The second most important free agent in the market is no longer available.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers who sealed the services of Shohei Ohtani - the most important 2024 free agent - earlier this month.
There was a huge buzz about Yamamoto's arrival to American and rightfully so.
He will showcase what he's got to fans come the opening day. The Dodgers will travel to South Korea on March 20, 2024 for a two-game series with the San Diego Padres.
For now, here are the Top 5 must-know about the 25-year-old pitcher:
1. He and Kodai Senga go way back.
Yamamoto and New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga are acquaintances. The latter came to the league last year but before that, he spent good years at Nippon Professional Baseball's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Senga tried to join the recruitment of Yamamoto by invoking their years together in the East Asian league.
"I have known him since he was 20 years old," Senga said through an interpreter in August.
"He's been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player."
Read more: Giants Seal $113 Million Deal With Asian-Born Hitter Jung Hoo Lee - Sources
Obviously, that was not enough to get the yes of Yamamoto.
2. He boasts of the right-hand version of Kershaw curveball.
Yamamoto's pitching prowess alone is enough to rattle batters. He can do fastball that go mid-to-upper 90s, frequently reaching 98 or 99 mph. His pitching average is 95 mph.
His killer move is something many Americans love seeing.
Clayton Kershaw's curveball is one of the most distinctive pitch throws and Yamamoto got it, too, although from the right side.
Dodgers will have their version of Kershaw curveball to root for with the 25-year-old Japanese.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, striking out the side with three beautiful curveballs 🌈 pic.twitter.com/dnVBJ2VGpG
— David Adler (@_dadler) April 14, 2023
3. He's won almost everything there is in Japan.
At 25 years old, Yamamoto racked up trophies that a Japanese can win.
Orix Buffaloes, his only team in the NPB, won the Japan World Series in 2022 by defeating the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He pitched against former MVP Munetaka Murakami.
He also owns the international stage. He helped Japan win gold in the Summer Olympics of 2020 over the United States and the 2023 World Baseball Classic against a similar foe.
4. World Baseball Classic dominance.
He is a world champion but his performance in the WBC should get a special mention.
Yamamoto dominated the tournament held in the USA, Taiwan, and Japan. This is where fans executives got a good look at Yamamoto's skills.
He pitched four scoreless innings of one-hit against Australia along with eight-strikeout baseball.
He was just as sensational in the semifinals against Mexico by striking out Alek Thomas, Rowdy Tellez, and Austin Barnes.
5. His individual awards are aplenty.
If he wins individual awards in MLB, that should be no surprise for anybody because that is what he does best in his young career.
He won three straight Triple Crowns, something that only three players have done although not successively. They are Sandy Koufax, Walter Johnson, and Grover Cleveland Alexander.
He led the NPB in wins, ERA, and strikeouts in each of the last three seasons that he bagged the Triple Crown.
2021: 18-5, 1.39 ERA, 206 K
2022: 15-5, 1.68 ERA, 205 K
2023: 16-6, 1.21 ERA, 169 K
Yamamoto also won three straight Sawamura Awards, the equivalent of MLB's Cy Young Award. The only person to win the award three straight times is Masaichi Kaneda, Japan's all-time strikeout leader.
Related article: Yoshinobu Yamamoto - Why the Dodgers Are Not His Best Destination
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
