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Post by DavidL on Nov 29, 2017 13:38:12 GMT -5
It's at least getting close.
And, as per BTB SOP, it's going way OT.
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Post by Skinnyhead on Nov 29, 2017 18:09:11 GMT -5
Who’s Ohtani?
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Post by jimbue2 on Nov 29, 2017 18:16:40 GMT -5
your talking little league.....today if they're real good they choose.....its that competitive......kids that can hit quickly find out its not as easy vs better comp.......and its possible it could have happened earlier but we've already seen "good hitting pitchers".....even so they're not everyday players type hitters.....we don't even know if ohtani is.....but we'll see won't we.....if he breaks the barrier it'll happen again....also with restrictions on rosters your seeing players who can play various positions all over the place as opposed to simple back ups......a guy who can pitch hit and play the field will be worth his weight in gold to a team.....IF HE CAN DO IT!!! Little league? Try through high school. In college or minors it largely becomes one or the other, although there have been a lot of college guys who play both ways too. Yeah in HS they'll play both but as soon as they commit if they're that good it's over for most part
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 21:10:55 GMT -5
Sounds like this guy is really short.
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Post by yankeeyogi on Nov 29, 2017 21:52:42 GMT -5
Sounds like this guy is really short. 6'4"
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Post by dtwentythree on Nov 30, 2017 6:49:18 GMT -5
Based on reports it is pretty obvious all teams interested in him are looking at him as pitcher first. While I don’t dispute Ohtani can hit and be utilized as the DH several times a week if he succeeds at ML level but the guy is said to be rated higher than Darvish and in some cases Tanaka before the came to the states. That said I think the winning Ohtani sweepstakes team will be moved him very slowly as an offensive player. So do I expect him to be our DH batting 6 or 7 in opening day or first few weeks of April? No but i will be amazed if that happens.
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 7:14:42 GMT -5
Sounds like this guy is really short. 6'4" 6’5”
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Post by yankeeyogi on Nov 30, 2017 7:18:04 GMT -5
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 7:21:24 GMT -5
Scouting reports have him at 6’5”. Speed Home to 1B 3.9 seconds.
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Post by yankeeyogi on Nov 30, 2017 7:25:51 GMT -5
Scouting reports have him at 6’5”. Speed Home to 1B 3.9 seconds. I am more concerned about his speed mound to home.
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 8:05:19 GMT -5
Scouting reports have him at 6’5”. Speed Home to 1B 3.9 seconds. I am more concerned about his speed mound to home. Just trying to convey he’s unique. Rated 70 on 80 scale as a base runner. Same as his pitching rating. Rated 55 as a hitter and 55 for power.
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Post by yankeeyogi on Nov 30, 2017 8:11:38 GMT -5
I am more concerned about his speed mound to home. Just trying to convey he’s unique. Rated 70 on 80 scale as a base runner. Same as his pitching rating. Rated 55 as a hitter and 55 for power. I know...he's some athlete!
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 8:12:54 GMT -5
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Post by yankeeyogi on Nov 30, 2017 8:22:25 GMT -5
In no other sport is the off season more interesting.
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 8:32:41 GMT -5
In no other sport is the off season more interesting. 75 Days till Pitchers and Catchers.
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 12:00:46 GMT -5
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 15:56:22 GMT -5
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 16:17:08 GMT -5
Shohei Ohtani teammate: ‘Superstar’ is going to blow MLB away By Joel Sherman
November 30, 2017 | 3:51pm
The company Brandon Laird put Shohei Ohtani in was “Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.” The word used to describe him was “superstar.” The belief if Ohtani can pitch and hit in the majors as he has in Japan was “definitely.”
Laird, a 2007 Yankees draft pick, has been Ohtani’s teammate with the Nippon-Ham Fighters the past three years. In a phone conversation, Laird recalled he was mesmerized the first time he saw Ohtani in spring training in Okinawa in 2015 — “I heard all about him and then I am watching a guy hit balls out of the stadium in batting practice and later in the day in an intra-squad game throwing 95-100 [mph], and I knew instantly this kid is the real deal.” Nothing changed in Laird’s appraisal over time.
“He is absolutely a superstar and the transition here will be fine — he will be superstar-caliber here, too,” Laird said. “I have played a long time, and I have never seen so much talent from both sides of the game. On the mound, he is dominant; the same from a hitting standpoint. It is impressive. He can run. He can hit for average. He can hit for power. He makes adjustments and hits to all fields.”
MLB owners are expected to ratify posting rules Friday that include essentially grandfathering in key provisions of the old standards this offseason that will allow Ohtani to be posted the same day and have to sign with an MLB team by Dec. 22.
All 30 clubs would love to have Ohtani, in part because he is a large talent who — at most — can get a $3.535 million signing bonus because of the international signing caps for players 25 and under. Thus, teams will try to sell Ohtani on why their situation is the best. One key element is expected to involve providing a detailed plan that will allow Ohtani to both hit and pitch, as he did better than just about anyone else in Japan.
“I feel he can do both, definitely,” Laird said. “He is a dominant pitcher. As for a hitter, the numbers speak for themselves. He does a great job of preparing for both, having a routine. The transition here could be tougher. But he has ability and he is mature and he will make adjustments to do both.”
The mixed skills were best on display in 2016. Ohtani was 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA and averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 21 games (20 starts) while also accumulating 22 homers and a 1.004 OPS in 382 plate appearances as a DH. Laird led the Pacific League in homers that year (39) and hit three more in the Japan Series, including a grand slam in the decisive Game 6, to win the series MVP.
“The work ethic is unbelievable [to do both],” said Laird, a third baseman whose 105 homers the past three years were the most in Japan.
Ohtani had an ankle injury that limited his pitching this season, but when doing both he roughly followed a schedule by which he would start on Sunday, rest Monday (generally an off-day in Japan), be the DH on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then would prepare for his next start Friday and Saturday. Laird, who had cups of coffee with the Yankees and Astros in the majors, said Ohtani was precise and diligent in preparing for both roles.
But Laird said Ohtani’s assets went beyond his skills. He called Ohtani “a great teammate,” a quiet player, but one constantly smiling and integrated into the team, “and this guy really wants to win,” Laird added. And there is something else he really wants: “To come here [to MLB],” Laird explained.
He said Ohtani never expressed a preference for a team, only that it was clear he was ready for the next challenge. Laird, who has one more year left on his Nippon Ham contract, hopes to join Ohtani back in the majors in 2019. Until then: “I like talking about him. I think he will be a great major leaguer. He is a good kid, and I want to see him do well.”
When would he hit?
Ohtani made his last start for the Nippon-Ham Fighters on Oct. 4 — a nine-inning, 124-pitch, two-hit shutout. He also DH’ed in that game. That was rare for him — to do both in a game.
There has been a belief AL teams would have an advantage in the Ohtani sweepstakes because they have the DH to offer. That might be true for between starts. But it might not be a way for him to accumulate at-bats on the day he starts. First, because his habit was not to do both on the same day while in Japan.
Second, if Ohtani both starts and DHs, then once he is out of the game, the DH would be lost and relievers go into that batting spot in the order, or someplace else with a double-switch. That might not be a big deal if Ohtani makes a long start and pinch-hitters can be used in the spot, but if he were knocked out after an inning or two, that would mean relievers having to hit. And keep in mind that Rule a) (6.10(b)) means the DH can only be used for the pitcher. Thus, for example, if Ohtani were a Yankee, he could not start and hit while the Yankees use a DH for, say, Ronald Torreyes if he were starting in that game. Also, once the starter is out of the game as a pitcher, he cannot continue to play as the DH. He is out completely.
How the rest of the process works
The owners’ teleconference to vote on the new posting agreement between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball is 1 p.m. on Friday and, thus, by 2 p.m. ratification is expected.
Essentially, this is how it works: All 30 owners or a designated representative (or both) will get on the call. There is a role call to make sure every club is represented. Then Commissioner Rob Manfred and his top deputy, Dan Halem, will make a presentation.
Since an outline of the agreement was presented as part of the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., two weeks ago, this should go quickly. And since the Commissioners Office has not fielded many angry phone calls over the content of the agreement, the expectation is there will not be many questions or resistance in voting. Plus, this is the only item being discussed on the call, which should make the process speedy.
The agreement calls for a new three-year deal between NPB and MLB on how players will be posted, beginning next offseason. For this offseason, the old rules will essentially be in place. Thus, to gain the right to negotiate for Ohtani, an MLB team will have to guarantee $20 million to his Nippon-Ham Fighters, money that only the team that ultimately signs the righty pitcher/lefty slugger must pay in addition to his signing bonus.
As part of the agreement for this offseason, however, Ohtani must be posted on Friday after ratification, and there will be just 21 days from there for him to sign with an MLB team. Thus, a contract must be finalized by Dec. 22.
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Post by JohnM on Nov 30, 2017 17:11:18 GMT -5
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Post by JohnM on Dec 1, 2017 8:28:50 GMT -5
Cashman said Yankees will be all in on Ohtani. Will let him pitch and hit. “I think he’ll be a perfect fit for us.”
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