Shintaro Fujinami has a good understanding of how NPB compares to MLB. Prior to signing with the Oakland Athletics in January (and subsequently being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in July), the 29-year-old right-hander spent 10 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers. Along the way he faced many of Japan’s top hitters, with Central League stalwarts such as Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto among the standouts. The latter was the first name Fujinami mentioned when I asked which of his former position-player opponents would best perform stateside.
“I think that Okamoto, the third baseman for the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, would be pretty good here,” replied Fujinama, who went 7-8 with a 7.18 ERA over 79 relief innings in his first MLB season. “He’s a power hitter in Japan, although a power hitter there isn’t the same as here. Power hitters in Japan won’t hit 40 home runs over here like Shohei Ohtani does. But he would do well.”
A 27-year-old right-handed hitter, Okamoto slugged an NPB-best 41 home runs this year while slashing .278/.374/.585. He’s gone deep at least 30 times in each of the last six seasons, a span that includes a .274 batting average and 108 strikeouts annually. Despite the not-low K totals, Fujinami believes that Okamoto possesses the bat-to-ball skills to handle MLB pitching. Moreover, he doesn’t feel that high heaters would bedevil the Yomiuri slugger.
“He has good contact-ability, and he’s also good at hitting fastballs,” Fujinami told me during our September conversation. “The fastball velocity here is higher than it is in Japan, but I feel that Okamoto could make an adjustment to that if he came here. I think that Okamoto can hit a fastball at the top of the zone better than Murakami. If I had to pick one to bring here to the states, I would pick Okamoto.”
Fujinami said that he doesn’t know if Okamoto hopes to one day take his game to MLB. He thinks that Murakami, a 23-year-old Yakult Swallows third baseman who has averaged 42 home runs over the last three seasons, does aspire to do so.
Which brings us to NPB’s top pitchers. Which of Roki Sasaki — a 21-year-old right-hander a few years away from a possible move to MLB — or Yoshinobu Yamamoto — a 25-year old righty expected to come over this offseason — does he feel will be best suited for MLB?
“Both would do well here,” Fujinami said after pondering the question for several seconds. “But if I had to pick one, it would probably be Sasaki.”
———
RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Dusty Baker went 9 for 15 against Dock Ellis.
Dusty Cooke went 9 for 27 against Red Ruffing.
Dusty Rhodes went 12 for 28 against Art Fowler.
Dusty Coleman went 3 for 6 against Gerrit Cole.
Dustin Pedroia went 22 for 45 against Scott Kazmir.
———
Craig Breslow being hired as the new Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox brought to mind a piece that ran here at FanGraphs six years ago. The first sentence of the October 2, 2017 article, which comprised quotes on the subject from a cross-section of players, coaches, managers, and general managers — 17 people in all — was “Are today’s analytically-inclined players the next generation of top-level front-office executives?” From Gerrit Cole to Dave Dombrowski to A.J. Hinch to Bob Melvin, the opinions leaned heavily in the direction of yes.
Since that time, the likes of Sam Fuld (Philadelphia Phillies), Brandon Gomes (Los Angeles Dodgers), Chris Young (Texas Rangers), and now Breslow, have assumed prominent front office positions. Other analytically-savvy former players have assumed executive roles as well. One of them, Burke Badenhop, is a special assistant for the National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks. Another, Brandon McCarthy, has been a special assistant for the American League champion Rangers.
On a related note, I first interviewed Breslow for Baseball Prospectus in 2006. The archived conversation can be found here.
———
RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS HALLOWEEN BONUS
Spook Jacobs went 6 for 15 against Don Larsen.
Creepy Crespi went 12 for 34 against Carl Hubbell.
Richie Hebner went 11 for 17 against Tom Hume.
Casper Wells went 5 for 12 against C.J. Wilson.
Mickey Mantle went 3 for 16 against Dick “The Monster” Radatz.
———
A quiz:
The first regular-season home run by a designated hitter was hit on April 6, 1973. Catfish Hunter was on the mound. Who was the DH that took him deep?
The answer can be found below.
———
NEWS NOTES
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) announced the creation of the Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship. Awarded annually to two recipients, the scholarship will provide meaningful professional development and networking opportunities for female-identifying students or young professionals pursuing a career in baseball analytics and data science.
Tom Walker, a right-handed pitcher who was credited with 18 wins and 11 saves while playing for four teams, primarily the Montreal Expos, from 1972-1977, died earlier this week at age 74. In 1971, he threw a 15-inning no-hitter for the Cal Ripken Sr.-managed Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs in the Double-A Dixie Association. His son, Neil Walker, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and four other clubs.
Rob Gardner, a left-handed pitcher who went 14-18 with two saves and a 4.35 ERA while playing for six teams from 1965-1973, died on October 21 at age 78. The Binghamton native was twice traded by the New York Yankees, once in a deal for Felipe Alou, the other time in a deal for Matty Alou.
——-
The answer to the quiz is Tony Oliva. The Hall-of-Famer homered off of Hunter in the first inning of an 8-3 Minnesota Twins over the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
———
Ten finalists were named this week for the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award, which honors excellence in baseball broadcasting. The winner, who will be announced on December 6 during the Winter Meetings, will be one of Joe Buck, Joe Castiglione, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton,Ernie Johnson Sr, Ken Korach, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper and Dan Shulman.
My personal favorites among the group are Hamilton and Korach, while three others also rank highly on my preference list. That said, all of the finalists are deserving, It is a fantastic group.
Meanwhile, is there a more polarizing baseball broadcaster than John Smoltz? Criticism comes with the territory, especially when you’re talking to a large audience, but based on (seemingly-always-angry) social media, a not-insignificant number of fans are… well, quite angry at the pitcher-turned-analyst. The biggest criticism is that Smoltz refuses to let a game breathe, instead filling every possible second with his observations and opinions (that some of the opinions delve into you-kids-get-off-my lawn territory doesn’t exactly help, but that is a subject for another day).
Personally, I prefer broadcast analysts, and broadcasters as a whole, who allow the game to breathe. An unrelenting onslaught of words between pitches detracts from the viewing and/or listening experience.
———
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Ryuki Watarai and Natsuki Takeuchi were the top picks in this year’s NPB draft, which was held earlier this week. More info on the selections — NPB’s draft format differs markedly from MLB’s — can be found here.
Naoyuki Uwasawa announced that he is hoping to come to MLB next year via the posting process. The 29-year-old right-hander went 9-9 with a 2.96 ERA for the Nippon-Ham Fighters this season and is 29-24 with a. 3.04 ERA over the last three.
NPB’s championship series got underway this yesterday with the Hanshin Tigers outscoring the Orix Buffaloes 8-0. Shoki Murakami, who went 10-6 with a 1.75 ERA during the regular season, allowed two hits over seven scoreless for the winning side. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA, surrendered 10 hits and seven runs over five-and-two-thirds innings.
The KBO semi-finals get underway tomorrow with the KT Wiz hosting the NC Dinos. The winner of the best-of-five series will go on to face the LG Twins in the Korean Series.
Carter Kieboom is 10-for-22 with one home run for the Mexican Pacific Winter League’s Naranjeros de Hermosillo. The 26-year-old infielder, whom Washington
drafted 28th overall in 2016 out of Marietta, Georgia’s Walton High School, has slashed .199/.297/.301 in 508 plate appearances over parts of four seasons with the Nationals.
Greg Bird will be playing for the Australian Baseball League’s Melbourne Ace this winter. The 30-year-old former New York Yankees first baseman was with the independent Frontier League’s Capitales de Québec this past season. The 2023/2024 ABL campaign kicks off on November 16.
———
The Texas Rangers drafted David Clyde first-overall in 1973 out of Houston’s Westchester High School, where the left-hander threw five no-hitters and logged 0.18 ERA in his senior season. Three weeks later, Clyde made his MLB debut.
One year before relocating to Texas and becoming the Rangers, the Washington Senators selected Pete Broberg with the top pick of the secondary phase of the 1971 draft out of Dartmouth University. Two weeks later, Broberg made his MLB debut.
Broberg and Clyde combined to go 59-104 with a 4.58 ERA over the course of their careers.
One other note on Broberg: On April 16, 1972, he became the first pitcher in Rangers history to be credited with a win.
———
FARM NOTES
Jay Groome threw 2,661 pitches this season, the most in the minors. The 25-year-old left-hander in the San Diego Padres system went 4-10 with an 8.55 ERA for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. He logged 137 strikeouts and issued 112 walks in 134-and-two-thirds innings.
Oliver Carrillo slashed .303/.542/.586 with 11 home runs in 225 plate appearances for Padres Gold in the Dominican Summer League. Signed by San Diego in December 2021 out of Mazatlan, Mexico, the 21-year-old outfielder drew 66 free passes and fanned 45 times.
Kyle Manzardo is 18-for-68 with six doubles, one triple, and five home runs for the Arizona Fall League’s Peoria Javelinas. Acquired by the Cleveland Guardians from the Tampa Bay Rays at the July trade deadline in exchange for Aaron Civale, the 23-year-old first baseman had 17 home runs and an .818 OPS this year in Triple-A.
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa has thrown seven scoreless innings while allowing two hits over six appearances for the Arizona Fall League’s Surprise Saguaros. Selected in the 30th round of the 2021 draft out of Pierce College by the Texas Rangers, the 23-year-old right-hander from Wailuku, Hawaii had a 2.96 ERA in 19 outings across rookie-ball, Low-A, and High-A.
Jordan Carr has allowed 11 hits and three runs in 15 innings for the Arizona Fall League’s Glendale Desert Dogs. Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Minnesota Twins in 2021, the 26-year-old southpaw had a 2.15 ERA over 71 innings between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita.
———
Longtime sports scribe Bob Ryan has authored over a dozen books, the least known of which is arguably his first. In 1974, six years into his tenure with the Boston Globe — he and Peter Gammons started on the same day — and before he became best-known for his basketball coverage, Ryan penned Wait Till I Make the Show: Baseball in the Minor Leagues (1974).
This past summer, while browsing an East Grand Rapids, Michigan antiquarian bookstore, I happened across, and promptly purchased for $15, the heretofore-unknown-to-me gem. Not surprisingly, the anecdotes, observations, and opinions within are entertaining and informative to the time and place. Make that time and places. Ryan’s research included traveling to minor league outposts from Honolulu, Hawaii to Trois-Rivières, Quebec to Kinston, North Carolina and beyond. Moreover, his critiques of the towns and their then-ballpark facilities were as wide-ranging as the geography. Some were scathing, while others were anything but.
Appleton, Wisconsin, which five decades later is the home of the Midwest League’s Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, was a Ryan favorite. Along with being highly complimentary of the bygone ballpark and its ownership, he was effusive in his praise of the midsize Midwest town itself (the current population is roughly 75,000). Imbibing options were part of what stood out to the esteemed author.
“[Appleton] has enough going to keep to keep you interested, but without too much to drive you crazy,” Ryan wrote. “There must be half a million bars, with my particular favorite name being Shine’s Super Bar. People in Appleton like to have a good time, and nothing gives them more pleasure than being able to drink beer.”
The extent to which that might have changed over the past five decades is something we’d need to query our friends in Northeast Wisconsin about. Suds aside, the Fox Cities-area team was known as the Appleton Foxes prior to becoming the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 1995.
———
LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Jack Hartman did a short Q&A with Tampa Bay Rays process and analytics coach Jonathan Erlichman for Princeton University’s alumni publication.
The Orioles will have both a new pitching coach and a new assistant pitching coach next year. Jon Meoli addressed the situation at The Baltimore Banner.
At Yonhap News Agency, Jee-ho Yoo wrote about how KT Wiz left-hander Wes Benjamin, recovered from arm troubles, feels ready for a KBO postseason run.
Our Esquina’s José de Jesus Ortiz wrote about Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the Cuban outfielder’s baseball-famous family.
At WOSU Public Media, Dave Barber wrote about the Negro League’s Dayton Marcos, and how there is much more to learn about Black baseball’s legacy.
———
RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Arizona’s 6-5 defeat to Texas in Friday night’s Game 1 was the franchise’s fourth loss in eight World Series games. All four of the losses have been by one run, and three have been extra-inning walk-offs. Two of the walk-offs came on home runs, while another featured a two-out, game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Phil Maton has made 20 postseason appearances and allowed 11 hits and two runs over 21-and-two-thirds innings. John Rocker made 20 postseason appearances and allowed 10 hits and no runs over 20-and-two-thirds innings.
Lloyd McClendon went 10-for-16 with six walks and a sacrifice fly in 23 career postseason plate appearances, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates and all in the NLCS. McClendon put up those numbers across the 1989, 1991, and 1992 seasons.
Casey Stengel slashed .393/.469/.607 in 33 World Series plate appearances. The New York Giants outfielder homered twice in the 1923 Fall Classic, legging out an inside-the-parker off Bullet Joe Bush in Game 1, then going deep against Sad Sam Jones to provide Game 3’s only run. Babe Ruth left the yard three times for the New York Yankee, who won in six games to capture the first of their 27 World Series titles.
Elam Vangilder became the first pitcher to record double-digit win totals as a reliever in a single season when he did so with the St. Louis Browns in 1925. The right-hander went 11-2 with a 3.62 ERA out of the bullpen and 3-6 with a 6.11 ERA as a starter. He also swung a productive bat. Vangilder slashed .344/.396/.559 with 10 doubles, two triples, and a pair of home runs in 110 plate appearances.
Nineteen different players recorded at least one hit in Game 2 of the 1960 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Eleven players had at least two. There were 32 hits in all, with the Yankees logging 19 of them on their way to a 16-3 win.
Lefty Grove was named AL MVP on today’s date in 1931. The Philadelphia Athletics left-hander went 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA and led the junior circuit in strikeouts for the seventh consecutive season.
The Montreal Expos signed catcher Joe Siddall to a free-agent contract on today’s date in 1996. Now a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Windsor, Ontario native hit his only big-league home as a member of the Detroit Tigers in 1998. Seattle’s Jeff Fassero served up the gopher.
Players born on today’s date include Ty Pickup, who played in one big-league game and recorded a hit in his lone plate appearance. An outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies, Pickup singled off of Red Causey in a 15-0 loss to the New York Giants on April 30, 2018 at the Baker Bowl.
Also born on today’s date was Frank Baker, a backup infielder who played for the New York Yankees in 1970-1971 and the Baltimore Orioles in 1973-1974. The namesake of Hall of Famer Frank “Home Run” Baker left the yard once as a big-leaguer, slugging a grand slam off of Dick Bosman in an 18-4 Orioles win over Cleveland on September 28, 1973.
