Sox in on Japanese amateur LHP Yusei Kikuchi in SoxProspects Discussion Forum

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Sox in on Japanese amateur LHP Yusei Kikuchi

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Arquimedez Bozo	Sox in on Japanese amateur LHP Yusei Kikuchi		Lead	[-]
Posts: 8690 10/14/09 8:56 PM Chris Hatfield Executive Editor SoxProspects.com	Tags : None Extra Bases The Red Sox are reportedly one of several teams interested in lefthander Yusei Kikuchi, the top amateur player in Japan. Kikuchi is trying to decide whether to bypass the Japanese draft in favor of signing with a Major League team as a free agent. Kikuchi is a 6-foot-1 starter who reportedly has a mid-90s fastball. He has until tomorrow to decide whether he will enter the draft. "They should go to soxprospect so BOZO THE CLOWN and the rest of THE WANTS TO BE will give you some information" - legendary words from a legendary man "By the way I like the Canadian accent of Chris Hatfield" - the other Charlie Zink guy My Twitter / SoxProspects Twitter / SoxProspects on Facebook
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Nexus	2009 International Signings Thread	#1	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 221 10/14/09 8:57 PM	Sox to talk with Yusei Kikuchi later this month. link Report: Lefty with low 90's fastball (topping out at 95) and low 70's curve. 6'0", 180lb... born 6/17/1991 video
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TheGoldenGreek33		#2	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 3134 10/14/09 9:07 PM Veteran Member
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Sibby Sisti		#3	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 252 10/14/09 9:17 PM	Is that a mound he's throwing from or a WW II bomb crater?
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mredsox89		#4	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 755 10/14/09 9:43 PM	Nexus wrote: Sox to talk with Yusei Kikuchi later this month. link Report: Lefty with low 90's fastball (topping out at 95) and low 70's curve. 6'0", 180lb... born 6/17/1991 video He has until tomorrow to decide if he wants to enter the Japanese amateur draft, so we should know if he will even be available sometime tomorrow. If he is, you would have to put the sox at the front of the line on Kikuchi if they are truly interested.
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mastaexarkun		#5	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 115 10/14/09 11:03 PM	he looks like he should be pitching for the LLWS
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Atzar		#6	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 58 10/15/09 2:17 AM	I'll be the one to ask the obvious question. How much of a prospect is he? "Fastball that tops out at 95" is scanty information to go on. I googled him and this is what I came up with: "...But Kikuchi is a better prospect than Tazawa was when he was 18. So Kikuchi may have a little more upside, but I don't think he would command the same kind of offers Tazawa got. A key difference is that Tazawa had basically made up his mind to come to America by the time I started writing about him. We don't know what Kikuchi's plans are." This is from http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/05/rangers-dodgers-eyeing-yusei-kikuchi.html Does anybody have more information than this? In any case, for the people that want to trade Daisuke: Yusei is the personification of why I think that is a bad idea. Dice-K opens a whole market of players who "want to play with their idol". Add into that the additional revenue from new fans he brings, and I think his presence is a good thing - especially given the fact that I still think he could be a #2 in our rotation if he figures a few things out. Last Edited By: Atzar 10/15/09 2:21 AM. Edited 2 times.
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DonCaballero		#7	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 373 10/15/09 5:14 AM	Can he really reach 95? Because we heard about that with Dice-k, you know...
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johnsilver62		#8	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 302 10/15/09 6:11 AM	The reports on Matsuzaka was actually that he threw harder than 95mph wasn't it and that he "sat" in the mid 90's? Seem to recall that Tazawa was another supposed to be able to reach the mid 90's, but in the 2 games I saw him in at least, he was around 90-92.
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TheGoldenGreek33		#9	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 3136 10/15/09 6:13 AM Veteran Member	Quick'n'dirty: FB sat around 142 km (88.2 mph) and his max was 149 km (92.5 mph). SL was in the 113-122 km range (70-75 mph). FB command was about average. SL command was slightly above average. Also threw an eephus pitch. Didn't get a reading on it but had good command of that, as well. Works quick. [Edit] Saw another video where he flashed a CB, albeit ugly and a serious work in progress, to put it lightly. Last Edited By: TheGoldenGreek33 10/15/09 6:19 AM. Edited 3 times.
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TheGoldenGreek33		#10	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 3137 10/15/09 6:22 AM Veteran Member	Kikuchi will hold talks with the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants on Monday, the Nikkan Sports newspaper reported Thursday. The New York Yankees, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners are scheduled to meet with him the following day. link
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AMarshal2		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8994 10/15/09 8:31 AM	Atzar wrote: I'll be the one to ask the obvious question. How much of a prospect is he? "Fastball that tops out at 95" is scanty information to go on. I googled him and this is what I came up with: "...But Kikuchi is a better prospect than Tazawa was when he was 18. So Kikuchi may have a little more upside, but I don't think he would command the same kind of offers Tazawa got. A key difference is that Tazawa had basically made up his mind to come to America by the time I started writing about him. We don't know what Kikuchi's plans are." This is from http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/05/rangers-dodgers-eyeing-yusei-kikuchi.html Does anybody have more information than this? In any case, for the people that want to trade Daisuke: Yusei is the personification of why I think that is a bad idea. Dice-K opens a whole market of players who "want to play with their idol". Add into that the additional revenue from new fans he brings, and I think his presence is a good thing - especially given the fact that I still think he could be a #2 in our rotation if he figures a few things out. Whether or not his conclusion is true, this is a reason Kikuchi would get MORE money relative to Tazawa, all else being equal, not less. This isn't even particularly difficult to figure out so I think it reflects very poorly on the writer of that piece. aminahyaquin: Alou is a 37 year old 7 time MVP with a .347 lifetime batting average and a world of hustle. he can golden glove field in his sleep. tGG: Alou is actually 42, has never won an MVP, has a .303 lifetime batting average, and is mediocre at best in the field. joshv02: But, other than that, you're wrong.
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TokenWilliams		#12	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 480 10/15/09 9:03 AM	I'm no expert, I just play one on the internet, but isn't the baseball in Japan a little smaller and ligher? I'm pretty sure it is and it's at least a partial reason why some Japanese pitchers, DiceK, have less movement on their ball since their hands are typically smaller and it's harder to create the spin on the MLB ball that they get on the ball in Japan... Lower velocity also leads to less spin and movement in some cases...
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Arquimedez Bozo		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8695 10/15/09 9:36 AM Chris Hatfield Executive Editor SoxProspects.com	AMarshal2 wrote: Atzar wrote: I'll be the one to ask the obvious question. How much of a prospect is he? "Fastball that tops out at 95" is scanty information to go on. I googled him and this is what I came up with: "...But Kikuchi is a better prospect than Tazawa was when he was 18. So Kikuchi may have a little more upside, but I don't think he would command the same kind of offers Tazawa got. A key difference is that Tazawa had basically made up his mind to come to America by the time I started writing about him. We don't know what Kikuchi's plans are." This is from http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/05/rangers-dodgers-eyeing-yusei-kikuchi.html Does anybody have more information than this? In any case, for the people that want to trade Daisuke: Yusei is the personification of why I think that is a bad idea. Dice-K opens a whole market of players who "want to play with their idol". Add into that the additional revenue from new fans he brings, and I think his presence is a good thing - especially given the fact that I still think he could be a #2 in our rotation if he figures a few things out. Whether or not his conclusion is true, this is a reason Kikuchi would get MORE money relative to Tazawa, all else being equal, not less. This isn't even particularly difficult to figure out so I think it reflects very poorly on the writer of that piece. AMarshal, I think the two sentences aren't related. He's saying a) he's not going to command the kind of offers Tazawa got, and b) a key difference between them is that Kikuchi doesn't know what he's doing yet. Or at least, I hope that's what he's saying. Think about it - he's making his mind up today, so by the time he's getting offers, he'll be in pretty much the same situation as Tazawa. "They should go to soxprospect so BOZO THE CLOWN and the rest of THE WANTS TO BE will give you some information" - legendary words from a legendary man "By the way I like the Canadian accent of Chris Hatfield" - the other Charlie Zink guy My Twitter / SoxProspects Twitter / SoxProspects on Facebook
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raftsox		#14	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 1364 10/15/09 9:40 AM	John S. and Don C., The scouting report on Diasuke was absolutely spot on. It said: Breaking ball pitcher that can hit the mid 90s. Diasuke has certainly hit the mid 90s here in the states, he just doesn't sit there. We're all so enamored with velocity ceiling that we forget that most pitchers don't throw their max velocity on every single pitch. This kid probably has hit the mid 90s (94?) on a gun or two, but it was probably juiced a bit. He's likely just as Greek described him above; 88-90 mph. I am speechless. ...this site is not intended to be a place where you post every ridiculous and half-formed thought that comes into your head. ... You should post less. - AMarshal2
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Nexus		#15	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 222 10/15/09 9:54 AM	Facing Chukyodai Chukyo, this year's national high school champion, the 18-year-old Kikuchi struck out three in a row in a scoreless ninth inning and clocked a 153 kilometer-per-hour fastball in the quarterfinal game in the National Sports Festival in Niigata. "He was impressive. He has a strong, quick arm. Good balance and a strong bottom half," said Lambe (special asst. to Mets GM) link 153 km = 95 mph It was one inning, one pitch, and who knows about the gun... but there's your "source" I guess.
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basestealer21		#16	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 66 10/15/09 10:09 AM	Velocity I think isn't as important when we talk about a lefty. For some reason these guys are pretty crafty but if his secondary pitches are truly junk then how much is he worth? Sounds like some prospects we got out of high school are much better as of now. Also, do we spend time chasing him or Aroldis. Sorry to bring that up because thats a whole other thread but both seem primed to get major attention so it might be best to focus on one or the other.
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MLBDreams		#17	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 538 10/15/09 11:20 AM	Japan won the WBC twice; the Mariners, Yankees, Rays & Red Sox already paid the post bids for waive their best players to come here and some MLB teams (included RS) come to Japan for exhibition games with MLB Japanese teams and start opening of MLB season games over there instead of here in US. The shitty situation is they will threatening any future dreams of Japanese players: If Kikuchi pulls out of the draft, he would face a three-year suspension from Japanese baseball if he washes out in the United States and returns home. It doesn't make sense the way they treat to young Japanese players when they make the important decision here by signing or there by draft. Some of them don't want to wait 8/9 yrs to get out of Japan league to come here by post the bid or they don't want them around anymore.
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Mhueg		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 174 10/15/09 11:59 AM Matt Huegel Senior Editor SoxProspects.com	It seems also a key difference between Kikuchi is age. There's a huge difference between Tazawa's age (22, I believe) and being an 18-year-old, esp velocity-wise. Isn't it fairly common for young pitchers (read: under 20) to a) vary in velocity at times and b) add velocity as they develop. I believe Kelly is an example of this as he was higher on the radar gun than many expected during the Futures game, which admittedly could have been affected by a number of variables. Either way, if he truly sits 88-90 now but has hit 95 then it could be reasonable to think he could sit 92-93 and hit 95-96 as he develops.
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charliezink16		#19	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 237 10/15/09 3:58 PM	Honestly if he can really pan out at 95 w/ his fastball, and he decides to throw the most awesome eephus I say they sign him up, but other than his fastball, his curveball looked very flat in comparison to Tazawa's. Twitter (Tweet about Sox alot) YouTube Account
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SoxSail		#20	[url]	[-]
Veteran Member Posts: 230 10/15/09 4:21 PM	Basestealer and Zink, did either of you read Greek's report? His offspeed pitches were not junk, and while his curve might be flat, it's his fourth pitch at the moment.
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Sox in on Japanese amateur LHP Yusei Kikuchi

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