Friday, February 6, 2009

One-stop Shopping For Kawakami-san and Uehara-san

I have no idea if these two pitchers will be useful fantasy-wise in 2009 and I don't think anyone else does either. When I don't know what the heck I'm talking about, I try to read as many other confidently-written articles by other people who don't what the heck their talking about. I find that I've been reading a lot lately.

Here is a collection of the most interesting information I could find on these two players:

Kawakami-san:

  • Ranked 75th best starting pitcher by MLB.com

  • Has 3.78 K/BB over eleven seasons in Japan.

  • He has the best cutter in Japanese baseball.

  • ESPN says: "Kawakami played in a pitcher's park in Japan, and there's some concern he might be susceptible to home runs. Regardless, he's an upgrade for the Braves, who hope for innings."

  • Expect Kuroda, but in a less favorable division and park.

  • Worth a 19th round pick?

  • Merely an above average MLB player?

    Uehara-san:

  • Ranked 124th starting pitcher by MLB.com

  • Keith Law of ESPN thinks Uehara is a bad fit for the Orioles.

  • Uehara has given up only 195 walks in 1,549 career innings in Japan. Which is absurdly good.

  • His scouting report

  • ESPN says he'll rely on low walks, ground balls and "veteran craftiness," whatever that means.

  • Some Uehara projections

  • Conclusions: Both are getting towards the end of their careers but both are interesting to me because they don't walk anyone.

    1 comment:

    DrGravitee said...

    If you have any other links about these guys that you think are helpful, please post 'em here.