Around Baseball 2023

[connorp]

 

You can complain how fans on this board talk....but the Jays FO didn't declare 2023 to be a massive success because they made the playoffs. They said they need to learn and do better (same as the Dodgers and every other f***ing team not named the Rangers).

 

This doesn’t sound like the playoffs are a total crap shoot. You need to be consistent.

[Frenchsoup]

Great deal for Jack Flaherty yes

 

Not really.... good park but bad club minus Baez. 14 million for a 1 year deal sign me up.

[John_Havok]

Not really.... good park but bad club minus Baez. 14 million for a 1 year deal sign me up.

 

Flaherty signing for 14 million to Detroit makes all the sense in the world for him, there’s no reason for the Jays to take that risk for Flaherty to be a #5. Manoah can be just as s***** for league minimum, or a shitload better with even a 50% return to previous form

[Marew]

I hope when ohtani was in Toronto on that jet last Friday he didn’t see all the “f$@k Trudeau posters all around. And the people with all the Canada flags in crappy vehicles?

 

You wouldn’t go around and just trash the emperor even if he did get your country bombed by Americans. Super disrespectful

[Carlos Danger]

I hope when ohtani was in Toronto on that jet last Friday he didn’t see all the “f$@k Trudeau posters all around. And the people with all the Canada flags in crappy vehicles?

 

You wouldn’t go around and just trash the emperor even if he did get your country bombed by Americans. Super disrespectful

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=google+translator&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

[L54]

I hope when ohtani was in Toronto on that jet last Friday he didn’t see all the “f$@k Trudeau posters all around. And the people with all the Canada flags in crappy vehicles?

 

You wouldn’t go around and just trash the emperor even if he did get your country bombed by Americans. Super disrespectful

 

They’re all over how could he have not seen them?

[Spanky99]

Why do people entertain that moron? Please stop quoting the troglodyte, thanks.

[L54]

Why do people entertain that moron? Please stop quoting the troglodyte, thanks.

 

You respond to trolls all the time lmao

[Spanky99]

You respond to trolls all the time lmao

 

Not anymore, not the obvious dingleberries like Marew.

 

Troglodytes...

 

bigshot84 Casual Fan dippitybop Doubleplay21 Jaysareus jaysthebest Marew Nursehoneybadger

[Spanky99]

I'm trying to copy pasta BA's scouting reports on the IFA's this year and it's not pasting... hmmm

[max silver]

i'm trying to copy pasta ba's scouting reports on the ifa's this year and it's not pasting... Hmmm

 

ctrl c ctrl v?

[Spanky99]

ctrl c ctrl v?

 

It seems they blocked it somehow on this site, somehow? Idk.

 

I do plagiarize their ass a lot.

[Spanky99]

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP

Born: Aug. 17, 1998. B-T:. R-R. HT: 5-10. WT: 176.

 

Track Record: In the long history of successful Japanese pitchers, none have been as decorated as Yamamoto. A former infielder who began focusing on pitching in high school, Yamamoto made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut at 18 years old in 2017 and quickly blossomed into Japan’s premier pitcher. He posted a 1.82 ERA over seven seasons as Orix’s ace and put together arguably the greatest three-year stretch by a pitcher in NPB history from 2021-23. He won three straight Sawamura Awards, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award, and three straight Pacific League MVP Awards, the first player to do that since Ichiro Suzuki. He showed his stuff played against MLB hitters during standout showings at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping Japan win gold medals in both, and became the first pitcher in Japanese history to throw a no-hitter in consecutive seasons. Yamamoto fittingly finished his NPB career in record-breaking fashion in the Japan Series. Pitching in Game 6 with Orix facing elimination, Yamamoto pitched a complete game with 14 strikeouts, breaking the series strikeout record held by Yu Darvish.

 

Scouting Report: Yamamoto is undersized at 5-foot-10, 176 pounds, but he’s strong in his frame and possesses a powerful arsenal he holds deep into games. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and touches 99 with little effort out of a clean, athletic delivery. He has a fast arm and commands his fastball in all quadrants of the strike zone. Yamamoto’s primary secondary pitch is a plus, 88-91 mph splitter with huge depth that induces weak ground balls and empty swings. He commands his splitter exceptionally well and has a good feel for when to use it. Yamamoto’s tight-spinning, 76-78 mph rainbow curveball is another plus pitch that freezes both lefthanded and righthanded hitters. He didn’t throw it often in Japan, but it projects to be a larger part of his repertoire in MLB. He rounds out his arsenal with an above-average, low-90s cutter/short slider that stays off of barrels. Yamamoto ties his stuff together with plus control and an aggressive, attacking mentality. He pitches with a chip on his shoulder and challenges hitters in the strike zone with no fear. He has exceptional feel for mixing his pitches and has the aptitude to make quick in-game adjustments. Yamamoto’s size yields concerns about his durability, but he’s pitched at least 170 innings each of the last three seasons and has a clean health record. He threw 138 pitches in his final start in the Japan Series and reached 98 mph in the ninth inning.

 

The Future: Yamamoto will have to adjust from pitching once a week in Japan to every five days in MLB, but like Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideo Nomo before him, he has the stuff and aptitude to successfully make that transition. He projects to be a No. 2 starter and has a chance to contend for Cy Young Awards.

 

BA Grade: 70/Medium

 

Scouting Grades

 

Fastball: 60. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Splitter: 60. Control: 60

 

Jung Hoo Lee, OF

Born: Aug. 20, 1998. B-T: L-R. HT: 6-1. WT:.189.

 

Track Record: Lee is the son of Korean baseball icon and former Korea Baseball Organization MVP Jong-Beom Lee, who was nicknamed “Son of the Wind” for his legendary speed. The younger Lee emerged early as a baseball prodigy and skipped the Korean minor leagues to jump straight from high school to the KBO. He set a KBO rookie record for hits as an 18 year old, winning rookie of the year, and blossomed into a superstar in his 20s. Lee hit .340 over six seasons with the Kiwoom franchise, starred for Korea at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Baseball Classic and won the 2022 KBO MVP award after batting .349 with a career-high 23 home runs and 113 RBIs. He played only 86 games in 2023 after he suffered a fractured left ankle in July and had season-ending surgery.

 

Scouting Report: Lee is an exemplary hitter with a fast lefthanded swing and elite-hand eye coordination. He identifies pitches quickly and consistently gets the barrel to the ball, driving hittable pitches on a line to all fields. He controls the strike zone with a mature, patient approach, hits both lefties and righties and makes consistent contact against both fastballs and breaking balls. He has the athleticism and bat speed to adjust to higher velocities in MLB and projects to be an above-average-to-plus hitter once he settles in. Lee doesn’t hit the ball overly hard, but he has enough strength to yank balls over the fence to his pullside. He primarily projects to rack up doubles while hitting 10-15 home runs per season. Nicknamed “Grandson of the Wind” in homage to his father, Lee is more of an above-average runner than a true burner. He has solid instincts and runs good routes in center field, but his range is a tick short, particularly on balls hit over his head. He has reliable hands and projects to be an average defender in center field, though he may have trouble in more expansive outfields. He has fringy arm strength that will force him to left field if he has to move.

 

The Future: Lee projects to be a leadoff-hitting outfielder who hits for a high average and gets on base at a high clip. He’ll be 25 most of next season and still has his prime years ahead of him.

 

BA Grade: 55/High

 

Scouting Grades

 

Hit: 60. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.

 

Shota Imanaga, LHP

Born: Sept. 1, 1993. B-T: L-L. HT: 5-10. WT: 190.

 

Track Record: Imanaga starred as one of Japan’s top college pitchers at Komazawa University and was drafted by Yokohama in the first round in 2015. He made his NPB debut one year later and quickly emerged as one of Japan’s preeminent lefthanders. He posted a 3.18 ERA over eight seasons with the BayStars, pitched a no-hitter in 2022 and led the Central League with 174 strikeouts in 2023. He started for Japan against Team USA in the gold-medal game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic and pitched two innings to earn the win while striking out Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins.

 

Scouting Report: Imanaga is a crafty lefthander with a good feel for pitching. His fastball sits 89-93 mph with solid riding life as a starter and touches 94-95 in short bursts. His main secondary pitch is an above-average, 82-85 mph splitter with late cut that induces ground balls. Imanaga’s success in MLB will hinge largely on the development of his slider. It’s currently a fringy offering at 80-83 mph that stays on one plane and gets barreled in the strike zone. He’s flashed the ability to throw it firmer and get chase swings, but it needs improvement to become an average pitch. He also has a below-average, 71-74 mph curveball he’ll throw as a change-of-pace offering. Imanaga mostly throws to his glove-side and can get one-sided in his repertoire, but he mixes and matches well to keep opponents off-balance. He has above-average control and keeps everything around the plate.

 

The Future: Imanaga’s feel for pitching gives him a chance to be a No. 4 or 5 starter. He may fit best as a swingman or bulk reliever on a contending team.

 

BA Grade: 50/Medium

 

Scouting Grades

 

Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Slider: 45. Splitter: 55. Control: 55

 

Yariel Rodriguez, RHP

Born: March 10, 1997. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-1. WT: 214.

 

Track Record: Rodriguez was a soft-tossing starter with an 87-90 mph fastball in Cuba’s Serie Nacional before blossoming with a move to Japan. His stuff increased markedly over three seasons with Chunichi and he emerged as one of NPB’s top setup men with a 1.15 ERA in 56 appearances in 2022. He returned to starting for Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and delivered a pair of solid outings to raise his profile as a starter. He did not return to Chunichi for the regular season and spent the year training in preparation for a move to MLB.

 

Scouting Report: Rodriguez is an aggressive power pitcher whose stuff and performance keep improving. His four-seam fastball is now a plus pitch that sits 94-96 mph and touches 100 with natural cut. He also has a 93-96 mph two-seamer with hard armside run. Rodriguez’s main secondary pitch is an above-average, 83-86 mph slider with vertical bite and solid depth. He primarily throws his fastballs and slider and is able to dominate with them. Rodriguez lacks touch on his softer offerings. He has inconsistent feel for his fringy splitter and below-average curveball and rarely throws them. Rodriguez is a volatile, highly emotional pitcher prone to overthrowing and struggles to throttle down. He has an effortful delivery and arm action and fringy control overall.

 

The Future: Rodriguez will get a chance to start, but his arsenal and demeanor fit best in relief. He projects to be a hard-throwing but inconsistent No. 5 starter or seventh-inning setup man.

 

BA Grade: 45/Medium

 

Scouting Grades

 

Fastball: 60. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Splitter: 45. Control: 45

 

Yuki Matsui, LHP

Born: Oct. 30, 1995. B-T: L-L. HT: 5-8. WT: 163.

 

Track Record: Matsui first rose to prominence in high school when he set a Koshien summer tournament record with 22 strikeouts in a game. He was drafted in the first round of the NPB draft the following year and debuted in NPB at 18. After beginning his career as a starter, Matsui shifted to relief and became one of Japan’s most decorated closers. He recorded 236 saves in nine seasons with Rakuten, led the Pacific League in saves three times and won a gold medal with Japan at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

 

Scouting Report: Matsui is undersized at 5-foot-8, 163 pounds and throws with maximum effort in short stints. His average fastball sits 91-93 mph and touches 95 with riding life up in the zone. His diving 87-90 mph splitter is an above-average pitch that gets ground balls from both lefhanded and righthanded hitters. Matsui mostly throws those two pitches, but he also has an above-average, sharp mid-80s slider that plays against hitters on both sides of the plate. He rounds out his arsenal with a fringy, 75-78 mph curveball. Matsui struggles to control his effort at times and is prone to sailing fastballs. He posted a career-low walk rate last season but has demonstrated below-average control over his career.

 

The Future: Matsui projects to be a low-to-mid leverage reliever handles both lefties and righties. He’s ready to join a big league bullpen on Opening Day.

 

BA Grade: 45/Medium

 

Scouting Grades

 

Fastball: 45. Curveball: 45. Slider: 55. Splitter: 55. Control: 40

 

Naoyuki Uwasawa, RHP

Born: Feb. 6, 1994. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-2. WT: 194.

 

Track Record: Uwasawa began his career as a rotation-mate of Shohei Ohtani with the Nippon Ham Fighters and emerged as their top starter after Ohtani departed for MLB. Despite a lack of big stuff, Uwasawa blossomed into a three-time All-Star atop Nippon Ham’s rotation and had one of his best seasons in 2023. He went 9-9, 2.96 in a career-high 170 innings and was posted after the season.

 

Scouting Report: Uwasawa is a finesse righthander who relies on command and changing speeds. His fastball sits just 89-91 mph and tops out at 93, but he effectively locates it on the edges of the strike zone to avoid hard contact. His most-used secondary is a vertical 80-82 mph slider with decent depth, while his mid-80s splitter with diving action is an average pitch he leans on to get outs. He also mixes in a looping, below-average mid-70s curveball, below-average 85-88 mph cutter and fringy 80-82 mph changeup. Uwasawa mostly relies on keeping hitters guessing with his deep arsenal and inducing soft contact. He doesn’t miss many bats and averaged just 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings last year. He is a good athlete with a fluid delivery and clean arm action and has above-average control.

 

The Future: Uwasawa’s lack of stuff will be tested in MLB. He projects to be a low-end No. 5 or depth starter who relies on hitting his spots to be effective.

 

BA Grade: 40/Medium

 

Scouting Grades

 

Fastball: 40. Curveball: 40. Slider: 45. Cutter: 40. Splitter: 50. Changeup: 45. Control: 55

 

 

Woo Suk Go, RHP

Born: Aug. 6, 1998. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-0. WT: 198.

 

Track Record: Go debuted in the Korea Baseball Organization as a teenager and quickly emerged as a top closer with premium velocity for the league. He recorded 139 saves in five seasons for the LG Twins after becoming their closer, including a league-leading 42 saves in 2022, and represented Korea at the Tokyo Olympics. Go missed the 2023 World Baseball Classic with shoulder and neck stiffness and missed a month during the regular season with a lower back injury, but he returned to help the Twins win their first Korean Series championship in 29 years. He closed out the title with a perfect ninth inning in the clincher.

 

Scouting Report: Go is a strong, physical righthander with power stuff. His fastball sits 93-95 mph and touches 98 with late movement at its best. He lacks deception in his delivery and his fastball flattens out at times, but he is still able to beat hitters with his pure power. Go’s best secondary pitch is a 79-83 mph downer curveball that flashes average with late bite, though it’s inconsistent. He also has a below-average, low-90s cutter that works as a chase pitch but gets hit hard in the zone. Go is an aggressive competitor and goes after hitters with his fastball, but he tends to spray it and has fringy control overall. He is married to star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee’s younger sister and decided to come to MLB in conjunction with his brother-in-law.

 

The Future: Go’s fastball gives him a chance to be a low-leverage reliever, but he needs to sharpen his secondaries to become more. He’ll be 25 most of next season and still has room for growth.

 

BA Grade: 40/High

 

Scouting Grades

 

Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Cutter: 40. Control: 45

[Spanky99]

ctrl c ctrl v?

 

I did it separately and it worked, seems the the links might've interfered. Didn't do it before, anyhow, I'm happy to share this information.

[burlingtonbandit]

Nobody in their right mind would pick Toronto over LA for anything unless you were significantly overpaid to do so

 

Exactly lol. LA has better:

 

City

Weather

Winning pedigree

Storied franchise

Player development

Money/ownership

 

Literally the only thing the Jays have that the Dodgers don’t is a nicer spring training facility and more of a hitters ballpark. Even the spring training facility location wise is in Dunedin, FL which is way worse city than Scottsdale/phoenix area.

[Marew]

Not anymore, not the obvious dingleberries like Marew.

 

Troglodytes...

 

bigshot84 Casual Fan dippitybop Doubleplay21 Jaysareus jaysthebest Marew Nursehoneybadger

 

Grouping me in with these people, are you f***ed?

[Terminator]

Exactly lol. LA has better:

 

City

Weather

Winning pedigree

Storied franchise

Player development

Money/ownership

 

Literally the only thing the Jays have that the Dodgers don’t is a nicer spring training facility and more of a hitters ballpark. Even the spring training facility location wise is in Dunedin, FL which is way worse city than Scottsdale/phoenix area.

 

Geezus why don’t you move there already. We get it.

[jaysblue]

Exactly lol. LA has better:

 

City

Weather

Winning pedigree

Storied franchise

Player development

Money/ownership

 

Literally the only thing the Jays have that the Dodgers don’t is a nicer spring training facility and more of a hitters ballpark. Even the spring training facility location wise is in Dunedin, FL which is way worse city than Scottsdale/phoenix area.

 

Never been to Scottsdale, but Dunedin and the surrounding area is beautiful. Dunedin is one of my favourite towns and love the Clearwater/Tampa area.

 

City wise, downtown LA is literally worse than Toronto, but the surrounding areas are definitely better. Weather wise, huge advantage.

[Brownie19]

This doesn’t sound like the playoffs are a total crap shoot. You need to be consistent.

 

What the FO says to the public and what they actually believe to be true can be 2 very different things. This is why media talk is f***ing useless.

[burlingtonbandit]

Never been to Scottsdale, but Dunedin and the surrounding area is beautiful. Dunedin is one of my favourite towns and love the Clearwater/Tampa area.

 

City wise, downtown LA is literally worse than Toronto, but the surrounding areas are definitely better. Weather wise, huge advantage.

 

I don’t mind Dunedin/Clearwater, I’ve been there 5 times and enjoyed it. Tampa airport is one of the best as well. But Scottsdale is in the top 3 of my most favourite US cities. Weather is fantastic with no humidity, great food, golf courses, lots to do. My fav city is San Diego, has everything you could want, however also super expensive.

 

Yeah downtown LA is s*** but Dodgers don’t even play there so literally would be no reason to go there. It’s like Toronto players aren’t going to go to bad parts of Scarborough.

[Brownie19]

Ohtani could have said a million reasons he wanted to play for the Dodgers... It is obvious to most of us who can see the forest through the trees that the Dodgers commitment to winning, track record, strong minor league system, made a huge difference to Ohtani.

 

I really think you need to listen to the press conference and have some context before you criticize it as some canned PR response..

 

I did listen to the interview. It sounded like standard media talk to me. Dodgers told him they were committed to trying to win a World Series, weren't satisfied with just making the playoffs every year and that they needed him to put them over the top. What an incredible, ground breaking pitch by LA. Just because that was his chosen answer doesn't mean any other team told him anything different.

 

But maybe they did? Maybe Ross told him they were stoked that they made the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 years and couldn't be happier. He must have told him their philosophy is simply to get into the playoffs and hope for the best - don't really care if they win the World Series. Must have told Ohtani that they just want him to help fill the new corporate boxes and make the team a f***ton of money - that baseball results don't matter. I could totally see him saying that. Fire Atkins for such a s***** pitch and believe everything you hear in an interview at face value.

[max silver]

I did it separately and it worked, seems the the links might've interfered. Didn't do it before, anyhow, I'm happy to share this information.

 

Thanks as always for sharing these, doing god's work as usual.

[BTS]

[Terminator]

If I was a Royals fan I would be psyched after the Lugo and Renfroe deals.

[BTS]

If I was a Royals fan I would be psyched after the Lugo and Renfroe deals.

 

They're honestly low-key really solid additions

[Brownie19]

 

That's a solid deal for a 3rd or 4th OFer.

[John_Havok]

That's a solid deal for a 3rd or 4th OFer.

 

Trade bait for the deadline, just like Will Smith and Stratton

[BTS]

[burlingtonbandit]

10M in signing bonus is better for Glasnow too as it won’t be taxed by California.

[max silver]

 

This is so good for baseball for the Dodgers to potentially add Ohtani, Glasnow and Yamamoto in one offseason.