2 More Japanese Stars Officially Posted For MLB Teams

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Baseball is, more than ever, a global sport.

Still, that doesn’t mean that pitchers in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league – universally regarded as the second best in the world – don’t want to go stateside and show their talent in MLB.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, arguably the most talented pitcher in free agency, was posted by the Orix Buffaloes last week, starting his 45-day window to sign with a team.

However, he is not the only NPB pitcher with major-league aspirations.

“Shota Imanaga and Naoyuki Uwasawa have officially been posted. They have a 45-day window to be signed, ending January 11th at 5pm ET. per @Feinsand,” MLB on FOX tweeted.

Shota Imanaga and Naoyuki Uwasawa have officially been posted. They have a 45-day window to be signed, ending January 11th at 5pm ET.

per @Feinsand pic.twitter.com/1XdbkWRa0R

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 27, 2023

That’s right: two additional Japanese pitchers are looking to enter the MLB system and are now free to negotiate with teams until early January.

Imanaga is, quietly, one of the top left-handers in Japan and has been for a few years now.

In 2023, he accumulated a 2.80 ERA in 148 innings with the Yokohama Bay Stars, striking out 174 batters in the process.

He also participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping Japan win the competition.

As for Uwasawa, he doesn’t quite have Yamamoto’s or even Imanaga’s potential, but is a steady starter who knows how to manage contact.

In 170 innings with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, he had a 2.96 ERA with 124 strikeouts.

He is 29 years old, and could be a fine fifth starter for an MLB squad.

Imanaga figures to be a nice consolation prize for those that miss out on Yamamoto, and Uwasawa could contribute as a starter or, potentially, as a reliever.

The post 2 More Japanese Stars Officially Posted For MLB Teams appeared first on The Cold Wire.