New York Mets All-Star Wants to Recruit Fellow Japanese Star Pitcher
The New York Mets splurged on Japanese star pitcher Kodai Senga last offseason, signing him to a five-year, $75 million deal. So could they sign another Japanese star pitcher this winter?
Senga is all for it.
Senga spoke to Mike Puma of The New York Post about Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was the winner of the Pacific League MVP with the Orix Buffaloes in each of the last two seasons and also took home the Eiji Sawamura Award, which is the equivalent of the Cy Young, both years.
If/when he is posted by his club, Yamamoto, who is still just 25-years-old, will be one of the biggest free agents on the market, having won the Pacific League ERA title three times.
“I have known him since he was 20 years old,” Senga told the Post through an interpreter on Thursday. “He’s been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player.
“He’s an amazing pitcher all around. He has velocity, he can throw hard. He has good control and command. He can also throw off-speed that has a ton of break.”
Back in July, SNY's Andy Martino reported that Mets general manager Billy Eppler traveled to Japan earlier in the year to watch Yamamoto pitch. Eppler's credibility and deep connections within the country could give the Mets an advantage in signing Yamamoto.
According to Martino, a talent evaluator compared Yamamoto to Chris Bassitt, but with more velocity while noting his wide repertoire of pitches.
“He still has the rest of the season to get through, healthy hopefully, and the posting system,” Senga told the Post. “I think once that goes through, the team might ask me and [Yamamoto] might ask me as well, and I would like to speak to both of them.”
Senga added: “It’s very apparent that Billy pays attention to the culture of Japan and knows how to interact with Japanese people well. I felt that first-handedly and his presentation skills are amazing, so I think that could work in the Mets’ favor.”
Despite a disappointing season from the Mets' rotation, Senga has been one of the few bright spots with his 3.30 ERA in 22 starts. He has also showcased his nasty "ghost fork" pitch, which has been tough for MLB batters to hit.
Senga went on to tell the Post that he believes Yamamoto would be a great fit with the Mets based off his own experience this year.
“Everybody on the team is such a great teammate,” Senga said. “I personally am not a very fluent English speaker, but everyone welcomed me with open arms and tries to communicate and I think that would be the same with any other Japanese player if he came to the Mets. I think he would be a great fit and the whole team would welcome him.”
The Mets traded Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the deadline and will need to fill several holes in their rotation for next season. Yamamoto could fill one of said holes.
