Shun Yamaguchi getting his chance at the majors

For the first time in team history, the Yomiuri Giants are putting a player through the posting system, giving Shun Yamaguchi his desired chance at the majors.

Over the years, the Yomiuri Giants have never put a player on the posting system. It is certainly their prerogative – those players signed a contract, and the Giants were going to hold them to it. However, that did not stop Shun Yamaguchi from asking to be posted, allowing the veteran pitcher to pursue his dreams of reaching the majors.

On Monday, the Giants relented. Yamaguchi will be given the opportunity to pursue his dream of pitching in the majors, as he will become the first player in franchise history to be made available through the posting system.

This may be perfect timing for Yamaguchi. The former starter turned closer turned starter had his best season since returning to the rotation last year. In 2019, he posted a 15-4 record, along with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.159 WHiP. Over his 170 innings, he issued 60 walks while striking out 188 batters. Both his 15 wins and 188 strikeouts paced Nippon Professional Baseball.

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Yamaguchi has an intriguing five pitch arsenal, based entirely on his three main pitches – his fastball, splitter, and slider. His fastball sits in the upper 80s to lower 90s, and is not exactly an out pitch. That pitch works well off of his devastating splitter, a pitch that he truly commanded well this past year, locating the offering seemingly anywhere he wanted. His slider is another decent pitch with solid break, but is also not an out pitch. Yamaguchi also occasionally throws a curve and a two seam fastball, but those are rather rare and are utilized more to keep the opposition honest.

There are also some possible concerns about Yamaguchi off the field. Back in 2017, he pitched only 21 innings after an altercation at a hospital. He had been out drinking on his 30th birthday and cut his pitching hand, necessitating the trip for medical assistance. There, he pushed a security guard into a desk and punched a door, resulting in his being suspended for most of the season.

One also has to wonder how Yamaguchi would be used in the majors. As a starter, he would probably be considered a back of the rotation arm given his lack of velocity. However, as pitchers like Mike Fiers and Hyun-Jin Ryu have proven, it is still possible to win in this era without an upper 90s fastball.

It is also possible that he would head back into a relief role. While it is not likely that any major league team would consider Yamaguchi for a closer role given his velocity, he did succeed in such a position in Japan, notching 112 saves in his time in the bullpen. With his three pitch arsenal, he could be a solid seventh or eighth inning option, recording the occasional save if the closer was unavailable.

Regardless of his future role, Shun Yamaguchi is set to see if he can make his dream of pitching in the majors a reality, as he will be the first player in the history of the Yomiuri Giants to be posted.