NPB Tracker

According to multiple sources out of Japan, Junichi Tazawa has been promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket and will make his first appearance with the team on July 29. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a September MLB call-up.

You can read up on Tazawa’s time in Double-A here.

Yu Darvish’s Pitching Bible has been on sale in Japan since last week.

The 84-paged full-color book features a special interview, demonstration of his breaking ball and off-speed pitches, and interviews by his former pitching coach, trainer, and catchers. His history will be revealed in depth and the results of the survey conducted to 50 current NPB players regarding his number one pitch will be presented.

The content of the book can be seen here. As mentioned before Yu Darvish will appear on CNN and he is taking the next step in marketing himself; having become one of the best pitchers in recent years. I am not sure how many of his “secrets” will be revelead in this book, but this shows some confidience in letting the nation know that he is not scared to present what he is made of to the whole country or maybe in his case, to the world.

Yu Darvish will appear on CNN’s interview program, “Talk Asia“. The interview was already filmed in Sapporo Dome during June and will be shown sometime in September. Aside from Darvish, the only other Japanese baseball player to appear on the show is current New York Yankee Hideki Matsui and Darvish will be the first present NPB player to get the call.

CNN staff states in an interview by Houchi Shimbun, “He is a pitcher not only noticed in Japan, but the world is keeping an eye on him. We are planning to not only introduce his baseball background, but his entire lifestyle of growing up half Iranian and half Japanese.”

Darvish has already made his debut on the field at the world stage participating in the Beijing Olympics and the World Baseball Classic. Now it’s time for him to reveal his character and personality off the field to the whole world.

このブログを読んでくれている方々は、高い確率でキース・ローさん(Keith Law)の事はご存知かと思います。キースさんは長年ベースボール・プロスペクタス、そしてトロント・ブルージェーズで経験を積み、現在はESPNのScouts Inc.のリードベースボール・アナリストとしてご活躍されています。キースさんはお忙しい中ダルビッシュ有投手と2009年にワシントン・ナショナルズによってドラフト１位選択されたステーブン・ストラッツバーグを比較するべきいくつかの質問に答えてくれました。

NPB Tracker：ストラッツバーグの球種はダルビッシュに比べるとどうですか？

Keith Law: ダルビッシュの方がストラッツバーグに比べて見せ球を多く持っていて、四つの球種を持っていますが春の期間は二つしか主に使っていませんでした。

NT: どちらの投球フォームを好みますか？

KL: ストラッツバーグですね- 簡単でバラつきがない - ですがまっすぐな彼の腕のふりの速さは予想できない部分もあります。 我々はあれだけ速い球をあれほどの腕のふりの速さで投げる先発投手に触れた経験はあまりありません。

NT: 二人のうちの一人を今年中にメジャーリーグのローテーションにいれるとしたらどちらですか？

KL: どちらでも間違った答えにはならないと思いますが、高いレベルの相手との経験値を踏まえて私はダルビッシュを選びます。

NT: どちらの方に今後の可能性を感じますか、それは何故ですか？

KL: 良い質問ですね、その答えについては私も行ったり来たりという状態です。ストラッツバーグの直球とカーブのキレの方がダルビッシュの決め球二つを上回ると思っていますので、ストラッツバーグを取ります。

NT: キースさんありがとうございました。

If you’re reading this blog, there’s a high probability that you’ve heard of Keith Law. Keith is a veteran of Baseball Prospectus and the Toronto Blue Jays’ front office, and currently the lead baseball analyst for ESPN’s Scouts Inc. Keith took the time to answer a few questions on how Yu Darvish compares to Washington Nationals draftee, Stephen Strasburg.

NPB Tracker: How does Strasburg’s repertoire compare to Darvish’s?

Keith Law: Darvish shows far more pitches than Strasburg, who has four but spent most of the spring using just two.

NT: Who do you like better mechanically?

KL: I would say Strasburg - he’s easier and cleaner - although the sheer arm speed puts us into uncertain territory with Strasburg. We have little experience with starters who throw that hard and get their arms going that fast.

NT: If you had to choose one of the two pitchers for an MLB rotation this year, who would it be?

KL: I don’t think there’s a wrong answer here, but I’d take Darvish, given his experience facing a higher level of competition.

NT: Which of the two has the higher upside, and why?

KL: That’s a good question and I have gone back and forth on this. I think Strasburg’s fastball and hard curve rate well ahead of Darvish’s top two pitches, so I’d take Strasburg.

NT: Thank you Keith.

日本語訳

The 37th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series will take place in Japan from July 12-16.

July 12th: Botchan Stadium (Matsuyama),12pm
July 13th: Tokyo Dome (Tokyo), 6pm
July 14th: Kleenex Miyagi Stadium (Sendai), 6 pm
July 15th: Tsuruoka Dream Stadium (Tsuruoka), 6pm
July 16th: Meiji Jinguu Stadium (Tokyo), 6pm

※All dates and times are in Japan Standard Time

The US National Team was selected after ten days of trials that included intersquad games and practices. The team consists top non-draft-eligible college players in the United States including 1 junior, 14 sophomores, and 7 freshman players including Trevor Bauer (UCLA) and Kolton Wong (University of Hawaii), who were on the Freshman All-America Team.

The stars of the Japan national team is junior right hander Yuuki Saito (Waseda University) and senior Kazuhito Futagami (Hosei University) who was the MVP in the recent All Japan University Tournament. Seven seniors, who will be eligible for the upcoming draft, will be included in the squad.

Tickets still remain and details will be listed on the All Japan University Baseball Federation website. Notable past MVPs from this five game series include current Colorado Rockies Todd Helton (1993) and Huston Street (2003), current Yomiuri Giant Yuya Kubo (2001) and current Chiba Lotte Marine Shouitsu Oomatsu (2004). Japan won the last series, 3-2, in the 36th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series, played in the United States in 2007.

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.