Yamamoto Copying Edition is coming, abandoning small starting pitcher preconceived notions and predicting ESPN's starting pitcher ranking at second place at 196.6 billion
Nov 07, 2025
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Seibu Lions right-hander Tatsuya Imai is listed at the top of the Major League FA rankings every day.
ESPN posted the section '2025-2026 MLB Free Agent Ranking and Contract Prediction' on the 7th (Korea Standard Time). Imai ranked fifth overall and second as a starting pitcher. Above Imai, outfielder Kyle Tucker, starter Framber Valdez, outfielder Cody Bellinger and third baseman Alex Bregman formed first to fourth.
Starting pitcher Dylan Sheese (6th), shortstop Bobbi??(7th), designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (8th), is lower than Imai, and Murakami Munetaka, who is considered the NPB's best big shot, also ranked 10th.
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'The highest ransom for an out-of-season pitcher is likely this off-season. It is not an ace, but the second and third starters have some risk, but the clubs will pay a lot of money in that it is a young FA that does not need a qualifying offer. The most important selling point is the percentage of walks. In the past four years, nine innings of walks have decreased every year to 5.1→4.1→3.6→2.5.
He has a 1.92 ERA in 163 ⅔ innings this season. The 93-97-mile, maximum 99-mile fastball flying from a short height of 5 feet 11 inches (1 m 80) boasts a high swing and miss rate in the high zone. I had above average splitter, but the slider is interesting. It doesn't look like a slider because it comes out as the same release point as Tray Savage (Toronto Blue Jays). Backs the splitter and fastball. It is a slider that is used together and is recognized as the best pitch type in conventional wisdom. His slider this year was good at xwOBA 0.212 with a 45% swing and miss rate higher than the major league average. These add benefits to Imai's body shape and release features, as well as the adaptability that each year's improved command will bring. 'All teams want to recruit second or third starters, half of which are in their 20s.'
In summary, the combination of fastballs and splitters is the best in the league, and the slider supports the two pitches well, so it is excellent with the second and third starting points that can work in the big leagues. McDaniel estimated the size of Imai's contract at 135 million for six years (196.6 billion won). In this case, the posting fee to be paid to the Seibu club will be $22.12 million.
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Since his debut in 2018, he pitched 963 ⅔ innings in 159 games over eight years, marking 58 wins and 45 losses, 14 shutouts, and a 3.15 ERA and 907 strikeouts.
On the 6th, columnist Jim Borden, a former general manager of The Athletic, rated Imai as ninth in the FA rankings and predicted $154 million (224.3 billion won) for seven years. The New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres were among the expected destinations.
ESPN said the success of Shota Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, who are one inch smaller than Imai, helped ease fears of a small starter that had raged in the majors for decadesMore than 20 Major League scouts watched him pitch against Rakuten on Sept. 2 with two hits, 10 strikeouts, and a shutout in nine innings.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
