They are like adults and children. One head is different. After the WBC (World Baseball Classic) final in March ended with Japan’s victory, 178-cm pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto fell in the arms of 193-cm giant Shohei Ohtani.
Yamamoto, who was dreaming of becoming a major leaguer at that time, reached the dream stage after the season, recording the longest-largest contract ever signed by a pitcher. However, he is still fighting against the 178cm figure. Amid widespread prejudice that the short player has clear limits, the Dodgers invested a huge amount of 325 million dollars for 12 years in Yamamoto. 랭크카지노
The Athletic of the U.S. evaluated the Dodgers’ recruitment of Yamamoto as a gamble with a reason on the 30th (Korea time). Galen Carr, vice president of human resources who has seen Yamamoto the most consistently in the Dodgers, said, “I do not cling to the 178cm mark. I believe that the 6ft mark (approximately 183cm) is just an optical illusion.
“Ca is not the only person who has seen Yamamoto in person with the Dodgers,” The Athletic said. Andrew Friedman, president, and Brandon Gomes, general manager, went on a business trip to Osaka, Japan. John Deeble, a scout director for the Pacific region, and his advisor Yogo Suzuki and scout Jason Lin were also accompanied. Manager Dave Roberts watched Yamamoto’s video countless times. Austin Barnes said, “I have dealt with Yamamoto’s ball in person at the WBC,” adding, “However, no one has seen Yamamoto as much as vice president in the past few years.”
Vice President Ka said, “Yamamoto is a player who has maintained his level for a long time,” referring to his win of the Sawamura Award for three consecutive years.
The Sawamura Award is given to the most outstanding starting pitcher in the Japanese professional baseball league, and if a player does not meet the requirements, the winner may not be decided. Recently, 2019 was the year without a winner. Yamamoto is the first Korean-Japanese legend to win the award for the third consecutive year since Masai Kaneda (Kim Kyung-hong).
Even so, 12 years and 325 million dollars can feel like a reckless investment. In addition, both the duration and total amount are new records for pitchers in the Major League Baseball. The Athletic pointed out, “This is a considerable investment for the Dodgers, who generally showed a tendency to avoid risks.”
However, he saw something special about Yamamoto. When Yamamoto joined the WBC national team camp in March this year, he noticed that he corrected his slide steps. The best pitcher who already won the Sawamura Award for the second consecutive year has continued to improve. The Dodgers fell for it.
The unique way Yamamoto has been training has also fascinated him. Yamamoto trains with a focus on breathing, flexibility and core strengthening. In this process, other athletes such as javelin throw also mobilize training methods that they do not.
“Our understanding of baseball is not as clear as we thought. Given the frequency of injuries to Major League pitchers, no one can say that we have figured out how to train for pitchers,” Vice President Carr pointed out.
Based on Yamamoto’s tracking data at the WBC in March, The Athletic saw him as a pitcher with top 20 fastballs, top-quality splitters, and high-quality curves and commands. This is meaningful in that it is measured by Major League Baseball’s official ball. Especially when it comes to fastballs, short stature can be a weapon. Fastballs that come from low release points are the weapon that Major League teams are looking for recently.
Height is a separate issue from ball power. Short players have suffered from frequent injuries, which is a cause for concern. It could be the biggest concern in the Dodgers’ 12-year investment. The fact that a player who threw once a week takes the mound every five days may increase the possibility of injury.
As it happens, the Dodgers is one of the teams that manages the starting pitcher’s pitching interval well. According to The Athletic, only five teams in the Major League have granted starters more days off than the Dodgers since Friedman took the helm.
The media explained, “Yamamoto helps change the future of the Dodgers rotation, which has high uncertainty. The club is in a position to handle the contract.”
