Smooth hands and and a strong enough arm for the position have Rocchio projecting as a plus defender. His historic season netted him 10.3 WAR and a wRC+ of 223 in 141 games. Moinelo produced those numbers after fanning 86 in 59.1 innings in 60 games last season. While the newly-turned 23-year-olds strikeout numbers have jumped a bit in Double-A, he has seen his 90th percentile exit velocity jump by a full mile per hour, lending belief that his nearly doubled HR/FB rate this season could be sustainable. The good news is, the bat is exciting. Leading the way for Hence is his plus heater. That tidbit isn't meant to discount Mori or his accomplishments, by the way, since he can clearly handle business. Matt Murton, Hanshin Tigers Legend & NPB "Chatter Up!" On top of his ridiculous speed, Ruiz is the best base stealer minor leagues. Still just 18 years old, Cabrera is ahead of his peers and could tap into 20 home run pop while generating plenty of contact. He has a plus arm with plenty of carry on his throws, which should help him project as an above-average defender at the position. It seems that the Pirates longterm plan is to keep Rodriguez at catcher, but if he continues to produce the way he has offensively, they will likely use his versatility as a way to keep him in the lineup. Vientos numbers against lefties give him the floor of a platoon masher. Davis put the questions around his swing to bed by slashing .370/.482/.663 with 17 homers and 31 walks against just 24 Ks versus ACC pitching in 2021. (24). Sign up for the JapanBall newsletter and we'll send you the latest Japanese baseball news and info, plus updates on our international baseball tours. An easy plus runner, Ford stole 23 bases on 28 tries this season. A 70 grade runner and premium athlete, Rafaela is an impact defender no matter where you stick him on the diamond. With impressive bat-to-ball skills, and even better pitch recognition skills, Collier has a chance to be an OBP machine with 30-homer pop. Sengas ghost forkball remains a premier pitch and pairing it with his fastball makes it even nastier for opposing batters. With 32 homers in his last 125 Minor League games, there is no doubting Cartayas power potential. White entered 2022 with only 71 innings pitched in his professional career including his dominant stint in the Arizona Fall League at the end of last year. For the record, though, Suzuki hit .235 in his abbreviated spring training with two home runs, five RBIs, and a .938 OPS. The pitch is comfortably above average and plays up off of his lively fastball. The pitch produces ugly swings against both lefties and righties and regularly missed bats even when located within the zone. It sits in the 93-95 mph range but lacks shape. Whenever a prized international free agent gets off to a great start to their professional career, the hype train typically leaves the station earlier than other prospects. Plus command of four pitches that have ticked up in 2022, it makes sense that Pfaadt kicked things into another gear this season. The talented switch-hitter kicked things up another notch in 2022, putting up arguably the best offensive season in all of the minors. The hype surrounding Ohtani helped inspire the so-called Ohtani Rule, which will be implemented in the 2022 season and allows a starting pitcher who hits for himself to remain in the lineup as a designated hitter even after he exits as a pitcher. An average pitch coming into the season, Tiedemanns improvement with the slider has it looking closer to above average while flashing plus. Though still a very volatile prospect profile, Alcantaras strong first full season in Low-A hedges at least some of the extreme risk around his hit-tool. Players. Capable of producing exit velocities as high as 119 MPH, including 65 batted balls over 105 MPH since the start of the 2021 season (694 at-bats). Even though his front shoulder can leave the ball a bit earlier than desired, he keeps his weight back and his bat stays in the zone for so long that he has no problem pulverizing fastballs. He simply dismantled Low-A hitters, punching out 81 batters in 52.1 innings with a WHIP of 0.88. Hassell has the potential to be an impact, middle of the order bat once/if he fills out. Already succeeding in Double-A before his 21st birthday, Harrison is on a fast track to the big leagues. April 6, 2022. Taishi Ota, OFHokkaido Nippon Ham FightersB-T: R-R. Born: June 9, 1990 (30). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sign up for the JapanBall newsletter and we'll send you the latest Japanese baseball news and info, plus updates on our international baseball tours. Already a big time steal in 2021s Draft, Graceffos pitch mix and command have him trending towards a possible late 2023 debut. The Orioles promoted Hall to pitch out of their bullpen as they tried to make a playoff push, but it was also probably to limit his innings a bit as he is on his way to a career-high mark coming off of an injury. As you may expect with a tall, lanky hitter, theres some swing and miss concerns with Alcantara, but his athleticism helps him control his large frame through his swing. Busch should be able to keep the strikeouts relatively in check with a lot of homers and walks. Yudai Ohno, LHPChunichi DragonsB-T: L-L. Born: Sept. 26, 1988 (32). The plus pitch dives off the table with 12-6 break and is a great put away pitch to both lefties and righties. When Marte is at his best, he is staying back and using the whole field. Japanese Baseball. On top of the elite velocity, Miller has improved the shape of his fastball to give it more ride. . Pfaadts pitchability, polish and improving stuff have him trending towards a rotation spot with the D-backs next year. The Braves look prepared to take a big risk at short. The posting window for NPB players began Sunday -- one week later than usual, due to schedule changes related to COVID-19 -- and continues until Dec. 12. I am buying what Dominguez was selling in the second half of the season and believe theres an above average hitter here with big power potential and a solid chance to stick up the middle. If you're not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site. His final pitch of the afternoon was clocked at 163 kph, which comes in at, oh, 101 mph. Yorke is much more than just a yip-yip hitter. Impressive knowledge of the strike zone and the ability to play all three outfield spots have him looking like a potential Aaron Judge type of talent, but for every Judge there are dozens of John Mayberry Jr.s. Perazas sweet swing from the right side and plus defense at short make him a high probability everyday shortstop. Impressive range, smooth actions, an above average arm and impressive instincts have Turang looking like a plus defender at the highest level. He has flashed exit velocities over 110 mph and launched a 458 foot bomb in Triple-A this season, cluing us into the kind of untapped juice he has. The 70 grade speed has translated into big stolen base numbers for Winn, swiping 43 bags on 48 tries this season. One of hopeful prospect player in NPB, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.https://t.co/UNBh3Va9rT #npbeng #YoshinobuYamamoto pic.twitter.com/QJO9j5svDY. A plus runner with great instincts, PCA makes an impact both on the base paths and in the field with his legs. Jung has had impressive bat-to-ball skills dating back to his days at Texas Tech, where he hit .348/.455/.577 over his three years as a Red Raider. Moreno is a gamer who pitchers enjoy as a battery mate and he has steadily improved as he has compiled reps in the upper levels. Already pretty maxed out physically, Green has flashed exit velocities that you rarely see from a player his age. Not only does Priester get more whiffs with his sinker than his four seamer, but it is also a weak contact machine. The change has the ability to miss bats, however, it specializes in inducing soft contact. Working off of his elite fastball, the changeup will play up, but the pitch itself is nasty. The pitch now sits in the mid 90s, touching 99 mph with high spin rates and good shape. The fact that Williams was able to consistently produce the way he did even with the swing deficiencies is a testament his twitchiness and natural athleticism. Caissie is short to the ball and can really turn on pitches middle-in with authority. While he has a bit more juice from the right side, Arroyos contact rates are better from the left side. When Frelick is at his best, he is smacking line drives to either gap while resorting to more of the put the ball in play approach with two strikes. Rounding out Priesters arsenal is an above average slider and changeup. A ridiculously impressive track record of hitting along with a well-rounded game and defensive versatility make Vargas one of the more high floor prospects in the game. He's officially listed at 170 centimeters and 85 kilograms, or roughly 5-foot-6 and 187 pounds. The one blemish for Suzuki is his basestealing. An under-the-radar international free agent out of Australia, Mead broke out in a big way in 2021 and has continued to mash in the upper levels in 2022. A testament to his polish and knack for hitting. pic.twitter.com/hFmXnRa8h4, Kyle Kishimoto (@kylemoto10) April 17, 2022. Below are some candidates to keep an eye on for the 2020-2021 offseason. Williams rode the momentum of his All American collegiate season right into professional baseball where he pitched to a 1.96 ERA in 115 innings between High-A and Double-A with a 33% strikeout rate while walking just 9% of batters. Millers fastball averaged 99.1 MPH in 2022, which would actually lead all qualified Major League starters. He has hit balls as hard as 111 mph this season, producing majestic homers to his pull side. He drew 59 walks this season while only striking out 65 times. As he has become more comfortable with his reads and routes, Pages has started to cover more ground with ease. Nearly 90 innings in his first professional season while climbing three levels is a great milestone to hit. After hitting 12 homers in his 162 collegiate games, Steer launched 24 homers in his 110 games during the 2021 season. The Hawks are among the NPB teams that dont use the posting system, so unless theres a change of heart from the club he will have to wait until after the 2022 season to leave for MLB. Yoshidas time with the Buffaloes may be coming to an end, but he will be remembered as one of the best pure hitters in Japanese baseball history, as he ranks 6th all-time with a career 174 wRC+ among hitters with at least 2000 plate appearances. Only 39 percent of his pitches were in the strike zone, compared to a league-wide average of 48 percent. While his power is more apparent to his pull side at this point, Montgomery comfortably barrels the ball to all fields and should develop into home run power to all fields. Though we have seen Henderson moved around the diamond in Triple-A and at the MLB level, that is more a testament to Hendersons natural fielding ability and versatility than an inability to stick at shortstop. A new year, a new board and new ranks. The big right-handed hitter starts heavily stacked on his backside using a pronounced toe tap as a timing mechanism. The different looks he can give hitters at 6-foot-5 makes at-bats miserable to say the least. He currently struggles with fastballs located on the inner half of the plate. Aside form a slight stretch backwards, Henderson doesnt feature much hand movement with his load, allowing him to repeat his moves and timing. He turned down a multi-year deal last winter, ostensibly with an eye on asking the Swallows to post him for big-league consideration after the season. Colas could be a middle of the order force for the White Sox soon. A move to third seems likely but it doesnt really matter too much where you play if you slug with the best of them. He would project as an above average outfielder in a corner with a pretty good arm. Plus defense and speed headline Perazas exciting tools, but the kid can swing it too. 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top japanese baseball prospects 2022