The Texas Rangers announced that right-hander Kohei Arihara has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a roster spot for reliever Tyson Miller who has been selected to the roster.
Arihara, 30, joined the Rangers after the 2020 season on a 2-year, $6.2MM contract, with an additional $1.24MM spent on his posting fee to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He posted a poor 6.86 ERA in 40 2/3 innings during the 2021 season and followed it up with a weaker 9.90 ERA in 20 innings this season. He fared better in the minors, logging a 4.88 ERA in 72 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this year. That’s come with a 20.4% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 52.8% ground ball rate.
With the trade deadline now passed, the Rangers will have no choice but to put him on outright waivers or release waivers. Since he was outrighted earlier this year, he’ll have the right to refuse another outright assignment and elect free agency. If he signs a new contract with another team, that club will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum salary. The Rangers would be on the hook for the remainder of his salary.
Miller, 27, makes his return to the show after he was briefly up with the team earlier this year as a COVID replacement, pitching three innings over two games. Since he was a COVID replacement, he was able to be removed from the roster without being placed on waivers. The rest of his season has been spent at Triple-A, throwing 83 2/3 innings with a 4.73 ERA. He has a strong 29.5% strikeout rate but a worrisome 10.4% walk rate. Since he’s been largely working as a starter, he’ll give Texas an option in the bullpen for a multi-inning outing.
But he looked so good last night :O
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitcher struggling that much to be allowed to pitch for that long before. In this era of 21st century baseball at least. 99 pitches thrown, only 9 outs recorded.
Just goes to show that most Asian league players are NOT Shohei Ohtani or Ichiro. Very few of them really succeed in the majors.
In term of numbers yes but the ratio-wise, they’re all similar no nationality differences.
I wasn’t meaning anything regarding nationality. I just meant that Asian leagues are not REALLY major leagues. They more akin to AA or maybe even high A. Just because someone puts up good stats there doesn’t mean that it will continue in MLB.
Are there people who believe success in overseas leagues will equal success in MLB?
Every team wants to find an avenue to acquiring a talent that could work out if given opportunity, where it be from other teams’ minor league squads, or a foreign team. It’s possible the scout who vouched for Arihara takes a hit professionally for missing so badly on his potential. The top execs have been given a boot, for signing off on that and more presumably. Team execs take swings and many of those swings will miss. This was one ugly swing.
Not true baseball America rates Japan as an 4a league and Korea as double A league
I think the major league in Japan is usually considered to be about the level of AAA or a bit better.
You may be right about the other leagues over there.
That doesn’t make it true or not true. That just makes it their opinion. My opinion is different. Baseball America is not some omnipotent baseball god. It is just a company run by fallible human beings just like me.
It has been considered that, but with the lack of success for the majority of players, perhaps it is time to reevaluate that opinion.
NPB player who came from Japan, a lot of them came to the MLB already pass their peak IMHO. Shohei Ohtani knows that, if he wait too long like everbody else, he might move to the majors too late. So he ask his agent to jump to the MLB earlier. He just 24 when he jump to the Majors
Remember names like Kyuji Fujikawa, Ryota Igarashi, Lim Chang Yong (Korean, but play for Yakult before jump to the Majors), Kei Igawa, Masao Kida, Shingo Takatsu, Yosshinori Tateyama, Kenshin Kawakami, Kosuke Fukudome? All this guy have something in common. All of them jump tp the Majors in their 30s and already regress in Japan.
You can say the same thing about any 1st round draft pick it’s all a gamble anyone will find success in MLB
Great start last night giving up 11 earned runs
Maybe the Rangers will focus on pitching this off-season. Starters and relievers. Free agent and trades. They have a decent amount of $ to spend and a good amount of prospects. Especially hitting prospects and their major league hitters are solid. Can only have so many.. should be a trade or 2 this off-season
I may have a cold, but this move was straight heat.
When do we get to read the Charlie Culberson DFA story?