Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be the most effective pitcher on the earth most Americans have by no means seen. The Japanese ace has posted preposterous numbers in Nippon Professional Baseball since going professional as a young person, and now the 25-year-old is predicted to grow to be one of the vital extremely coveted arms available on the market when he makes the leap to MLB this coming offseason.
One one that is aware of Yamamoto’s skills higher than nearly anybody, nonetheless, is Masataka Yoshida. The Red Sox outfielder performed with Yamamoto for many of his profession and is relishing the prospect of seeing his outdated teammate once more.
“It’s going to be a great experience if we can face each other in the United States,” Yoshida stated this week through translator Keiichiro Wakabayashi.
Yoshida and Yamamoto had been teammates for six seasons with the Orix Buffaloes, main the membership to back-to-back pennants and the 2022 Japan Series championship, Orix’s first in 26 years. The two additionally helped lead Samurai Japan to a gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics in addition to this previous spring’s World Baseball Classic championship.
Yoshida stated he and Yamamoto have stayed in contact since he signed with Boston and that the 2 have a very good relationship.
“We’re close to each other,” Yoshida stated. “We’ve played (together) for a long time.”
In phrases of his talents, few doubt Yamamoto’s capability to succeed on the main league degree. The right-hander has dominated the Japanese baseball scene since going professional at age 18, and in seven seasons he’s posted a 1.74 profession ERA over 946.2 innings.
This season Yamamoto has posted his finest numbers but, going 14-5 with a 1.26 ERA and 145 strikeouts in opposition to simply 24 walks in 143 innings. He even threw his second profession no-hitter on Saturday with quite a few MLB scouts in attendance, and at his present tempo he shall be a powerful contender to win his third straight Sawamura Award — the Japanese equal of the Cy Young — in addition to a 3rd straight Pacific League MVP.
Wakabayashi, who beforehand served as an interpreter for Orix earlier than coming with Yoshida to Boston, stated Yamamoto is a superb man who goes about his enterprise the suitable approach.
“He’s really professional, prepares well and on the mound every single time he can get a good result for the team,” Wakabayashi stated. “Bottom line he’s a great baseball player.”
Yamamoto’s fastball sits within the mid-90s and may contact 99 mph, and he additionally boasts a devastating slider that scouts imagine may very well be a official out pitch in MLB. What actually units him aside is his command, having averaged solely two walks per 9 innings his complete profession.
Yoshida is assured that Yamamoto will get pleasure from success as soon as he makes the leap to MLB. The greater changes, he stated, will most likely have extra to do with adapting to the brand new surroundings, the elevated journey, the totally different ball and never talking the language.
“I think he’ll need to focus on himself rather than the hitters,” Yoshida stated.
Between their time pursuing Yoshida and reported journeys to Orix this summer time, the Red Sox are identified to have scouted Yamamoto closely over the previous few years. Given the membership’s want for beginning pitching, it appears possible Yamamoto shall be amongst Boston’s prime offseason targets and probably among the many most impactful arms the Red Sox might usher in.
But whether or not Yamamoto involves Boston or indicators with one other membership, Yoshida stated he’s excited by the prospect of his countryman turning into the newest to make his mark in MLB.
“If it happens that would be cool, that’s his baseball life, so I hope he’ll be well in any team he goes,” Yoshida stated. “I’m so excited to see him again.”
Casas on historic tempo
Early on Triston Casas seemed misplaced on the plate, and for 2 months the rookie struggled to seek out his footing on the main league degree.
But as soon as he did, he by no means seemed again. Now Casas has emerged as one of the vital impactful hitters in all of baseball.
Casas is placing collectively a monster second half, and at this level the pattern measurement is getting massive sufficient that his success can’t be dismissed as a fluke. Since the All-Star break the 23-year-old first baseman ranks third amongst qualifying gamers with a 1.070 OPS, batting .329 with 14 house runs and 33 RBI over 48 video games throughout that span.
The solely place gamers with greater OPS marks throughout that span are Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Corey Seager and Matt Olson, and on the fee he’s going Casas is on tempo to complete his rookie season amongst some spectacular firm.
Right now Casas is one in every of simply 11 rookies in MLB historical past to document 20+ house runs, 20+ doubles, 60+ RBI and 60+ walks at age 23 or youthful, and the opposite 10 are a who’s who of elite sluggers. If Casas can attain 70 RBI and 70 walks by season’s finish that record would drop to 5: Kris Bryant, Chipper Jones, Mark McGwire, Alvin Davis and Ted Williams.
That’s fairly good, however will it’s sufficient for Casas to win American League Rookie of the Year? It’s potential, although Baltimore shortstop and third baseman Gunnar Henderson stays a heavy favourite thanks largely to his superior protection at a premium place (+12 vs. -4 defensive runs saved) and his better wins above substitute mark (5.0 vs. 2.0). Those elements, plus his equally spectacular offensive manufacturing, shall be so much for Casas to beat.
Regardless of the place Casas lands within the Rookie of the Year vote, he’s turning into precisely the form of center of the order anchor the Red Sox at all times hoped he may very well be.
And the most effective half is, he’s solely simply getting began.
Trouble in Texas
When the Red Sox had been swept at Fenway Park by the Houston Astros final week it felt like their goose was cooked. The membership had squandered quite a few probabilities to climb again into the playoff race, and after falling 6.5 video games again of the ultimate AL Wild Card spot it felt just like the Red Sox would want a miracle in the event that they hoped for any probability of taking part in in October.
It nonetheless isn’t trying good, however the Red Sox really are getting the assistance they wanted to maintain a flicker of hope alive.
Entering the weekend the Red Sox nonetheless stand six video games again within the Wild Card, a quantity that will most likely be so much worse if not for the cratering Texas Rangers. Once solidly in place to win the AL West and earn a bye to the divisional spherical, Texas has gone 4-16 over its final 20 video games relationship again to Aug. 16.
They’ve been overtaken inside their division by each Houston and the Seattle Mariners, and now they even path the Toronto Blue Jays by 1.5 video games for the final playoff spot. Three weeks in the past they had been 7.5 video games away from the playoff cutline and boasted playoff odds properly over 90%, so this has actually been a exceptional collapse.
So, what offers? Texas acquired off to an unbelievable begin however has really been fairly common for some time now, barely taking part in .500 ball because the begin of June. The Rangers have additionally absorbed some important accidents, dropping ace Jacob deGrom to Tommy John surgical procedure in early June and then-Cy Young contender Nathan Eovaldi for seven weeks after the All-Star break as a result of a proper forearm pressure.
Eovaldi was simply activated on Tuesday and acquired blown out by Houston in that evening’s 14-1 debacle, permitting 4 runs in 1.1 innings in his first begin again.
All-Stars Corey Seager, Jonah Heim and rookie standout Josh Jung have all missed time as properly, and even after including starters Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery the Rangers nonetheless discover themselves in a deadly place.
Suddenly Boston’s upcoming street journey to Toronto and Texas appears to be like much more significant than it did this time final week.
Quote of the season
As a sportswriter, most quotes we get from athletes are fairly mundane. Some supply fascinating perception, others deal in cliches, however more often than not you don’t hear something that will trigger an informal reader to do a double take or spit out their espresso.
But every so often you’ll hear one thing actually wild, and following Tuesday evening’s extra-innings thriller between Boston and Tampa Bay, Rays starter Zach Eflin delivered an attention-grabbing evaluation of his outing.
“I think the best way to describe it would be I felt like butt naked stranded on an island somewhere in the middle of the ocean,” Eflin advised reporters following the Rays’ 8-6 win in 11 innings. “I didn’t really know what I was doing tonight.”
Eflin defined that he couldn’t determine his mechanics, couldn’t get forward within the rely, hit Connor Wong with the primary pitch of the at-bat and almost drilled Justin Turner within the face. Put all of it collectively and he felt like he was flailing your entire time.
“I had no idea where I was out there,” he continued. “But ultimately I threw enough strikes and got enough weak contact to get through five and kind of let the bullpen take over.”
White makes Single-A debut
Former Phillips Academy star Thomas White was just lately referred to as as much as the Miami Marlins’ Low-A affiliate, and over the previous week and a half has made two begins for the Jupiter Hammerheads.
The 18-year-old Rowley native, who was chosen No. 35 total by Miami on this previous July’s MLB Draft, struck out three over 1.2 innings of labor in his debut on Aug. 31, permitting three runs on successful and two walks whereas throwing 40 pitches. He adopted that up with two scoreless innings in his newest begin on Thursday, placing out two whereas permitting two hits and two walks on 42 pitches.
White already ranks because the No. 2 prospect in Miami’s system based on MLB Pipeline and may grow to be one of the vital intriguing arms within the sport subsequent spring as soon as he begins his first full season {of professional} baseball.
Source: www.bostonherald.com