The United States arguably has its most stacked team ever for the World Baseball Classic. A lineup that will feature — among others — Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Mike Trout and Trea Turner should be a powerhouse.
But remember that this is a world tournament and both the MVP of the Korean Baseball Organization, outfielder Jung-hoo Lee, and the two-time defending Japanese Pacific League MVP, starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, also are scheduled to compete.
And if you are wondering why you should pay attention to the Pool B Games from March 9-13 that will be held in Tokyo that will include South Korea and Japan — and then any games afterward if those countries advance, perhaps all the way to the semifinals in Miami on March 19 — it is because there is a strong belief among MLB teams that Lee and Yamamoto are going to be posted after this season.
Nothing is certain. It will ultimately be up to Lee’s Kiwoom Heroes and Yamamoto’s Orix Buffaloes whether they post the players. So expectations can change. But, especially in the case of Yamamoto, the anticipation is that he is coming and that he will elicit a bidding war.
Noting that Yamamoto also has won the Japanese version of the Cy Young the past two years and he was the ace of the Japan Series champion Orix Buffaloes last year, a pro scout who has watched the righty in Japan said, “I don’t think he has anything left to prove [in Japan]. This guy is ultra-, ultra-competitive. The arm action and the delivery are good. He repeats it. He can run it up there 97 [mph] to 99 when he wants to. The split finger is a plus, plus pitch. He moves the fastball East and West really well. He’s a pitch maker. I think he is a full grade better than [Kodai] Senga.”
Senga signed with the Mets this offseason for five years at $75 million and just turned 30 years old on Jan. 30. Yamamoto does not turn 25 until Aug. 17. If there is any knock on Yamamoto, it is size. He is just 5-foot-10. But the three officials spoken to for this story who have seen him multiple times did not portray concern.
A pro scouting director said: “He commands very well. He commands five pitches; lots of weapons. He’ll make his money [in MLB]. He’ll have no problem there. He’s athletic. Fields his position, does everything you want to see; very quick to the plate. All the things you want to see, all the ancillaries about the game that give you confidence of a floor that is high and still the ability for improvement are there.
“His splitter and curve are world class, and his fastball is 94-95 [mph] consistently. The split is not traditional tumble, but firm. He gets ground balls and a huge amount of swing and miss and he commands it very well. The curve doesn’t get as much swing and miss, but put those two together, it is really good.”
Another scout said, “I know they call Senga’s split the ‘ghost’ split, this guy’s is better.”
Yamamoto won the pitching Triple Crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) each of the past two years, including going 15-5 with a 1.68 and 205 strikeouts in 193 innings in 2022. He was Orix teammates with Masataka Yoshida, the lefty-swinging outfielder who signed this offseason for five years at $90 million with the Red Sox. They also are on the roster for Team Japan as are Yu Darivsh and Shohei Ohtani.
So is Munetaka Murakami, who set the record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball last year with 56 homers. The lefty-swinger, who won the hitting Triple Crown in 2022 and has earned the last two Central League MVPs, signed a three-year contract with the Yakult Swallows with the stated intention of coming to MLB afterward, when he will have just completed his age-25 season.
“There is some swing and miss there,” the pro scouting director said. “But he is only 22. And he is showing power that pretty much no one has ever shown [in Japan]. It’s extremely impressive.”
That Lee is coming to MLB is all but sealed. His team has indicated it will honor his wishes to be posted and he already has hired Scott Boras to represent him. Lee hit .349 last year with 23 homers and 66 walks against 32 strikeouts.
But the officials spoken to who have seen Lee had questions whether his power will translate to MLB considering, among other items, that the KBO does not have the velocity of MLB and, as the pro scouting director said, “The track record [of Korean players succeeding in MLB] is lesser.” Shin-Soo Choo and Ji-Man Choi represent the best results so far.
Still, the scouting director said of the lefty-hitting center fielder, “He’s got some tools. He can hit. He can run. He can throw. He can do a lot of things. But [his swing is] really unorthodox. He’s not used to seeing velocity. He’s a little inside out. I think the power is a little short. He’s interesting because he’s performed and he controls the zone nicely.”