Current:Home > InvestWho is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese pitching ace bound for MLB next season? -Wealth Nexus Pro
Who is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese pitching ace bound for MLB next season?
View
Date:2025-04-12 19:06:35
He's the most coveted free-agent pitcher of the offseason. Yet many baseball fans have never heard of him, let alone seen him pitch.
He's Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And he's coming to the major leagues next season. We just don't know where yet.
The 25-year-old right-hander has dominated the Japan Pacific League, especially the past three seasons − racking up 18, 15 and 16 wins and posting ERAs of 1.39, 1.68 and 1.16. That dominance has resulted in him being named Pacific League MVP twice and winning three consecutive awards as the league's top pitcher.
MLB FREE AGENT TRACKER: Ranking the top 89 players on the market this offseason
Who is Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
Yamamoto was born Aug. 17, 1998 in Bizen, Okayama in Japan.
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
The right-hander signed with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League at the age of 18, and made his NPB debut in 2017, three days after his 19th birthday.
Yamamoto has drawn comparisons to peak Pedro Martinez because of his smallish stature (5-10, 176 pounds) and his amazing dominance.
What are Yoshinobu Yamamoto's stats in Japan?
Yamamoto has spent seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes, posting a record of 70-29 (.707) with a sparkling 1.82 ERA.
He's averaged 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing 6.4 hits and 2.1 walks per nine for a career WHIP of 0.935.
Yamamoto has thrown two career no-hitters for the Buffaloes, one on June 18, 2022 and another on Sept. 9, 2023.
His fastball averages 95 mph, topping out around 99. He also throws a splitter, slider, cutter and curveball.
After pitching in his final game in the 2023 Japan Series, the Buffaloes announced Yamamoto would enter the international posting system and be eligible to be signed by MLB teams as a free agent.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's international experience
Yamamoto was selected to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He pitched his team to a win over Korea in the tournament semifinals as Japan went on to defeat the United States for the gold medal.
Yamamoto also pitched for Team Japan at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He made one start and one relief appearance in the WBC, earning a win and posting a 2.45 ERA in 7 ⅓ innings as Japan won gold in dramatic fashion, again beating Team USA in the final in Miami.
What MLB teams are looking to sign Yamamoto?
Every single major league club could use a pitcher of Yamamoto's skill level and age. However, only ones with fairly deep pockets figure to be able to afford the salary he'll command on the open market.
Of course, that list has to begin with the New York Yankees, who had GM Brian Cashman there in person to witness Yamamoto's second career no-hitter. The Yankees have presumptive 2023 AL Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole as their ace, but a host of questions behind him after last winter's big free-agent aquisition, Carlos Rodon, was an injury-plagued washout.
Other big-market teams likely to express interest include the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports the San Francisco Giants and pitching-needy St. Louis Cardinals could also enter the Yamamoto sweepstakes.
Once Yamamoto is officially posted, any MLB team looking to sign him has a 45-day window to agree to terms of a contract. Otherwise, he would go back to his NPB team.
veryGood! (4242)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Old Navy’s Cozy Szn Sale Includes $24 Sweaters, $15 Joggers & More Fall-Ready Staples Up to 68% Off
- Opinion: Kalen DeBoer won't soon live down Alabama's humiliating loss to Vanderbilt
- Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother and a Grammy-winning singer, dies at 91
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Matthew Broderick Says He Turned Down SATC Role as the Premature Ejaculator
- Powerball winning numbers for October 5: Jackpot rises to $295 million
- Why Teresa Giudice Is Slamming Fake Heiress Anna Delvey
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- NFL’s Buccaneers relocating ahead of hurricane to practice for Sunday’s game at New Orleans
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Two boys, ages 12 and 13, charged in assault on ex-New York Gov. David Paterson and stepson
- Two Mississippi Delta health centers awarded competitive federal grant for maternal care
- Sylvester Stallone's Daughter Sistine Details Terrifying Encounter in NYC
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- From rescue to recovery: The grim task in flood-ravaged western North Carolina
- LeBron and son Bronny James play together for the first time in a preseason game for the Lakers
- Old Navy’s Cozy Szn Sale Includes $24 Sweaters, $15 Joggers & More Fall-Ready Staples Up to 68% Off
Recommendation
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
US disaster relief chief blasts false claims about Helene response as a ‘truly dangerous narrative’
Donald Glover cancels Childish Gambino tour dates after recent surgery
Woman arrested after pregnant woman shot, killed outside Pennsylvania Wawa
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Tia Mowry Shares She Lost Her Virginity to Ex-Husband Cory Hardrict at 25
SpaceX launch: Europe's Hera spacecraft on way to study asteroid Dimorphos
Mega Millions tickets will climb to $5, but officials promise bigger prizes and better odds