Yoshinobu Yamamoto expresses gratitude to his old team as Japanese phenom prepares to move to MLB

Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto prepares to move to the MLB after his team, the Orix Buffaloes, agreed to the transfer under the player posting system, per ESPN.

Yamamoto has been widely scouted by MLB teams and is expected to generate good buzz this offseason.

"I'd like to thank my team for accepting my request," Yamamoto was quoted by Japan's Kyodo news agency after the Japan Series

Recently, in the Japan Series, the Orix Buffaloes lost Game 7 to the Hanshin Tigers, 7-1. Yamamoto appeared in two games, giving up seven earned runs in Game 1, but struck out 14 batters in Game 6.

The 25-year-old right-handed phenom went 16-6, posting an ERA of 1.21 along with 169 Ks in 164.0 innings. Overall, he boasts a 70-29 pitching record in his career in Japan.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's scouting report

The Japanese starting pitcher will ignite a lot of interest in the MLB, given his pitching prowess. He has won both the Sawamura Award (Japan's equivalent of the Cy Young) and the MVP Award in the last two years and could repeat that this season.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a three-pitch arsenal, including his mid-90s fastball, an unhittable splitter and a curveball to keep hitters off balance. Moreover, he has a unique curveball release, which you can see in the video below:

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He had an impressive 4.2% walk rate (24 walks), which makes him seem like the Japanese version of three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. In the MLB, only four pitchers have had a better walk rate across 100 innings or more.

Per the New York Post's Joel Sherman, Yamamoto was “a full (scouting) grade better” than Kodai Senga, who was an All-Star in his first season with the New York Mets.

Keith Law from The Athletic named Yoshinobu Yamamoto the No. 1 starter in all of baseball after he put on an MVP-esque season in Japan.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Bhargav