Following this winter’s best pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto , another Japanese pitcher has begun his advance into the major leagues. 안전놀이터 ~

Local media, including Fox Sports in the U.S., reported on the 28th (Korean time) that Shota Imanaga and Naoyuki Uwasawa began posting.

They now have 45 days to negotiate. The deadline for posting is January 12th. Until then, we can freely negotiate with the 30 major league clubs.

Although Imanaga is not receiving as much attention as Yamamoto, the pitcher in this free agent market, he is evaluated as a pitcher who can serve as the 2nd or 3rd starter.

In Japanese professional baseball, he appeared in a total of 165 games over 8 years, recording 64 wins, 50 losses, and an ERA of 3.18. The number of strikeouts was 1,021.

This year, he led Japan to victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), started 22 games this season, pitched 148 innings, and recorded 7 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 2.80.

His biggest advantage is that he is a left-handed pitcher who can throw up to 155km. He, like Dan Yamamoto, is not tall. He has a height of 178cm and a weight of 86kg.

The expected contract size is 5 years – $85 million. In this case, Yokohama, the original club, will cover the posting fee of $13.87 million.

Uwasawa, who advanced to the major leagues with Imanaga, is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He uses a four-seam fastball with a speed of up to 150 km, a slider, and a forkball.

What gives Uwasawa an edge over Yamamoto and Imanaga is his physical condition. She has a height of 187cm and a weight of 90kg.

However, Uwasawa is not receiving much attention compared to Yamamoto and Imanaga. She predicts that the challenge of being the 5th starter is a realistic goal.