Daily Archives: January 22, 2014
Is Masahiro Tanaka The Next Young International Superstar Pitcher?
Mashahiro Tanaka was 24 – 0, with a 1.27 ERA in with his team in the NPBL last year. He has followed countrymen Yu Darvish, Hiroki Kuroda and of course the 1st man from Japan, Hideo Nomo as superstars to take their talents to North America. Tanaka has pitched with the whole world watching him, as part of the 2013 WBC team for Japan. He will be counted on at the top of the New York Yankees rotation for years to come. Fans in New York can only pray this guy is much more like the guys aforementioned in this caption – rather than former Yankees Starting Pitcher Kei Igawa, who never panned out in his time with New York.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Today we are talking about young International Phenom pitchers. I picked 5 former and current pitchers that hailed from other places other than the USA to concentrate the story on.
I came up with Fernando Valenzuela from Mexico, Hideo Nomo and Yu Darvish from Japan, Eric Gagne from Canada and Juan Marichal from the Dominican Republic.
The 5 baseball players all flashed onto the scene as young pitchers, 3 of them dominating their peers from the get go.
Eric Gagne, the 5th member of this study, only started to dominate when the Los Angeles Dodgers sent him to the bullpen.
Speaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers, three of these five pitchers were both with the club when they started out. It is a credit to their scouting staff.
There is a reason why no other team has turned out more ‘Rookie of the Year’ players in the last 30 years than the Dodgers.
Hideo Nomo’s No – Hitter Game
New York Yankees Payroll In 2014 Is Now $197 MIL (AAV) With Tanaka Added
2014 Contracts in MIL Annual Average Vakue – AKA AAV (Age) – Running $ Total
1. 1B Mark Teixeira – 23.0 (32) 23.0
2. SP CC Sabathia – 22.8 (32) 45.8
NEW: SP Masahiro Tanaka – 22.1 (25) 67.9
3. CF Jacoby Ellsbury – 21.9 (30) 89.6
4. C Brian McCann – 17.0 (29) 106.6
5. SP Hiroki Kuroda – 16.5 (37) 123.1
6. LF/DH Carlos Beltran – 15.0 (36) 138.6
7. SS Derek Jeter – 12.0 (40) 150.6 Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 22, 2014
AP Photo
They are naming the new award for baseball leadership after Bud Selig?
Why not also name the relief pitcher award for Armando Benitez?
Am I on Earth?
I try to figure that out on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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The Top 50 Contracts Of ALL – Time IN MLB: Masahiro Tanaka Is 18th
Darvish has provided Texas with ace-like material ever since coming over from Japan. At his current $10 MIL a year salary, he is a complete bargain compared to what Tanaka received from the Yankees. It was because of the record posting fee the Rangers doled out – to have the exclusive rights to talk to Darvish. You have to wonder what he must be thinking of the Tanaka deal. Texas reaped the benefits of financial freedom to sign other long term deals like Choo, and acquire Fielder based on this move. Darvish finished 2nd in AL CY Young Voting with a 13 – 9 record, a 2.83 ERA and a league leading 277 SO in his 209.2 IP worth of work in 2013. His high posting bid was not part of his salary, or converted towards the total team payroll.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
With Masahiro Tanaka’s new deal – for the 1st time all of the MLB’s ALL-Time top 50 contracts are $100 MIL or more.
Adam Wainwright was effectively bumped out of the #50 slot, leaving 4 guys tied for 47th, all registering deals of $100 MIL (Carlos Lee, Ryan Zimmerman, Albert Pujols (2004 – 2010) and Evan Longoria.
Masahiro Tanaka also joins Robinson Cano, Clayton Kershaw, Shin-Soo Choo and new teammate Jacoby Ellsbury, as players that have made it to the list this offseason.
Masahiro Tanaka’s Japan Highlights
What The Yankees Signing Masahiro Tanaka Means For The Current Roster + The Luxury Tax Threshold
Once again, the Yankees have forked out the most money top acquire a Starting Pitcher. Masahiro Tanaka agreed to a 7 YR/$155 MIL deal with the Bronx Bombers. When you add the $20 MIL posting fee, it comes out to $175 MIL for just 7 Years. The Japanese superstar has a player opt out after 4 years (after the 2017 season). It is the biggest ever contract for an American League Pitcher – and the largest sum ever granted for a Right Handed Pitcher (Open Market – doesn’t count extenssions) in the history of Major League Baseball. The 25 Year Old also is now in possession of the 18th biggest contract in MLB history. With the signing of the player, the Yankees have pushed their 2014 Luxury Tax AAV to roughly $196 MIL.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Yankees had to have Masahiro Tanaka for the team going forward. It is a risk so worth taking. There is not a litany of 25 Year Old Starting Pitchers that have the repertoire of this guy.
Due to poor drafting – and mismanagement of several other young phenoms like Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, the club couldn’t produce a legitimate #2 or #3 starter out of their own system.
The team has also traded a guy like Ian Kennedy, who has thrived in another atmosphere. But this is the Yankees way.
This was their only alternative.
Masahiro Tanaka Highlights
MLB Reports 
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