Tetsuto Yamada continuing to dominate in Nippon Professional Baseball

GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 19: Tetsuto Yamada #23 of Japan warms up prior to the exhibition game between Japan and Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on March 19, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 19: Tetsuto Yamada #23 of Japan warms up prior to the exhibition game between Japan and Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on March 19, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)

Tetsuto Yamada is in the midst of putting together another incredible year in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Nippon Professional Baseball has proven to be a haven for major league caliber talent. Since Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki blazed a path for others to follow, the pipeline of talent has flowed stateside. Players like Masahiro Tanaka, Shohei Ohtani, and Hideki Matsui have impressed during their time in the majors.

While the focus for this offseason is on the expected posting of Yusei Kikuchi, there is another player in Japan worth keeping an eye on. Second baseman Tetsuto Yamada is in the midst of another impressive season, his third in the past four years where he has produced a batting average over .300, while hitting 30 homers and stealing 30 bases.

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There was a lot of attention on Yamada heading into this season. After achieving the “Triple 3″ in 2015 and 2016, he had what was for him a rough year in 2017. Last season, he produced a .247/.364/.435 batting line, hitting 24 homers and stealing 14 bases. While those numbers are not terrible, they marked his worst performance since Yamada was a 20 year old in 2013.

Yamada rebounded nicely this year. Thus far, he has produced an excellent .311/.430/.584 batting line, hitting 32 homers and stealing 30 bases. With 15 games left in the season, he may well continue to add on to those stats. While he may not reach his career bests of 38 homers and 34 steals, his performance has been impressive nonetheless.

This is also the type of performance that will be noticed by major league teams. Although Yamada is just 5’10” tall and weighs 163 pounds, there is no denying the production. In fact, he has even been referred to as the Mike Trout of Japan, which is quite the compliment to his impressive all around game.

Yes, the track record for Japanese middle infielders is not the best, with Kazuo Matsui, Tadahito Iguchi, and Akinori Iwamura as the best of the group. However, if Yamada really is the Japanese answer to Mike Trout, it would not take long to surpass that trio. Given his track record in Japan, and his impressive power and speed combination, he is the type of player any team should be willing to take a chance on.

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Tetsuto Yamada is having another incredible season. A third season with a batting average over .300, 30 homers, and 30 steals could make him quite the coveted player in the majors if he is posted.