Four-time Nippon Professional Baseball “ace” Noshibu Yamamoto (Oryx) is getting a lot of attention from Major League Baseball teams in the United States.
According to MLB.com, “Japanese prodigy Yamamoto makes his way to the majors through the posting system,” and “nearly half the league has reached out to him.”
Yamamoto struck out 14 batters in the Japan Series, surpassing the previous record of 13 set by Kimiyasu Kudo (Dai-E) in 1999 and Darvish Yu (Nippon Ham) in 2007. Although he lost the Japan Series title to Hanshin, Orix ace Yamamoto, who tossed a nine-inning, 14-strikeout, one-run shutout against Hanshin in Game 6, is headed to the major leagues.
Yamamoto, who made his debut in 2017, went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA in 23 games this year to win his third straight Sawamura Award, which is given to the top starting pitcher.
In 2021, he went 18-5 with a 1.39 ERA in 26 games and 193⅔ innings pitched. Last season, he went 15-5 with a 1.68 ERA in 26 games and 193 innings pitched. For the third straight year, he was named the Pacific League Pitcher of the Year.
MLB.com and local outlets such as CBS Sports ranked Yamamoto second in their top 25 offseason free agents. Outside of Shohei Ohtani, who has established himself as a top “two-hit” star, Yamamoto was considered the biggest name in the big leagues.
MLB.com listed the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox as possible fits for Yamamoto. It is believed that Yamamoto could immediately earn a 1-2 spot in the big league rotation. As for his price tag, it has been suggested that he could be worth upwards of $200 million over six or seven years. 토토사이트
There are more than 10 teams interested in him. “It didn’t take long to get the word out,” MLB.com reported, “Yamamoto’s agent, Joel Wolf, said 11 to 14 teams are interested in the 25-year-old Japanese ace.”
Yamamoto is free to negotiate with any of the 30 big league clubs until 5 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2024. He’s attracting an explosion of interest.
MLB.com said, “This much interest is not surprising,” adding, “He is expected to sign the biggest contract outside of Ohtani. It could top $200 million.”