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.