The Top 50 Free Agents of 2013

MJBが終了し、話題はstove leagueに移っています。NBCスポーツのhardball talkでは例によってMatthew Pouliotがフリーエージェントのトップ５０をリストアップしています。その中から日本人を抜き出しました。

うち岩隈選手に関してはKoyamamoto大先生が関連記事をupしていましたが、

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20121104/1352038999

ともかくも日本人選手に関するdescriptionが面白い。なお大谷選手が入っていること自体、大変な驚きです。しかし、Japan’s amateur draftとはなんぞや？！と思いました。MLBから見ると日本のプロ野球のドラフトはそんなレベルでなのでしょうか。本音だったりして...。そうそう、あの人とあの人はどうなっているのでしょうかね。

以下、結構な長さですが、ひょっとしたら授業で使えるかも。（UG）

The Top 50 Free Agents of 2013

10. Hiroki Kuroda (RHP Yankees – Age 38 – Prev. #10): Kuroda is a unique free agent, in that he’s only been interested in signing one-year deals as he contemplates his future each winter. His preference was to remain with the Dodgers last winter, but Frank McCourt’s money problems caused them to pursue cheaper targets, resulting in Kuroda’s jump to the Yankees. Now it seems likely that he’ll re-sign with the Bombers. However, the flush-with-cash Dodgers could make a big offer to lure him back. For 2013 alone, Kuroda is as good of a bet as any starter here, and he’d have no problem getting more than $15 million if he decides to pursue the best deal.

25. Hisashi Iwakuma (RHP Mariners – Age 31 – Prev. #22): A non-factor early on after signing with the Mariners, Iwakuma got his chance to start in July and was one of the AL’s top pitchers the rest of the way, going 9-4 with a 2.65 ERA and a 78/28 K/BB ratio in 95 innings. The one-year contract he signed after coming over from Japan included a clause that made him a free agent at season’s end, so he’s in position to command $6 million-$8 million per year for two or three years.

30. Shohei Otani (RHP Japan – Age 18 – Prev. NR): The hard-throwing Otani has his heart set on playing ball in the U.S., even after being selected in the first round of Japan’s amateur draft. The new rules created in the last CBA figure to curtail his bonus amount, since the signing team will face a large tax payment and a diminished ability to sign international players next year, but for a talent like this, it’d be worth the sacrifice. The Dodgers, Rangers and Red Sox are thought to be very interested, and while it was once believed he couldn’t sign until April, it now appears that a deal could come earlier.

35. Ichiro Suzuki (OF Yankees – Age 39 – Prev. #57): Ichiro finally got it together in the final two months, hitting .332 in 196 at-bats in his best stretch of play since 2009. He enjoyed his time in the Bronx and he’s hoping to stay put, but it’s hard to imagine the Yankees will be content to have both he and Brett Gardner starting in the outfield next year. If Ichiro is willing to except a lesser role, it’d be a different story. However, to have any shot at getting to 3,000 hits (he’s at 2,606 right now), he really needs to spend a couple of more years as some team’s primary leadoff hitter.

38. Kyuji Fujikawa (RHP Japan – Age 32 – Prev. #49): Long one of Japan’s top relievers, Fujikawa has been looking to make the jump across the Pacific for years. Now that he’s finally eligible for free agency for the first time at age 32, there’s nothing stopping him from signing with an MLB team. His low-90s fastball isn’t quite what it was a few years back, but the results haven’t changed; he had a 1.32 ERA last season and his high mark in the last eight years is 2.01. Odds are that he’ll join a contender as a setup man. Figure on a two- or three-year deal worth $4 million-$5 million per season.

42. Koji Uehara (RHP Rangers – Age 37 – Prev. NR): At 7.96:1, Uehara has the highest K/BB ratio of any pitcher in major league history, minimum 200 innings pitched. The next highest is Sergio Romo at 5.77:1. Last season, Uehara struck out 43 and walked just three in 36 innings. His workload needs to be strictly monitored and there’s a good chance he’ll get hurt regardless, but he’s a big-time weapon out of the pen, one that would help any contender.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/02/2003-top-111-free-agents-the-top-50/related/