Coming to America?

[Neddy]

BTW, whatever happed with that kid Chuck? is he out of baseball now?

Tiffany's Baseball-Reference.com profile shows 2011 as the last year he was active and he was in an independent league then. I believe he's currently the lead pitching instructor for Frozen Ropes Training Centers at their location in Glendora, CA. It's a shame, he couldn't make it with the Dodgers. He's still only 30 years old.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/npbtracker/status/673195467056934912[/tweet]

you may have posted this in the past already, knowing how active you are in twitter-verse...or did I say that correctly? lol obviously I don't have a twitter account and never used my office's facebook under my name. this forum is about the only SNS I ever use, if this even counts as one, that is.

Ha ha. No, I didn't come across that tweet, so thank you for passing that along. As active as I am in the Twitter-verse, I'm still no expert. I just use it as another resource just like surfing the Web to try to obtain some information and even then, I can't always find what I need or want.

I did, however, come across another Maeda highlight video from the comments section of a Dodgers fan site, which showcases his impressive control and command of the variety of pitches he has in his repertoire.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOj4TKsIgtA[/youtube]

good to know Chuck landed on his feet. I did read his baseball reference stats and it ended with Hawaii's independent league, I wasn't sure what has happened since I do not recall seeing him pop up in Japan or Korea like Matt Murton or Julio Franco.

and sounds like you are now on board with Kenta Maeda? I still think the kid is underrated. I still think Ryu will be our #2 guy when the regular season is over, and Kenta might be the #3 although I I would expect Kazmir to be just a hair behind Ryu in most stat lines.
Anderson could look like 2015 version of Greinke if his BABIP is around .220 as he is the best groundball pitcher in all of baseball.

god I am already pumped up for this season... can't wait!

[Ranma]

and sounds like you are now on board with Kenta Maeda? I still think the kid is underrated. I still think Ryu will be our #2 guy when the regular season is over, and Kenta might be the #3 although I I would expect Kazmir to be just a hair behind Ryu in most stat lines.
Anderson could look like 2015 version of Greinke if his BABIP is around .220 as he is the best groundball pitcher in all of baseball.

god I am already pumped up for this season... can't wait!

My previous comment actually had more to do with being unsold on Oh than being more sold on Maeda. I already figured Maeda for a finesse pitcher with excellent control, so it was nice to see more video confirming it. My concerns about his build and acclimatization still stand, but given the rumored contract structure, I can't help but be more excited at the prospects of a low-risk, high-reward proposition, especially given that--like you've said--he's out-performed both Hiroki Kuroda and Hisashi Iwakuma in NPB, two players who've excelled in MLB.

I still view Maeda as a back-end to possibly mid-rotation starter--especially to start his MLB career--but we're not necessarily dependent upon his success. I think he's a solid addition, health permitting, to any staff but if he exceeds expectations, it'd be a tremendous bonus. Plus, if the rumors of Greg Maddux joining the Dodgers prove true, Maeda could possibly learn more towards excelling in such a similar style as the Professor's.

I'm actually more thankful that the Dodgers have more time to work some more magic or lay further groundwork for future deals during this off-season. I think there's more to come from our front office with a possible blockbuster in the works. However, to be clear, I think there's more house-cleaning moves to be made that are more assured to be accomplished. A big headline-grabbing move is still unlikely to happen before Opening Day but there's certainly dominos lined up to quickly be set in motion once something drops.

[Ranma]

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[Quake Griffin]

Dammit.

Missed his presser. Just saw the clip on the Dodgers website.
Friedman say anything important or just introduce him?

[Ranma]

Maeda did most of the talking through an interpreter. Nothing much was said other than acknowledging there were irregularities in the medicals on his elbow. Maeda was not only honored to be a Dodger but grateful to the organization for making the long-term commitment to him. He went on to thank his agents and his Hiroshima Carp team for allowing him the opportunity to play in MLB. Maeda liked the Dodgers given its history with Japanese players and is looking forward to benefiting from the information that will be provided to him by the organization on players. I'm not sure that was a reference to the front office's penchant for analytics than a reliance on facing major leaguers new to him for his transition. Maeda also mentioned that he's spoken with Hiroki Kuroda but it had more to do with how to approach major-league batters than talking about what it's like to be a Dodger. However, he did mention that Kuroda was close to Kershaw and that he'd be tweeting Kersh to say "hi" to him for Kuroda.

Friedman did say that they liked Maeda's command of multiple pitches. He cited his slider but also made mention of his changeup as improving and having a good feel for a curveball as well. Friedman also stated that Maeda was a good athlete who could field his position well and also a good batter for a pitcher, which obviously helps in the NL.

While this is technically an international signing, I'll post information here since that's where most of our conversations pertaining to Maeda have been going on. I'll see what else is on the online circuit and post more later.

[Ranma]

Summary of Press Conference


Press Conference


Interview with Dave Roberts


Interview with Andrew Friedman

[Ranma]

The $1 million signing bonus seems to account for the discrepant reports of either $24 million or $25 million in guaranteed money.

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[Neddy]

Maeda did most of the talking through an interpreter. Nothing much was said other than acknowledging there were irregularities in the medicals on his elbow. Maeda was not only honored to be a Dodger but grateful to the organization for making the long-term commitment to him. He went on to thank his agents and his Hiroshima Carp team for allowing him the opportunity to play in MLB. Maeda liked the Dodgers given its history with Japanese players and is looking forward to benefiting from the information that will be provided to him by the organization on players. I'm not sure that was a reference to the front office's penchant for analytics than a reliance on facing major leaguers new to him for his transition. Maeda also mentioned that he's spoken with Hiroki Kuroda but it had more to do with how to approach major-league batters than talking about what it's like to be a Dodger. However, he did mention that Kuroda was close to Kershaw and that he'd be tweeting Kersh to say "hi" to him for Kuroda.

Friedman did say that they liked Maeda's command of multiple pitches. He cited his slider but also made mention of his changeup as improving and having a good feel for a curveball as well. Friedman also stated that Maeda was a good athlete who could field his position well and also a good batter for a pitcher, which obviously helps in the NL.

While this is technically an international signing, I'll post information here since that's where most of our conversations pertaining to Maeda have been going on. I'll see what else is on the online circuit and post more later.

so watched the presser. man it is hard not to pull for a guy like this. I didn't like the interpreter, as she sounded to have zero knowledge of baseball whatsoever, but with his contract that every Japanese and many South Korean media were calling undervalued and "slave" contract, he calls it a long term commitment based on faith of each other. I dunno if he can get to 30 starts in any seasons to be honest, but if his incentives pay just a half of the max at say, 15 starts and 100 innings, I sure hope he can pull it off every season.

[Ranma]

Friedman mentioned that while Maeda's medical report factored into the set-up of the contract, most if not all pitchers have injury risks. In Maeda's case, the Dodgers know more about it on the front end. He also mentioned that Maeda pitched as recently as 6 weeks ago and has been showing no symptoms, which gives him as much confidence as the team can have at this point.

Friedman also later mentioned in the post-press-conference interview with Alanna Rizzo that he's ready to go into the season with what the team has right now, particularly with starting pitching, but there's also plenty of time before Opening Day and the front office will continue to monitor for things to come up with relief pitching being a focus.

Beth Harris, Associated Press (1/7/16)

Maeda gets a $1 million signing bonus, payable within 15 days of the deal's approval by the commissioner's office, and yearly salaries of $3 million.

If Maeda is on the Dodgers' opening-day roster each season and makes 32 starts and pitches 200 innings each year, he would receive the full $106.2 million. He would earn $150,000 annually for being on the 25-man opening-day active roster.
...

Maeda's contract is loaded with performance bonuses and an annual roster bonus of $150,000 if he is on the 25-man opening-day active roster.

He would receive $6.5 million annually based on starts: $1 million each for 15 and 20, and $1.5 million apiece for 25, 30 and 32 starts.

He would earn $3.5 million annually based on innings pitched: $250,000 for 90 and each additional 10 through 190, and $750,000 for 200. The deal includes a $1 million assignment bonus each time he is traded.

Maeda is guaranteed to wear jersey No. 18 — the same number he wore in Japan. Other perks in the contract include four round-trip business-class tickets between Japan and Los Angeles each year, an interpreter, and travel expenses, accommodations and visa costs for a player support staff individual.

He will become a free agent when the contract expires.

Meada, Dodgers Finalize $25M Deal That Could Be Worth $106M


Ken Gurnick, MLB.com (1/7/16)

The Dodgers also must pay Maeda's Japan club a $20 million release fee, which Friedman said led to a contract that binds Maeda to the Dodgers for eight seasons. There are no opt-outs, option years or no-trade provisions, but Maeda will receive a payment if he is traded.
...

To make room on the roster for Maeda, the Dodgers designated for assignment Ronald Torreyes. The club also lost outfielder Daniel Fields on a waiver claim to the White Sox. Fields was designated for assignment to make room for the signing of Kazmir last week.

Maeda, Dodgers Hope for Extended Success

[Ranma]

If Passan's report is correct, it's interesting that the elevated bonuses for pitching 200 innings and starting 25, 30, and 32 games have all been reduced to the standard figures for the respective categories. The potential overall payout seems to have been reduced without any benefit to Maeda getting more certainty in meeting certain bonuses with lowered thresholds. Maybe the previous figures were reported in error or this report missed some details. In any case, the $1 million signing bonus and $150,000 annual 25-man-opening-day-roster bonus both seem intact. Presumably, the $1 million assignment bonus for every time he is traded is also in effect.

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[Kilroy]

Merges ongoing

[Ranma]

Jim Allen, Japan Times (1/6/16)

An MLB scout who has watched the 27-year-old Maeda since he turned pro in 2007 recently gave the following assessment.

“He’s not that power arm guy that’s going to get swings and misses all the time,” the scout told Kyodo News at December’s baseball winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. “(He locates) to the bat rather than away from the bat, whereas (Nippon Ham Fighters ace Shohei) Otani is away from the bat. Otani is about 10-12 strikeouts a game, whereas Kenta Maeda is about six-to-eight, with a lot of ground balls.

“He knows himself as a pitcher and I’ve seen him pitch without his best stuff on a given day, and he still gives you the opportunity to win. To me, that’s a pitcher, rather than just a thrower. Maeda can figure a way to get off the bat head and get outs. Masahiro Tanaka had to learn about the tendencies of hitters (in the majors) and that’s something Maeda’s going to have to learn.”

Maeda’s fastball has not had the velocity in Japan that Yu Darvish or Tanaka had. Unlike Darvish, Tanaka and Hisashi Iwakuma, he has given up on his split-fingered fastball in order to feature his changeup more often.

For years, the barometer for Maeda was how well he located his darting slider, but over the last season, his changeup has replaced the slider as his best swing-and-miss pitch. In addition, the slicker major league ball will take some break off of his spin pitches, his slider and curve.
...

In 2010, when Maeda won his first Sawamura Award as Japan’s most impressive starting pitcher, his former manager Marty Brown spoke about his first impression of the youngster, his physical strength, and his adaptability — factors that could influence how well he deals with his big league challenges.

“The first thing you noticed was his arm strength,” Brown said that autumn. “He could stand on one side of the field and throw it to the other side effortlessly. He had an extreme looseness to his ability to get out in front and release the ball and really throw it a long way. He was way more advanced than a lot of kids his age. He was only 18. You could tell that he caught on to things really quickly. He had a real good feel for figuring things out. His aptitude was in some ways was a lot more advanced.”

Maeda to Face Multitude of Adjustments in Majors

[Neddy]

he looked good today, two solid innings with two strike outs.

Oh the final boss is looking just as good for the Cards.

also liked De Leon's work. now I can't wait to see what Zach Lee has to show .

[Neddy]

looks like my Arizona trip will have Zach Lee and Alex Wood starting. if the schedule somehow faulters and I get to see others, I will report back to ya'll.

[Ranma]

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[Ranma]

Will opposing batters make a point to lay off his offspeed pitches out of the zone and look for fastballs once the scouting report makes the rounds? How will Kenta adjust?

ESPN Stats & Info, ESPN.com (4/24/16)

The breaking balls have set up his fastball, which has been dominant this season. Opposing batters are collectively 1-for-25 against his fastball this season. The .040 batting average is the lowest by any starting pitcher's fastball this season.

His slider has also been extremely effective this season, as he's generated 25 swings-and-misses with the pitch this season. Only three pitchers have more: Chris Young (33) Chris Archer (30) and Michael Pineda (28).
...

For as dominant as Maeda has been this season, he has thrown 41.5 percent of his pitches in the strike zone, fourth lowest among 98 qualified starters. And 62.3 percent of those pitches have missed outside, which is the highest percentage among qualified starters. His fastball is in the strike zone 41.0 percent of the time, lowest among qualified starters.

Despite the volume of pitches outside the strike zone, Maeda has walked five batters in four starts, and none with his fastball. His 1.78 walks per nine innings is nearly a full walk per game better than the league average by qualified starters.

He has been able to get away with not throwing strikes due to his high chase percentage. He has gotten opposing hitters to chase on 36.4 percent of pitches outside the zone. That is the third-best rate in baseball, only behind Noah Syndergaard and Zack Greinke.

Dodgers Rookie Kenta Maeda Continues Historic Start

[Ranma]

Albert Chen, Sports Illustrated (5/4/16)

Said one evaluator who was at Maeda’s start at Coors Field on April 23 (6 1/3 shutout innings at high altitude) and whose team was in on the bidding over the 28-year-old righthander: “We knew he was good. There were concerns about his health [and] there were some things in his physical that he sent to all the teams that raised some eyebrows. And he just wasn’t a flamethrower, so he wasn’t going to get the big bucks. [There was] uncertainty—is his command really that good, at the major league level, to make that transition?

“Turns out the command is unbelievable. I’m not going to say he’s Greg Maddux, but there are some similarities. With the way he mixes pitches and changes speeds, he’s been better than advertised. He’s replaced [Zack] Greinke—and incredibly, he’s pitched even better. He’s not going to keep it up, no way, but that signing is looking like it was a steal.”

Scout's Takes: Rival Evaluators Talk Giles, A-Rod, Maeda, More

[Quake Griffin]

Gotta see some more failure outta Kenta before I make a judgment about what I think his floor is. Of course it would be great if he just didn't fail at all. His last outing he had a little hiccup.

He has a lot of power to get through tomorrow.
we'll see.

You're not going to continue to get outs against MLB level hitting outside of the zone. So my question is, in the middle of he season when the bats are more seasoned and the hitters more patient, can he operate in the zone more than he does now and still get outs.

[Ranma]

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Doug Padilla, ESPN.com (5/17/16)

Maeda, who pitched just once a week when he was a professional in Japan for eight seasons, is adjusting to a new five-day schedule in Major League Baseball, and that short window could be causing an issue.

Maeda is also throwing more sliders than fastballs of late, a possible sign that he is not recovering quickly from his previous start. Both manager Dave Roberts and Maeda deny that the shorter pitching window is a hindrance, but it is not like they would want to advertise it if it was.

"I think that, just talking to him, he says physically he feels fine," Roberts said. "That might be something down the road, but right now it's not too much of a concern. I think for me, it's just more of utilizing his fastball a little more and getting ahead of hitters and not relying so heavily on the slider."
...

To simplify all of it, in the four starts when Maeda has pitched on the fifth day, he has a 5.16 ERA. In the four starts when he has at least six days between starts he has a 0.74 ERA.

Despite the numbers, Maeda remained defiant that short rest is an issue.

"Personally I don't think the shorter days of rest are that hard," Maeda said through an interpreter. "It hasn't been that much of a problem for me."

Dodgers' Kenta Maeda Unable to 'Execute My Plan'