blow a two-run lead in the ninth, I saw a blurb on the score ticker saying that Giants have promoted Sadowski and given him inconsistent lefty Jonathan Sanchez’s rotation spot. Then I got online and found this.

Sadowski attracted interest from a team in Japan this season, but vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans said the Giants rebuffed the Japanese request to buy his contract.

Looking back at the Sanspo article that prompted my post, it said the BayStars were “acquiring Sadowski” and “planning to make an announcement in the next few days”. Looks like Sanspo got ahead of themselves, and I followed them.

A pair of Asian-born NPB pitchers are getting some attention from MLB teams. Today I’ll take a look at South Korean relief ace Chang Yong Lim.

Lim is best known among international fans for giving up the eventual game-winning hit to Ichiro in this year’s WBC Final. By day, however, Lim is the closer for the Yakult Swallows, and he’s been lights-out this year. Through 29.2 innings, he has yet to allow an earned run for the surprising Swallows, who at 36-22 are 2nd in the Central League.

Lim is a fastball/sinker/slider pitcher who relies on a rather unsual combination of velocity and a side-arm delivery. He pitches off his fastball, which usually sits in the 90-93mph range, but will reach 96/97mph. There were reports earlier in the year that he hit the magical 160kmph (100mph) mark on the gun, but I don’t buy it. Other reports put that pitch at 155kmph (97mph), which is more believable and still very good. You can get a sense of his mechanics from these clips of his 17th and 18th saves from this season, or this clip of him striking out a couple of Chunichi Dragons last year.

What prompted me to write about Lim now was the recent revelation that he’s looking for a US-based agent, first published in Japanese tabloid Nikkan Gendai and repeated in the Japanese edition of the JoongAng Ilbo, where I found it. However, the soonest we’re likely to see him Stateside is 2011, as Yakult holds an option on his services for next year, which they’ve reportedly already decided to excercise. While it’s unclear how much the option year is worth, he’s been an absolute bargain for the Swallows so far. He earned just $300k last year, and is making $500k this season. By comparison, bullpenmate Ryota Igarashi is making about $840k this season.

Lim’s interest in playing internationally dates back to 2002. According ot his Japanese Wikipedia entry, his KBO club Samsung posted in him to MLB in 2002, but ultimately didn’t get a bid they were happy with. Lim again attempted a move abroad in 2004, negotiating with Rakuten in Japan and, reportedly, several MLB clubs before resigning with Samsung.

Next time I’ll take a look at Chunichi lefty Wei Yin Chen.

田沢純一選手はアメリカの野球に上手く対応しているようで現在2-Aポートランドで67回を投げ63三振を奪い、防御率2.67を保持しています。田沢選手の成績についてもう少し具体的な内容を得るべく、ポートランド・プレスヘールドで記者をしていらっしゃるケビン・トーマスさんにお話を伺いました。

ケビンさんはポートランド・プレスヘールド/メイーンサンデーで野球を取材している記者です。彼が始めに野球に関わったのは1978年にセイントピーターズバーグ・タイムズの記者としてスプリング・トレーニングの取材をした時です。彼は1994年にメイン州へ移り、現在はリトル・リーグでコーチをしていない時にはポートランド・シードッグスとボストン・レッドソックスについて書いています。

ケビンさんのブログはmainetoday.comにてご覧できます。

NPB TRACKER: 田沢選手はローテーションの順番を守り、決め球を捉える能力のある打者に対応していかなくてはいけません。どれほどまでに順応できているでしょうか。

Kevin Thomas: 大変良く順応出来ています。投球ミスは少ないですし、ボールを低く狙ったところに投げられています。すでに今シーズンはイースタン・リーグ屈指の投手となっています。

NPBT: レッドソックスに加わるまでは常にセットポジションから投げていました。ワインドアップから同じ投球を続けることは出来ていますか。

KT: 本人曰くワインドアップから投げることで直球が生きてくるようですが、当初は変化球を安定させるのに苦労をしていたようです。最近では安定した変化球をコントロール問題なく投げれるようになってきています。

NPBT: 田沢選手のどういった部分に感心をしていますか？

KT: どんな状況に陥ってもぶれない姿勢ですね。逆にランナーを塁に出した方が良くなっていくように感じます。

NPBT: どういった部分を上達させる必要がありますか？

KT: このレベルで投げる投手はみな安定感を求められます。とは言っても彼はすでに投球を上手く織り交ぜており、直球でストライクを取って上手くスライダー、カーブ、そしてSFFを活かしています。

NPBT: シードッグスの有力選手の中でどの辺りの位置づけですか？

KT: レッドソックスはクレイ・バックホールズやマイケル・ボーデンを含めてすでにマイナーで有望な投手はいくらか存在しています。私自身は彼らのすぐ後に田沢選手を位置づけており、今年中にでもトリプル3-Aのパータケットに合流するのではと予想しています。

NPBT: ケビンさんありがとうございました！

One year ago, I started this blog with a post about Shingo Takatsu signing with the Woori Heroes of Korea. Interestingly, year two of NPB Tracker starts (partially) with the news of Shingo’s minor league contract with the Giants.

According to reports published by Sponichi and Nikkan Sports, Shingo hung around in the Giants extended camp in Arizona after his May tryout with the team. After a physical and some other checks, the Giants signed him to a minor league contract. After the visa paperwork clears he’s expected to join AAA Fresno.

Nikkan Sports quotes Shingo as saying: “the number one thing is that I’m relieved. I don’t feel any differently, but at this age it’s difficult to challenge (a comeback) without the cooperation of those around me. I’ve caused a lot of bother so I want to do my very best for those who have supported me”.

The Giants also have Keiichi Yabu in their AAA bullpen.

Sanspo reports that Yakult fireballer Ryota Igarashi has now officially met the service time requirements for international free agency. Cue standard remarks from Igarashi: “Right now I’m only thinking about staying in shape and winning. I want to think it (free agency) over carefully in the offseason”… and from Yakult’s front office: “it’s his decision so we don’t know what will happen, but he is one person that is needed on our team”.

In any event, expect Igarashi to get a raise from the 8.4m yen ($840k) he’s making this year.

In addition to quietly selecting some guy named Strasburg in this week’s MLB draft, the Nationals took Japan native Naoya Washiya in the 14th round, out of a junior college in the Palm Springs, California area.

Probably the most interesting thing in the Nikkan Sports story on him is that he was a high school teammate of current Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka. Washington selected Washiya in the 42nd round of last year’s draft as well, but he elected to stay in school. This time around he’s decided to sign, rather than continuing on to a four-year school as he had originally planned.

Washiya is a speedy outfielder and will start his pro career in either short-season or single-A ball.

Junichi Tazawa appears to be adjusting nicely to American baseball, posting a 2.67 era with 63 strikeouts in 67 innings so far at double-A Portland. To get a little more insight into how Tazawa’s performing, I contacted Portland Press Herald sports writer Kevin Thomas with a few questions.

Kevin covers baseball for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He first reported on spring training games for the St. Petersburg Times in 1978. He wisely moved to Maine in 1994 and now writes about the Portland Sea Dogs and Boston Red Sox—when he’s not coaching Little League baseball.

Kevin’s blog can be found on mainetoday.com.

Kevin Thomas: Very well. He makes very few mistakes with his pitches, meaning that he keeps the ball low. He is already one of the best pitchers in the Eastern League this year.

KT: He said the windup helped his fastball, but he initially had trouble staying consistent with his breaking balls. But he seems to have adjusted and his commanding his breaking balls just fine.

KT: The way he stays poised no matter the situation. In fact, he seems to get better with runners on base.

KT: All pitchers at this level need to remain consistent. That said, he is mixing up his pitches very well, throwing the fastball for strikes, and setting up his slider, curves and split-finger.

KT: The Red Sox have several good starting pitchers in the minors, including Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden in Triple-A Pawtucket. I would rank Tazawa right behind them, and I expect he will join them this season in Pawtucket.

NPBT: Thanks Kevin!

日本語翻訳中

Note: corrected walks total.

Last winter, Yakult Swallows fireballer Ryota Igarashi declined to file for domestic free agency, instead re-signing for 2009 with the subsequent goal of moving to the majors. Igarashi is a righthanded reliever who has spent his entire career with the Yakult Swallows, and just turned 30 on May 28. If I had to pick the top free agent coming out of Japan after this season today, Igarashi would be my choice.

Stuff, Results & Mechanics
Igarashi is known one of the hardest throwers in Japan, and jointly holds the record for fastest pitch* by a Japanese pitcher in an NPB game with a 158 kmph (98.75mph) fastball. Igarashi hit 158 kmph in 2004, when the average speed of his pitches over the course of the season was 154.5 kmph (96.6mph), which is an NPB record he has to himself.

Although he doesn’t throw quite as hard as he used to, but still runs his heater into the upper 90’s, and augments it with a hard splitter that he throws at around 90mph. He’s also got a slider and a curve that he’ll mix in occasionally, but is primarily a fastball/splitter pitcher.

Igarashi’s weakness has been his control. Over the course of his career through 2008, he’s allowed 221 walks and thrown 42 wild pitches over 517.1 innings. I suspect the number of walks would be higher if hitters could lay off the high fastball a little more. On the plus side, he’s balanced things out strking out 586 guys. Igarashi showed a significant improvement in his walk rate after returning from injury (see below) last season, allowing just six walks in 42.1 innings.  This year he’s come back to earth and allowed seven walks in 19.1 innings so far, which is more in line with his career norms.

When pitching out of the windup, Igarashi has a hitch at the beginning of his delivery, a la Daisuke Matsuzaka, but otherwise has a pretty orthodox approach. This YouTube clip from late April 2009 gives a good look at his mechanics. Here’s another clip of him striking out a Yokohama BayStars side in 2008.

*trivia question: who is he tied with?

Injury History
Igarashi had the worst year of his career in 2006, and bounced between the top club and the farm team during the second half of the season. After the season, it was discovered that he had a ruptured UCL in his throwing arm, and he went in for Tommy John surgery. He spent all of 2007 rehabbing, and didn’t return to game action for good until around July 2008. He has regained his velocity post-injury and has had a normal work load since last summer.

Role
Igarashi has been mostly a middle reliever in his career thus far, setting up for Shingo Takatsu early in his career and more recently for Chang-Yong Lim. He did spend 2004 as Yakult’s closer after Takatsu left, and recorded 37 saves. He’s a set-up man again this year.

Future
Igarashi spoke last season of making a “Shinjyo-class” move to MLB, which I took to mean he’d be willing to take less money to try his hand at MLB. Recall that Tsuyoshi Shinjyo, as he spelled it back then, turned down about $12m from Hanshin to take a minimum-pay deal with the Mets. I don’t think Igarashi will have to take that kind of a cut, because he’s making about $840k this year and I think he’d be able to get at least that much from an MLB team. His best offers may still come from Japan though, as he could probably command an NPB closer’s salary.

I’ve come across several news sources saying that former Chiba Lotte Marine Ryohei Tanaka has signed a minor league deal with the Orioles. I find this strange as the news was widely reported during the offseason. I guess it’s official now.

The only one that offers any new information is this Mainichi report that says that Tanaka will spend May at the Orioles’ extended spring training facility in Sarasota, and then join 1A Aberdeen in June.

Here’s some delayed fallout from last year’s Junichi Tazawa signing. Per a request from NPB, the organizing bodies of Japanese amateur baseball are going to conduct a review of MLB amateur scouting activity in Japan. The crux of the issue is that there are specific limitations on when NPB scouts can contact players, but none on MLB scouts. I suppose the idea is to level the playing field a bit.

In unrelated news, NPB is going to take another look at the Asia Series, which lost about 200 million yen ($2m) last year.