In keeping with our recent Japanese theme, how about 27 year-old third baseman Akinori Iwamura? It was revealed today that Iwamura will probably be posted. He’s a fine hitter and could jump to the top of the list of available 3Bs quickly. If it’s true that Japanese baseball is a cut above American Triple A, Iwamura’s .390 OBP and .550 SLG should hold up pretty well.
I don’t know about Iwamura’s glovework, but Iwamura could probably outhit every free agent 3B outside of Aramis Ramirez. If I’m the Phillies, I jump on this and give him a three-year, $24MM deal.
