Do you think Kei Igawa will be good in the bigs?

Question

the seibu lions accepted the bid of the Yankees for 25 million..what do u guys think of him?

Answer 1

Let me put it this way: Hideki Irabu was a very good Japanese pitcher...far better than Igawa, and when he came to New York, he melted under pressure and turned into a bust.

Other pitchers from Japan have had short term success, such as Hideo Nomo, and then when American hitters figured them out after two seasons, they were average, at best.

There are others like Jose Contreras, who were supposed to be a sure bet, and melted under pressure in New York. He went to Chicago and improved quite a bit, but he is still far from the dominating pitcher that we were told he was before his debut with the Yankees.

Foreign pitchers who have had success in other countries are a major risk. Both Boston and New York are taking a chance this year, and I don't believe either will pay off.

What Americans seem to forget is that the competition in Japan or Cuba isn't at the level of MLB. Sure, they have a few excellent players, such as Ichiro and Matsui, but it takes their very best hitters to come to the USA and make an impact, where American castoffs can go to Japan and become superstars, where they would be lucky to have a job at all in the MLB. Examples include Orestes Destrada, Randy Bass and Tuffy Rhodes. In fact, Randy Bass holds the Japanese record for batting average in a single season by hitting .389 in 1986. In the USA, he was a pinch hitter for the Twins for six seasons who was average, at best.

If you're hoping for either of these pitchers to make a major impact, you're in for a disappointment.

Answer 2

Note: Not all japanese pitchers play for the Seibu Lions, in fact Kei Igawa plays for Hanshin Tigers

It seems to be agreed that he is no more than a #3 starter.

He will probably go ok, he can pitch, but the AL East is quite different from Japan, and where as Matsuzaka has up to 6 above average pitchers, Igawa seems to only have a average fastball and an above average curveball.

He better keep the ball down in the zone, or else its going up up and out.

* David Wright made the comment well before the bidding on Igawa began. He also noted that while he had not played in a month (neither the rest of the MLB team, Igawa hadn't pitched in a game in over a month*

Its encouraging if a guy can show 2 quality pitches when he hasn't played a game in a while.

Answer 3

He is a strike out artist and is left handed. He has lead the Japanese League three times in K's. With a lifetime ERA of around 3 or less he just might fit in Yankee Stadium. Remember, lefties have an excellent history with the Yankees.

Answer 4

It's always hard to project these Japanese players that come to play in the US. I mean Igawa could become a good player like Ichiro, Matsui, Kaz Sasaki, Nomo, etc. or he could be a bust like Irabu or Kaz Matsui. You just never know until they start playing.

Answer 5

He wasn't projected to be a force in the AL but he's a lefty and lefties do well in Yankee Stadium. I expect him to be our 4th starter.

Answer 6

yes since hes might come to the yankees

Answer 7

david wright who faced him in the world baseball classic said,
"above-average fastball, average change, flat slider"

but this is probably just b/c the mets lost the bidding to him

Answer 8

in my opinion of MOST japanese players, he is roughly a 49 percent chance of producing well.

Answer 9

I've never seen any of his stuff. If he's like Irabu, well.... I'm worried

Answer 10

he will be the biggest sleeper surprise next season