There are 8 Japanese players currently in the MLB, 6 are pitchers. Of those pitchers, Yu Darvish is a legitimate #1 starter. Iwakuma is a top of the rotation type starter, Kuroda, in his late 30's, is a very nice middle of the rotation starter, Uehara is a fantastic set-up man or closer, and Tazawa is a solid set up man.
I agree, it is a ton of money to give a guy with no MLB experience, however Japanese pitchers have proven, especially recently, that they can be extremely successful in the Major Leagues. Saying this kid is a bust and it's a foregone conclusion does not quite reflect reality.
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Collecting Pre-1920 HOF Postcards
(single subject, not team postcards)
@TreyCumby
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