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NPB’s Nippon Ham Fighters Post Haruki Nishikawa For MLB Teams

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The Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have made center fielder Haruki Nishikawa available to Major League clubs through the NPB/MLB posting system, the Japan Times reports. Major League teams will now have a 30-day window to negotiate with the 28-year-old Nishikawa.

The left-handed-hitting Nishikawa batted .296/.419/.388 with just five homers, 15 doubles and three triples this year, although he also swiped 37 bags in 42 tries. He’s posted an OBP of .378 or better in each of the past four seasons while striking out in 16.5 percent of his plate appearances against a 14.3 percent walk rate.

Overall, dating back to 2017, Nishikawa is a .291/.397/.401 hitter through 2433 plate appearances. He’s stolen 144 bases with an 87.8 success rate in that time. Nishikawa has three stolen base titles, three Gold Gloves in the outfield and a pair of All-Star nods in NPB. He made it known last offseason that he hoped the Fighters would post him for big league clubs this winter.

There’s an obvious lack of power that will curb Nishikawa’s earning capacity with big league clubs, but his speed, plate discipline, bat-to-ball skills and ability to play multiple spots in the outfield all will hold appeal. Sports Info Solutions’ Ted Baarda profiled him recently, likening Nishikawa’s skill set to that of Ben Revere: a fleet-footed, contact-oriented hitter with the range to play anywhere in the outfield but arm strength (or a slight lack thereof) more suited for left field or center field. (It should be noted, though, that Nishikawa’s walk rate in NPB is about three times greater than Revere’s career mark in MLB.)

While this is expected to be a rather unforgiving offseason to baseball’s middle tiers of free agents, Nishikawa’s attempt to move to the Majors could be well-timed given relatively thin group of free-agent center fielders. George Springer, of course, is one of the top overall free agents but is also likely to come with an asking price that is a nonstarter for the majority of clubs around the league as they try to scale back payroll. Jackie Bradley Jr. presents a glove-first everyday alternative. Kevin Pillar is again available, but defensive metrics are down on his work in center.

That’s not to say Nishikawa is a clear starter at the big league level, of course. It’s possible that a low-payroll club could give him the opportunity to earn that role, but any team giving him that chance would figure to have alternatives on hand in the event that Nishikawa’s bat is overmatched by big league pitching. Still, his presence adds another option to the free-agent mix in center or for any team seeking a left-hitting fourth outfielder with speed to burn.

Any team that eventually signs Nishikawa will owe a release fee to the Fighters under the aforementioned posting system. That fee, which comes on top of the contract paid to the player himself, is equal to 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, plus 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of any dollars thereafter. Nishikawa’s track record in NPB is lesser than that of countryman Shogo Akiyama, who inked a three-year, $21MM deal with the Reds last winter. It’d be a surprise to see Nishikawa top that mark, so in all likelihood his posting fee will fall squarely into that first tier, 20-percent bracket.

Nishikawa becomes the second Fighters player to be posted for MLB clubs this winter, following the previously announced posting of the team’s top starting pitcher, righty Kohei Arihara.

Domingo Santana To Sign With Japan’s Yakult Swallows

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Slugger Domingo Santana is crossing the Pacific for the 2021 season, according to a report from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). The veteran outfielder is said to have agreed to a contract with Japan’s Yakult Swallows, the details of which remain unknown at this time.

Santana, 28, returned to the open market recently when the Indians declined a club option. He’ll now hope for a resurgence in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of play outside of North America.

While he has generally been a productive hitter in the majors, Santana hasn’t always done quite enough damage to make up for his defensive limitations. At his best — in 2017 with the Brewers — he swatted thirty long balls and turned in a full season of 126 wRC+ hitting, making it easy to overlook the questionable work in the outfield grass. At his work — in 2020 with the Indians — a rough offensive stretch left Santana a below-replacement-level performer.

It’s not difficult to imagine a prodigious offensive output from Santana in Japan. He’s still rather young and has typically reached base at a solid enough clip to tamp down any worries with his usually hefty strikeout tally.

NPB’s Yakult Swallows To Sign Cy Sneed

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TODAY: The Astros have requested unconditional release waivers on Sneed, according to multiple reports.  Sneed will be free to join the Swallows once he clears waivers.

NOVEMBER 27: The Yakult Swallows if Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have signed their second former big leaguer in as many days, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that they’ve agreed to terms with now-former Astros right-hander Cy Sneed (Twitter link). Yakult agreed to terms with former Pirates corner infielder/outfielder Jose Osuna earlier in the week.

Sneed, 28, came to the Astros organization in the 2015 trade that sent Jonathan Villar to the Brewers. He went on to make his Major League debut in 2019 and, over the course of the past two seasons, has logged 38 2/3 innings for Houston. It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the 2014 third-rounder, however, as he’s been tagged for a 5.59 ERA and a 4.78 FIP with a 44-to-15 K/BB ratio and a hefty eight home runs allowed in that limited sample of work.

Sneed averages 93.5 mph on his heater and has complemented that pitch with a changeup, curveball and split-finger, though he largely scrapped the splitter in 2020. While he’s struggled in the Majors, he’s had some success in Triple-A. After a dismal Triple-A debut in 2017, Sneed turned in 127 innings of 3.83 ERA/3.89 FIP ball in an extremely hitter-friendly setting with the Astros’ Fresno affiliate in the Pacific Coast League in 2018. He put up similar numbers in 2019 when Houston’s Triple-A club moved to Round Rock in 2019.

Houston has yet to formally announce Sneed’s release, though that formality is likely the final step in the process. The Swallows will likely pay some compensation to the Astros in order to release Sneed, who’ll surely get a larger guarantee to pitch in NPB next year than he’d have received as an up-and-down, pre-arbitration member of the Astros’ staff in 2021. The Astros’ 40-man roster now drops to a count of 38 players.

Oscar Colas Declared Free Agent By NPB’s SoftBank Hawks

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The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have declared Oscar Colas a free agent, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter links).  The move ends months of controversy between the club, Nippon Professional Baseball, and Colas’ representatives over amount of team control the Hawks held over Colas as per the terms of his original contract.

The next step for Colas is an application for MLB free agency.  Once this is granted, Colas will be eligible to be signed under standard international signing rules, and will in all likelihood be available when the next int’l signing window opens on January 15.  As a reminder, this is the 2020-21 window that would have normally began last July 2, except the signing period was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanchez writes that Colas’ representatives are already working to arrange a scouting showcase for their client, a 22-year-old who holds some potential as a two-way player.  Colas’ official pitching experience is limited to 3 1/3 innings in the Serie Nacional (Cuba’s top league) during the 2018-19 season, though he is said to possess a fastball that can hit 95mph.

There is much more data on Colas as a batter, as he hit .305/.381/.487 over 273 plate appearances in the Serie Nacional, and then posted an .825 OPS over 21 PA for the Hawks in 2019.  (Colas also hit well for the Hawks’ minor league squad in the Western League.)  In the field, Colas has played both first base and as a corner outfielder during his brief pro career.

Assuming no snags in his paperwork and clearances, Colas is a very intriguing entry into the 2020-21 international signing market.  Many teams have already committed large chunks of their int’l signing pools to other players, so the market for Colas may be determined by how much remaining pool space certain teams have available.  Pool funds also cannot be traded during this year’s signing period.

Robbie Erlin To Sign With Nippon Ham Fighters

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Left-hander Robbie Erlin has agreed to a one-year contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

This will be the first overseas baseball experience for the 30-year-old Erlin, a third-round pick in 2009 and a well-regarded prospect in the past. Unfortunately, though, Erlin hasn’t been able to establish himself in the majors, where he owns a 4.85 ERA (and a much more respectable 3.79 FIP) across 339 2/3 innings with three different teams.

At his best, Erlin gave the Padres 109 innings and 39 appearances (12 starts) of 4.21 ERA/3.31 FIP pitching with 7.27 K/9 and a minuscule 0.99 BB/9 in 2018. His numbers went downhill during the previous two seasons, though, especially this past year. Between Pittsburgh and Atlanta, the soft-tossing Erlin recorded a dismal 8.10 ERA/6.23 FIP across 26 2/3 innings, though he did post 8.44 strikeouts per nine against 2.36 walks. The Braves released him in the middle of September.

NPB’s Yakult Swallows Sign Jose Osuna, In Talks To Acquire Cy Sneed

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Jose Osuna announced on his Instagram page that he has signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball.  Pirates GM Ben Cherington recently suggested that Osuna would be heading to play in Asia after Pittsburgh designated Osuna for assignment and subsequently released him earlier this week.  In addition to Osuna, the Swallows seem to be close to landing another recent big leaguer, as multiple reports out of Japan have Astros right-hander Cy Sneed in talks with the Tokyo club.

Over four seasons and 705 plate appearances with the Pirates, Osuna hit .241/.280/.430 and saw significant playing time at first base, third base, and both corner outfield positions.  This versatility didn’t help him keep a job on the Bucs’ roster, however, as the DFA essentially represented an early non-tender.  Osuna was projected to earn $1.1MM in his first trip through the arbitration process.

An international signing out of Venezuela in 2009, Osuna has spent his entire 11-year pro career in the Pirates organization, so the move to NPB will represent a particularly notable change of scenery.  Osuna doesn’t turn 28 until December, so there’s plenty of time for him to get his career on track and then weigh continuing playing in Japan or perhaps exploring a return to North American baseball.

Sneed is also entering his age-28 season, and the righty has a 5.59 ERA, 2.93 K/BB rate, and 10.2 K/9 over 38 2/3 career innings with Houston at the Major League level.  Home runs have been a big issue for Sneed (1.9 HR/9), but he also had some bad luck, with a .367 BABIP during his brief time in the Show.

Sneed has worked only as a reliever during his two seasons with the Astros, usually appearing in a multi-inning capacity in 2019 before seeing a lot more single-inning duty this year.  He started 155 of his 216 career games in the minor leagues, so it’s possible he could get another look as a starter with the Swallows.

There haven’t been any reports of Sneed being designated or released by Houston, so it would seem that some type of deal will have to be worked out (or has been worked out) between the Astros and Swallows.  While Sneed is a controllable pitcher who has yet to even lose his rookie status, it could be that he just isn’t in the Astros’ long-term plans, so a move to NPB represents a new opportunity for the right-hander.

Nippon-Ham Fighters Re-Sign Drew VerHagen

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The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters have re-signed right-hander Drew VerHagen to a new contract, the team announced earlier this week.  The 30-year-old will return to Japan for a second season after a successful 2020 campaign.

A veteran of six MLB seasons, VerHagen posted a 5.11 ERA, 2.08 K/BB rate, 53.9% grounder rate, and 7.1 K/9 over 199 innings with the Tigers from 2014-19.  As you might expect for a groundball specialist, VerHagen’s performance tended to ebb and flow based on his BABIP, with his three highest single-season ERAs (in 2016, 2017, and 2019) coinciding with his three largest BABIP totals.

With his Major League career not making much progress, VerHagen signed with the Fighters last winter, saying that he was “excited” by the chance to work as a starting pitcher.  (He started only eight of his 127 games with Detroit.)  VerHagen took advantage of his new opportunity in 2020, posting a 3.22 ERA, 3.97 K/BB rate, and 9.3 K/9 over 111 2/3 innings for the Fighters.

Hiroshima Carp Acquire Kevin Cron, Dovydas Neverauskas

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Catching up on some signings from earlier this week, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball agreed to one-year deals with first baseman Kevin Cron and right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas.  According to Sports Hochi (hat tip to Patrick Newman of NPBTracker), Cron will earn $1.1MM in the form of an $800K salary and a $300K bonus, while Neverauskas will earn $625K in salary and a $250K bonus.

Cron and Neverauskas were released by the Diamondbacks and Pirates, respectively, within the last month.  It was known at the time that the two players were heading to a team overseas, though specifics weren’t known until the Carp’s announcement.

Since the Diamondbacks have several first base options on the roster, GM Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro that “we just felt like if we couldn’t carve out legit opportunity for [Cron,] we should keep in mind there is a window by which he has an opportunity to make money.”  The D’Backs received $500K from the Carp in exchange for Cron’s rights.

After hitting 151 homers over 2765 plate appearances in the Diamondbacks’ minor league system, Cron showed some of that power in his 2019 rookie season, swatting six homers in 79 PA at the MLB level.  Cron couldn’t build on this start, however, and went hitless in 20 plate appearances in 2020, appearing in only eight games for Arizona.

Cron told Piecoro that the move to Japan is “bittersweet” since he enjoyed his time with the D’Backs, but as he heads into his age-28 season, “I might not get this chance again.  It’s a chance to go over there and learn as much as I can and maybe further my game even more and see what happens.”

The only Lithuanian-born player in MLB history, Neverauskas got his big league career off to a solid start in 2017, posting a 3.91 ERA over 25 1/3 relief innings for Pittsburgh.  After that debut year, however, the righty simply couldn’t get on track, as Neverauskas struggled to keep the ball in the yard.  Over 80 2/3 innings with the Bucs from 2017-20, Neverauskas posted a 6.81 ERA, 2.20 K/BB rate, 8.6 K/9, and a whopping 2.2 HR/9.

Looking for silver linings from that performance, Neverauskas did increase his strikeout totals every year, and he has solid velocity on a fastball that averaged 94.8mph (though his velo has steadily dropped after a 97mph average in 2017).  ERA predictors also indicate at least a slightly more favorable perspective on Neverauskas’ results than his 6.81 ERA does, as he has a 5.94 FIP, 4.72 xFIP, and 4.33 SIERA over his Pirates career.

Spencer Patton, Yudai Ohno Reportedly Drawing MLB Interest

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A pair of pitchers in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball are drawing interest from MLB clubs. Yokohama DeNa Baystars reliever Spencer Patton has caught the attention of a few teams, reports Robert Murray of Fansided; so too has Chunichi Dragons starter Yudai Ohno, per a report from Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Patton seems the more likely of the two to make the jump to the United States this winter, as Morosi cautions it’s “unlikely” Ohno will go to MLB in 2021.

That might simply reflect the players’ respective contractual statuses. Patton is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of the NPB season this month. Ohno, on the other hand, would need to be posted by the Dragons to be eligible to join an MLB club. It’s unclear if Ohno’s unlikelihood of heading to the U.S. is an indication the Dragons wouldn’t be willing to make him available or if the 32-year-old is simply content in his current situation.

It would be hard to fault the Dragons for not wanting to post Ohno, if that is indeed the stumbling block. The left-hander is seen as the favorite to win the 2020 Sawamura Award, Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young, Morosi notes. It’s easy to understand why. Ohno has pitched to a league-best 1.82 ERA over 148.2 innings this season. He has backed that up with a stellar combination of 148 strikeouts (8.96 K/9) and 23 walks (1.39 BB/9).

That marks a career season for Ohno, but he’s put together a decade-long run as one of the better arms in NPB. Over 10 seasons, Ohno has compiled a 3.14 ERA at Japan’s highest level. Will Hoefer of Sports Info Solutions wrote a full report on Ohno last year, noting that he typically works in the low-90’s with a decent splitter and slider and might fit best in long relief. The southpaw will be eligible for free agency in 2021 if he isn’t posted this offseason.

Patton, also 32, logged 54.2 innings of 6.26 ERA ball in parts of three MLB seasons with the Rangers and Cubs before heading overseas. The right-hander has been much better in NPB, compiling a 3.49 ERA across 201 innings over the past four seasons. Patton has backed that up with a strong 10.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9. He’s issued a few more walks this year than he has in years past, contributing to a slightly-elevated 4.28 ERA. Nevertheless, Patton has been much better down the stretch after a difficult start to the season, Murray notes, and is now “eyeing a return” to the U.S.

Quick Hits: NPB, Harvey, Astros

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Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball is set to open its regular season June 19. Initially, games will be played without fans in attendance, but that may not be the case the entire summer. Former MLB reliever Frank Herrmann, now a member of NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines, tells David Laurila of Fangraphs the league has discussed allowing some number of fans into ballparks as soon as July 10, with hopes of incrementally increasing attendance moving forward if safety permits. The NPB plans to run a 120-game condensed season, down from its typical 143-game schedule.

Turning our attention to the United States…

  • As we approach the ten-year anniversary of the 2010 MLB entry draft, Ken Davidoff and Dan Martin of the New York Post look back at the Mets’ selection of Matt Harvey. Then-GM Omar Minaya credits former scouting director Rudy Terrasas for staying on the right-hander even as he slumped through a difficult sophomore season at the University of North Carolina. Minaya says the club had scouts in attendance for every one of Harvey’s starts as a junior, allowing them to feel comfortable enough to select him seventh overall when his performance rebounded that season. The story of Harvey’s meteoric rise to stardom and his equally rapid fall from that peak has been told many times. Nevertheless, Mets’ fans in particular will want to check out the full piece for an entertaining look back at the caliber of player Harvey was in his prime.
  • Astros GM James Click tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that this year’s shortened, five-round draft forces teams more than ever to draft the best prospects on their board, rather than worrying about balancing out their minor-league systems. That’s particularly true for Houston, who lost their first and second round picks this season (and next) as punishment for their sign-stealing violations. “Even if you end up drafting four very similar players, you should be able to find playing time for them at some place and at some point,” Click tells McTaggart. Even in a typical season, MLB teams almost always select the player whom they believe to be the best available talent (subject to signability) in the early rounds of the draft. Drafting for need doesn’t make the same impact in baseball, where prospects are often years away from the majors and face high rates of attrition along the way, as it might in sports like football or basketball.
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