Japanese Assassin to Test MLB Market

Koji Uehara, a thirty-three-year-old pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants, declared his intention to test the major league free-agent market after this season and play in the US in 2009. Stateside fans might remember his performance in the 2006 World Baseball Classic—he led all tournament pitchers with 16 strikeouts. Daisuke Matsuzaka received all the press, but Uehara was equally as integral to Japan’s series win.

Quick stats: former teammate of Yankees OF Hideki Matsui; won the Rookie of the Year and the Sawamura Award in 1999 by breaking the all-time rookie record for consecutive wins (15); led the league in ERA, Ks and WPCT. Won the Sawamura Award again in 2002; lost most of 2006 to injury; returned in 2007 as a closer and saved 32 games, striking out 66 men in 62 innings. He’s expected to return in 2008 as a starter.

Uehara is unbeaten in international play-23 appearances, 12 wins and 1 save. His lifetime ERA is 2.96; his career K/BB is a ridiculous 6.86 (1304 Ks to 190 BBs). The top five career K/BB leaders in the majors are as follows (stats pulled from BaseballReference.com):

Rank Player K/BB 1 Tommy Bond 4.440 2 Curt Schilling 4.380 3 Pedro Martinez 4.280 4 Ben Sheets 3.970 5 Jim Whitney 3.820 6 Johan Santana 3.800

I included Santana in there so you can see how Uehara ranks against who many consider to be the best pitcher working today. Anyway, even for Japan, a 6.86 K/BB ratio is super-human. His control is said to be ninja-like.

Uehara Watch has a good scouting report on Uehara, but to summarize, he throws a fastball in the 88-90 mph range, offers two types of forkballs and kills opposing batters with poisoned-tipped darts…er…a grade-A slider.

MLB Trade Rumors says Mark Plugh has compared Uehara to Brad Radke, and the control is certainly Radke-esque, although Radke’s career K/BB ratio was half that of Uehara’s (3.296).

As for comparisons, his delivery reminds me of Roy Oswalt (who by the way ranks 11th on the K/BB career list). Check out footage of Uehara below.

As for his prospects for making the jump across the pond, he has a better K rate and a lower ERA (by more than a run) than Hiroki Kuroda notched during his years in Japan, and they’re the same age.

There’s injury concern with Uehara, although if he pitches this year as a starter without any trouble, I’m sure those concerns will be more or less erased. Regardless, given Uehara’s international dominance and his rock-star status in Japan, four years and $48 million sounds about right.

Here’s that footage of Uehara—check out the first K and then fast-forward to about the 1-minute mark: