Masahiro Tanaka to be posted this off season?

[ace3113]

Scouts have been speculating that Tanaka would be posted in time for next season. If that is the case I assume we should be in on it given our need for top level pitching. I'm just worried that he might be overvalued given the success of Darvish as I don't know if Tanaka is quite at that level talentwise.

 

Here was Baseball America's write-up on him during the WBC in which they ranked him as the top international prospect.

 

1. Masahiro Tanaka, RHP, 6-2 205, Japan

 

Tanaka started Japan’s first WBC game against Brazil in Fukuoka, but he was pulled quickly and was only used in brief relief appearances the rest of the tournament. He was scheduled to start the title game before Japan was eliminated in the semifinals by Puerto Rico.

 

Tanaka not only has the best stuff in Japan but also has been one of the country’s top pitchers in recent years. Tanaka, 24, posted a 1.87 ERA with 169 strikeouts and 19 walks in 173 innings last year for Rakuten in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. The year before, Tanaka led the league in ERA, finished second to Darvish in strikeouts and won the Sawamura Award, Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young. Tanaka’s contract takes him through the 2015 season, but he’s told Rakuten that he wants to pitch in the major leagues and it sounds like the team will oblige if he wants to go through the posting system.

 

At his best, Tanaka shows three plus or better pitches. In Fukuoka, his fastball ranged from 88-94 mph, but he was up to 91-96 mph in the second round in Tokyo. Tanaka’s velocity is above-average and he throws his fastball for strikes, but it’s the pitch that gives scouts pause on how he’d fare against major league hitters. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot, but at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds he has a drop-and-drive delivery that causes him to sink on his backside and lose downhill plane on his fastball. That makes the pitch more hittable than the velocity itself would suggest, which is what happened against Brazil.

 

[ace3113]

Here's today's BA article on him and the changes to the posting system

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/as-teams-scout-masahiro-tanaka-posting-system-changes-could-be-coming/

 

As Teams Scout Masahiro Tanaka, Posting System Changes Could Be Coming

 

Several teams expect Japanese righthander Masahiro Tanaka to make the jump to Major League Baseball next season, but there could be changes to the posting system on the way that affect his future.

 

Earlier this year, MLB teams received a memo from the commissioner’s office stating that MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball were in discussions regarding potential revisions to the protocol agreement between the two leagues.

 

Nobby Ito, the NPB chief of international baseball operations, also told The Japan Times this month that MLB and NPB are in negotiations about the posting system.

 

Contrary to what some teams have believed, MLB confirmed that the posting system is still in existence, but declined to comment on any potential discussions to modify the agreement.

 

According to sources, one of the changes could include a system in which the posting fee would be capped, which in theory would give more money to the player rather than the Japanese team and allow MLB to count more money against the luxury tax. In turn, multiple teams could then be allowed to win the posting rights and compete for the player, but that system could also drive up costs for owners. Nobody seems certain what the future of the system will bring.

 

“We’re just operating under the idea that everything’s going to be the same way it was last year,” said one international director. “That’s the same as everyone else I talked to.”

 

The most prized talent in Japan is Tanaka, a 24-year-old who some scouts project as a potential No. 2 starter who can immediately step into a major league rotation. That could make him the most coveted pitcher on the market this offseason, with American League ERA leader Hiroki Kuroda unlikely to fetch a long-term contract entering his age-38 season and 29-year-old Matt Garza, who’s averaged around 2.5 wins above replacement (per Baseball-Reference.com) the last three years, next in line in terms of talent.

 

Tanaka, who turns 25 in November, has cemented his status as the best pitcher in Japan since Yu Darvish left and has age on his side. Though Japan used him sporadically at the World Baseball Classic in March, Tanaka ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the WBC among players not under contract to a major league team.

 

He’s built upon that record with a strong season for Rakuten, which is in first place in the Pacific League. Tanaka has earned attention for his perfect 17-0 record, while his more meaningful numbers—a 1.20 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 22 walks in 158 innings—have also been impressive. His ERA is the lowest in all of NPB, his strikeouts rank second in the PL and his 1.3 walks per nine innings rank second among starting pitchers with at least 50 innings in the PL.

 

At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Tanaka throws a low-90s fastball that can touch 96 mph. Even though Tanaka can reach the mid-90s, his fastball is the pitch that gives some scouts pause because it comes in on a flat plane, making it more hittable than the velocity might suggest. Tanaka has two secondary pitches that have earned grades of 60 or better on the 20-80 scouting scale, including a 70 splitter with late downward action to keep hitters off his fastball. His low- to mid-80s slider is another plus weapon, while he’ll mix in a curveball as well.

 

The Rangers and Yankees have sent some of their top evaluators to Japan to scout Tanaka. They could be the favorites to land him, though several other major league teams have sent scouts to Japan to following Tanaka’s starts as well.

[Angrioter]

Masato Yoshii 2,0?

[CHRIS]

We should send some old guys over to take a look.

[ace3113]

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that Twins VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff is headed on a scouting trip to Japan in the next few weeks. Wolfson believes Radcliff will watch right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who has a 1.20 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 20 starts for the Rakuten Golden Eagles this season.

[GD]

Can we be in on one damn IFA? pretty please?

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Can we be in on one damn IFA? pretty please?

 

Does Bruce Chen count?

[GD]

Does Bruce Chen count?

 

He'd probably be our #2 starter, so sure.

[Angrioter]

He'd probably be our #2 starter, so sure.

 

Chen ACE

2.20 ERA (3.74 FIP)