Shohei Ohtani’s debut will be one of the major stories of the 2018 season, and in a fascinating piece, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register talks to five sources (Ohtani’s former manager and signing scout with the Nippon Ham Fighters, and three former MLB players who played with Ohtani in Japan) to gauge how the 23-year-old will fare with the Angels. While all five agree that Ohtani will have to make some inevitable adjustments to Major League Baseball, all believe he’ll be a success — interestingly, manager Hideki Kuriyama and scout Takashi Ofuchi think Ohtani will be better as a hitter than as a pitcher. Former Yankees and Astros infielder Brandon Laird described Ohtani as “at his age, he’s one of the best, if not the best player I’ve ever seen or had the chance to play with,” after three years as his teammate on the Fighters. “He’s almost like a 10-tool player, a pitcher and hitter who can do it all.” For more opinions on what Ohtani might bring to the table, MLBTR’s Chuck Wasserstrom compiled an in-depth scouting report on Ohtani last May based on talking to five international-scouting figures from MLB teams.
Here’s more from both the AL and NL West…
- It was reported earlier this week by FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman that Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick had met with Scott Boras several times this offseason in regards to J.D. Martinez, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) notes that Kendrick and Boras met again as recently as this week. Since the Red Sox appear to be the only other known suitor for Martinez’s services, there still seems to be at least a chance that Martinez could return to Arizona, though some creativity may be required via the design of Martinez’s contract or in how the D’Backs could carve out payroll space to afford him. That is, unless, Boras (who has a history of negotiating directly with owners) can just convince Kendrick to greatly increase what will already be a team record-high payroll in 2018.
- The Rangers could be entering their last Spring Training with Elvis Andrus (opt-out clause), Adrian Beltre (free agency), and Cole Hamels ($20MM club option for 2019) all in the fold, making this season a pivotal one for the franchise, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. That makes the Rangers’ relative lack of spending this offseason stand out, though Wilson suggests that the team could be preparing to make a bigger splash in the star-studded 2018-19 free agent class, particularly if some, or all, of the Andrus/Beltre/Hamels salaries are no longer on the books.
- Several Rockies starters performed well in 2017, and their potential and continued development could make the team’s 2018 rotation the best in franchise history, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. Colorado will head into the season with Jon Gray, Chad Bettis, German Marquez, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Freeland, Jeff Hoffman, and Antonio Senzatela all in the mix for rotation jobs, though it seems likely that all seven (and more starters) will required due to the inevitable wear-and-tear of a full season’s workload. The depth will also help guard against any struggles from this still young and largely-unproven group of pitchers.
I’m not an angels fan, or have any interest in them good or bad, but I cannot wait to see how ohtani plays. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rookie season hyped up so much in my life(granted I’m only 22)
I’m a fan of a division rival, but I am rooting for him to do well. It’s just going to be cool to see, and if he does well I can see him sparking a change in the game and how players are developed. Just hope he doesn’t terrorize the A’s.
He won’t. Have you seen the Sean Manea slider?
I agree, that slider will make Ohtani pitch terribly, and he will never get a single hit off an A’s pitcher because of it. Go slider!!!
I bought my ticket to see the slider
That slider will be talked about for generations.
Hard to beat Strasburg’s debut
I believe the Ohtani hype surpasses the excitement in NY during your youth (ages 1-4):
Orlando Hernandez
Hideki Irabu
Jose Contreras
Hernandez had a slider worth the price of admission, and an eephus pitch to tell your grandkids about.
El Duque was absolutely worth the price of admission! The toad on the other hand was not haha
I thought Harper’s was probably the most hyped imo
ichiro
Harper
Jason Heyward (maybe?)
Dice-K
Hideki Matsui
Fukudome?
I’m just throwing other notable ones out there over the last 22 years that I can think of off the top of my head. .
J.D. Drew was pretty hyped ! Also Bo Jackson
and Deion Sanders!
I Remember the hype on drew. Being a cardinals fan it was talked about a lot. Most I remember from it was he didn’t want to go to Philadelphia so he turned them down. Had batteries thrown at him his first game in philly.
In my lifetime, David Clyde debuting a week after graduating from high school for the Texas Rangers. Hugh!
Fernandomania!
Rangers should go all-out this season. Their core is aging. Andrus is in his prime; Beltre and Hamels are still great players but won’t be great too much longer. If Beltre stays healthy they could even trade Gallo for someone like Fulmer or Stroman
There is no way Gallo gets you either of those guys by himself.
I know he had 41 homers, but he had 94 hits….total.
But some goofballs will argue with you that walks are just as good as hits.
Nobody says that. But Gallo was still a valuable player last year, with his .203 batting average or whatever
How so? Did he turn those walks into SB? He’s slow as they come strikes out too much and probably will always be that way. This three true outcome junk is one of the things ruining the game. Put the ball in play..a walk isn’t as good as a hit if you are slow and stranded.
He’s actually about average, if not above average in Sprint speed. Out of the 54 3rd basemen that qualified for Statcast’s Sprint speed data, Gallo ranked 15th, and has above league average sprint speed. He may not turn that into stolen bases, but he’s not “slow as they come”
A slow batter putting the ball in play is the worst possible outcome. Baserunners win games period.
I wouldn’t say Gallo is slow he’s got a little speed especially for his size. That being said I hate his game and couldn’t imagine a team giving up too much for him.
He is not slow.
There’s a runner on third base with less than two outs. Gallo grounds out to the second baseman. Gallo is thrown out, but the run scores. (Is that the worst possible outcome?)
The Reds are down by one in the late innings, With one out, their No. 2 hitter gets on with a double. Joey Votto comes up with a chance to tie the game, but instead he walks. Has Votto helped the team, or has he harmed their chances of tying by kicking the can down the road to a less capable hitter?
These are merely two examples of how swinging the bat and putting the ball in play can be more helpful for a team to attain that ultimate goal of scoring runs.
These also illustrate why those who champion the walk and high OBP tend to be blind to other aspects of offensive production. A groundout can often be more effective than taking a free pass, for instance.
A strikeout is just an out like any other out! Not as much emphasis on strikeouts these days!
That’s a terrible comparison. One, your scenarios’ parameters are not equivalent and two, Joey Votto, perhaps the smartest hitter in the game would have a goal to get a hit in your proposed situation.
Why have JDM in the headlines when there was nothing knew to report? Wasn’t the fact that Boras met with Set to ownership previously reported? Boras is also well known to create the illusion of competition and this seems to be one of the few times a team has given it right back. The Sox talked to the Indians about Encarcion, that LoMo is a back up plan. Teams better always have alternative plans. Talking to reporters though is simply spinning things.
These guys have to write something. Feel some empathy. This is the worst off season ever in terms of news and rumours. Maybe the other sports have them stretched thin, but there really is not much going on per the agents. Passan had it right when he predicted in November GM’s were saying they were going to wait players out to get better deals
Why have JDM in the headlines when there was nothing knew to report? Wasn’t the fact that Boras met with ownership previously reported? Boras is also well known to create the illusion of competition and this seems to be one of the few times a team has given it right back. The Sox talked to the Indians about Encarcion, that LoMo is a back up plan. Teams better always have alternative plans. Talking to reporters though is simply spinning things.
I don’t think so. Ownership is cutting budget knowing their window is closing as the article points out. If the Rangers aren’t competitive by June, they’ll be sellers at the deadline in preparation for a rebuild with a lot of cash and some prospects they acquire for next offseason.
Interesting thing is that 11 of the top 13 FA in total dollars committed are NL teams, and NL teams have
Out spent AL teams 3 to 1 which makes no sense as AL teams have higher total revenues (I think) and an extra position to fill (DH) . The DH interestingly enough in the AL is coming off its worst year ever performance wise.
Maybe the collusion focus should be at the AL teams?
Nothing but coincidence. The Yankees traded for Stanton and want to get under the threshold whereas after resigning Moreland, the Sox are in a holding pattern until JDM signs somewhere. Detroit after the owner passed away is finally in a rebuild. These are the three biggest spenders in the AL.
The DH in recent years has morphed into a crutch to play substandard players or give others days of ‘rest’.
Don’t see The Rangers adding any more pieces this year unless someone get cuts willing to play for the minimum salary. Waiting for the new stadium and a new Ranger team.
One thing this slow winter has made plain…the extent to which the “insiders” must carry agent’s water in exchange for inside info.
Heyman might as well stand on Boras’ shoulder asking for crackers.
All jokes and Coors talk aside, there are some decent arms in the Rox rotation this season. Freeland flashed some signs of brilliance last year, and if Jeff Hoffman can ever put it together a full season to go with his good stuff he could finally make the Tulo trade long forgotten. Marquez has also shown some skills as well……I don’t know that Senzatela will pan out but there could certainly be some interesting things brewing for Colorado if these young kids put it together.
At what point do players who are with Boras realize they are the one who are still unsigned?
I love the rotation options for the Rockies but the lineup isn’t going to give them enough help as currently constructed, unless Dahl and McMahon exceed expectations.
Well said Alexander!!! They could be costing themselves millions, Boras has nothing to loose by waiting. At this point he is doing it for the gamesmanship
I have a question guys……..I respect everyone’s opinion on this question, so please, air it out. With this offseason as slow as it is and most of the remaining free agents currently have or had offers on the table, do we blame the players or the agents for the slow inactivity? I don’t post comments on here much, I am a lifelong baseball fan that merely follows the market and read the comments and views of the people that post here. Has the love of the game gone out the window? Has it become more of a job and money? Will baseball head for a strike if things don’t improve? Like I previously stated, I enjoy reading comments and opinions and am interested in reading the opinions from you guys on this issue. Take Care and God Bless!
it wasn’t a juggernaut of talent in the FA class this year…no conspiracy, and very unlikely we’ll see a strike…as woodrow wilson said “the business of america is business”…baseball is no different…and all the posturing and whining we’ve been hearing about this year’s slow offseason originates mostly from these agents…if the class warrented big deals they would have already have happened! theres no conspiracy: a player’s contract reflects supply and demand so players not signed are in less demand than they had hoped…
Both sides share equally in it, from my perspective. I think it has pretty much gone like this:
Player: “Pay me what I’m worth!”
Owner: “I’m trying to, but you won’t take it!”
And round and round they go.
I truly believe that players (and indirectly agents too) could all have a bigger piece of the revenue pie and be happier if the luxury tax limit wasn’t so low or require penalties (draft & pool) that teams desperately want to avoid in this day of evaluation and team building. This, to me, seems to be the result of poor CBA negotiation from the MLBPA. If the limit is either removed or made more dynamic to reflect revenue fluctuation, there would be more buyers. As has been heavily discussed, the biggest markets, the biggest spenders are all riding and/or attempting to get/stay under that limit. If that limit was not there then, teams like the Dodgers and Yankees, historically willing to open the checkbook, would be more willing to upgrade. [I do understand that having a limit helps generate at least some parity in the game]
well sure it’s like any negotiation…both sides must agree on a price obviously…
and i am myself in support of players in general and am constantly suprised by non-baseball people (people who never played pro sports or were in entertainment in general) criticizing player’s greed…if i was hosmer or jdm i would also be trying to get the biggest paycheck…but these guys cannot deny how many crappy free agent signings have tanked with these over-30 players…too bad lawyers and agents like boras are so eager to use players and owners for their own profit
This is finally the year that Boras and other agents over-reached.
I am sure Boras is now hoping for some injuries in spring training so that someone will be desperate enough to sign his players that were obviously not asking for market prices.
When Boras came out and said 200 million for a DH, a above average first baseman but not elite, and a aging pitcher with dropping peripherals I think everyone knew those numbers were ridiculous.
The real problem with this season I think is that Boras won’t budge and seems to have his players convinced he is right and if they hold out long enough then they will get there price. These players have to be getting somewhat nervous though sitting out the season or portions of the season for players north of 30 doesn’t seem to be in there best interests.
Maybe Boras gets his stupid prices for these guys but I doubt it. I really hope that Boston does not up there reported 5/125 offer to JDM I believe that is slight overpay as is.
Hamels back to the Phillies after 2018
Looking forward to Ohtan’s debut, but don’t think he’ll excel as both a hitter and pitcher. The season is a little longer, there’s more travel here than in Japan, and all the focus will be on him wherever he goes. I think he’ll be an All-Star (and not just as an undeserving fan vote entry), but I’m not sold on him being elite as either a pitcher or hitter, much less both.
Texas needs to be smart here. It’s cool if they go for it in 2018 now- maybe shoot for a wild card spot because we know they aren’t beating Houston, however they need to be able to acknowledge that the window for them to go through a rather painless rebuild is closing with every day.
I would say if they are not in possession of a wild card spot, or within five games of one by June 15th, begin the sell-off.
They have a lot of pieces who could really help re-stock the farm system:
Andrus, Hamels, Moore, Claudio, Fister, Bush, Diekman, Barnette and Oh can all make for solid trade chips. (I didn’t include Beltre because I imagine he wants to retire in Texas)
There are enough young players on the Rangers to represent a foundation between Calhoun, Mazara, Kela, Delino, Gallo etc. but bringing in some solid prospects to put around them would do wonders and could catapult them into contention again rather swiftly.
The Rockies need to sign JDM. Period.
They went to the post season last year and he is better than CarGo. The rotation is a year older and should be better.
He IS the missing piece.
He would be a lot of fun to watch playing in Coors.
Colorado could make sense for Realmuto. Marquez, Rodgers, Almonte and Patterson for Realmuto and Barraclough?
Or Marquez, Vilade, Hampson, Almonte, and Patterson for Realmuto and Barraclough?