by DZ
The Premier12 tournament, a baseball world championship tournament by another name, has a number of strong players participating that are unknown by all but the most dedicated international baseball follower. The first week recently concluded in Taiwan.
Many of the national team lists lack the “famous” element due to MLB restricting participation of players currently on their clubs’ 40-man rosters, leaving USA, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic (not to mention Netherlands and Italy) without many of the stars who wore their national colors in the World Baseball Classic. The Asian nations were less restricted, minus the handful of potential selections currently in the major leagues – Japan, Korea, and Chinese Taipei entered their top national teams in the tournament. While Chinese Taipei was eliminated on a tie-breaker rule after the group stage, Japan and Korea face off in the semi-final Thursday night in Tokyo.
Here are some players in the semi-finals you might not know, but who could be mentioned more prominently in Western news outlets soon…
THURSDAY – South Korea vs Japan
Kenta Maeda, Japan. The slight 27-year old righty starter was awarded the win in the quarterfinal versus Puerto Rico. In his two starts in the Premier 12 he struck out 14 while allowing only two runs. He was rumored last offseason to be headed towards MLB, and the same information is there this winter… but the Hiroshima Carp have yet to enter him in the posting process (how MLB clubs get the right to negotiate with Japanese professional players). He’s pitched 8 seasons for the Carp, with a career 97-67 record and 2.31 ERA. He’s expected to be the next Japanese pitcher to follow Yu Darvish, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Masahiro Tanaka to the major leagues.
Shohei Otani, Japan. Otani is a 21 year old two-way player for the Nippon Ham Fighters, but has stuck to the pitcher’s mound when representing Japan in the Premier 12. Otani is a star in the NPB, and is expected to make the jump to MLB (he threatened to do so out of high school, but backed down after being drafted by the Ham Fighters) in a few years. He throws in the high-90s, touching 100. He also has a career .245 average with 18 home runs while playing a few days a week in the outfield or DH-ing. He shut out Korea in the opening game of the Premier 12, striking out 10 and allowing 2 hits in six innings. He is scheduled as starting pitcher in the semi-final.
Nobuhiro Matsuda, Japan. Matsuda, a third baseman for Japan and for the NPB Champion Softbank Hawks, is a free agent. He’s weighing MLB offers versus the chance to remain as the superstar of his team in Fukuoka. Matsuda is hitting .294 with a home run in his five games started.
Byung-Ho Park, South Korea. The mighty first baseman of the Nexen Heroes (the same club that the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Jung-Ho Kang played for) has already been posted this offseason, and the Minnesota Twins won the bidding with a $12.75 million dollar offer. Park and the Twins are in the midst of a month-long window to agree to a contract – if they agree, that fee goes to the Heroes Baseball Club and Park will be playing in Target Field in 2016. Park has 3 extra base hits in 5 games (four starts) thus far in the tournament.
Ah-Seop Son, South Korea. The Lotte Giants outfielder was entered into the posting process on Monday, so we’ll know which MLB club holds his negotiating rights before the Premier 12 is over. Seen as a high-contact hitter, Son is often compared to Japanese (and recent SF Giants) outfielder Nori Aoki. He is hitting .300 in the tournament.
Jae-Gyun Hwang, South Korea. The third baseman also plays for Lotte, and the club has announced that they will make him available to MLB clubs if they don’t receive an offer they accept for A.S. Son. Hwang is hitting .333, driven by a 4-4 night with two home runs versus Venezuela.
Hyun-Soo Kim, South Korea. An outfielder for KBO champions Doosan Bears, Kim is an international free agent. He’s rumored to be considering a leap to the major leagues. He is pacing the Korean team with 8 hits while also stealing a base.
Dae-Ho Lee, South Korea. The hefty first baseman/DH played several years in the KBO (Korea) before shifting to NPB (Japan) and leading the Softbank Hawks to the last two titles. He’s a power hitter with questions if the 33 year old can still contribute in the field. He has a home run amongst 5 hits so far, and is a free agent looking at continuing in Japan, returning to South Korea, or trying to crack an MLB lineup.
FRIDAY – Mexico vs USA
Humberto Sosa, Mexico, the #12 ranked team in world baseball, has been paced by their 30-year old catcher. They beat Venezuela and the Dominican in the round robin to get into the quarterfinals, where they upset then-undefeated Canada. Sosa has three doubles while hitting .400.
Brett Phillips, USA. The outfielder was seen as the key piece going to the Milwaukee Brewers in return for all-star Carlos Gomez in this summer’s trade with the playoff-chasing Astros. He’s hit .353 with a triple in his four games.
The WBSC Premier12 continues in Tokyo with its semifinals on the 19th and 20th, with the final taking place in the Tokyo Dome on November 21st.
Photo by Ezio Ratti, FIBS