The Los Angeles Dodgers have the most active Japanese-born players in MLB with three, but don’t plan to stop recruiting talent just because of their current core of foreigners.
In his exit interview on Wednesday, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the Dodgers plan to continue following some of NPB’s biggest talents.
“Obviously we are a big fan of the NPB and have a lot of respect for the talent in that league,” Friedman said. “And it’s something we follow closely and watch. Our understanding is there’s a chance there’s a couple of very talented players that are going to potentially come over to the major leagues. And we’re going to continue to meet on that and talk about it. … We’re excited about having those conversations and watching these guys play out.”
Their strategies overseas have worked out so far, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki immediately making a difference on the team after coming from overseas.
Who Could the Dodgers Sign From NPB This Year?
The premier player set to make the switch from NPB to MLB this year is slugging third baseman Teruaki Sato from the Hanshin Tigers.
The Tigers posted Sato Oct. 19, meaning he will have 45 days to sign with an MLB team after the end of the NPB season. Sato had an electric season in Japan, hitting 39 homers and driving in 106 runs while posting an OPS just shy of 1.000.
Sato is the cream of the crop coming from Japan this winter, but NPB has plenty of other stars who could find their way to the states as well. Starters Kaima Taira, Hiromi Itoh and Kona Takahasi are also candidates for a move to MLB.
How Important are the Dodgers’ Japanese Stars?
It goes without saying that the Dodgers’ core of Japanese players play an extremely important role in the team—as seen last postseason.
Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki took over October last year, with Ohtani and Yamamoto winning NLCS and World Series MVP, respectively.
Ohtani managed 30 homers and 81 RBIs in a down year this season while dealing with numerous injuries, and Yamamoto had yet another strong year with the team, posting a 2.533 ERA through a career-high 185 innings pitched with 182 strikeouts.
Sasaki also made his mark in the second half of the season, posting a 2.83 ERA over his final 10 appearances of the regular season.
The Dodgers have done a fantastic job with the Japanese talent they’ve brought over so far, and they’ll lookt o continue bolstering their squad with the best talent available in the future.