MLB Top 100 Prospects: Ranking offseason's headline free agent signings ft. Yoshinobu Yamamoto & Jung Hoo Lee

It would have been fascinating to know where top international signings like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jung Hoo Lee and Shota Imanaga would have landed in the MLB Top 100 prospects ranking. Until the 2017 season, Baseball America included any player yet to surpass 50 innings pitched or 130 at-bats in the MLB.

However, since then, MLB has designated international signees with professional experience in a different pool, excluding them from young prospects and international amateurs. Though Baseball America continued to include them until 2023, going forward, they will not include professional international players.

Where would Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jung Hoo Lee and Shota Imanaga rank in BA's Top 100 list?

#1) Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract. This shall land Yamamoto at the top of the MLB, let alone on the prospects list.

The current top pitching prospect, Paul Skenes, seems miles away from what Yoshinobu Yamamoto has achieved in his career in Nippon Professional Baseball. He has won the last three Sawamura honors, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award, as well as three consecutive Pacific League MVP honors, a feat previously accomplished by Ichiro Suzuki.

His accolades should be enough to land him No. 1 on the top prospects list.

#2) Jung Hoo Lee

The San Francisco Giants signed KBO star Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract, which includes an opt-out after the 2027 season.

The left-handed youngster broke several rookie records, including the most hits as a rookie when he was just 18 years old. He also won the KBO MVP in the 2022 season, and his career slash line is .340/.407/.491 across seven professional seasons in Korea.

He could be ranked No. 37 on the BA Top 100, trailing Rockies' infielder Adael Amador and ahead of Carson Williams of the Rays in a line of polished, hit-first players with strong on-base abilities who can stick up the middle.

#3) Shota Imanaga

The Chicago Cubs signed Shota Imanaga to a four-year, $53 million contract with a club option to extend the deal to a five-year, $80 million deal.

He has a 3.18 ERA across eight seasons in the NPB, tossed a no-hitter in 2022 and led the Central League with 174 strikeouts in 2023. He got into the spotlight after winning the gold medal game against Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, in which he allowed one run in two innings and struck out big names including Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins.

However, Imanaga doesn't possess electric speed with his fastball landing in the 86–94 mph zone. His best pitch is a splitter that averages around 82–85 mph and can induce ground balls. Purely on this scouting, Imanaga would have landed in the early 90s, ranking him No. 93 ahead of the Orioles' LHP DL Hall.