The Dodgers went big-game hunting over the past few weeks — and now Los Angeles can officially add another piece to their 2024 roster. Prized Japanese import Yoshinobu Yamamoto is reportedly headed to the Dodgers, as Los Angeles successfully landed the 25-year-old sensation. Here’s a closer look at what Yamamoto brings to Los Angeles.
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A Look at Yamamoto
Former Orix Buffaloes star Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be considered the best pitcher to come out of Japan since Yu Darvish in the early 2010s. That’s thanks to a dominant run in Japan and on the world stage.
Yamamoto had an incredible last three seasons with Orix, which included three straight Pacific League MVP awards and three straight Sawamura Awards, the equivalent of the Cy Young in Japan.
Yamamoto punched out 411 combined batters between 2021-22 and added in 176 this past year with Orix. Not to mention, the new Dodger also won gold in the 2023 World Baseball Classic alongside fellow Major Leaguers Yu Darvish, Masataka Yoshida, and Shohei Ohtani.
Baseball fans in North America got a good look at Yamamoto in the WBC this past March and why the hype on the young righty has been so high.
The 25-year-old displayed impressive command of a four-seam fastball that comfortably sat in the mid-90s, a velocity not often seen from a pitcher at 5’10”. Reports indicate he can get it up to 99 MPH.
On top of that heater, Yamamoto also has a mid-70s curveball, high-80s to low-90s cutter, along with a splitter that can just drop like a rock and badly fooled hitters during the event. All of that comes from a deceptive delivery that includes a bit of a pause in that ranged from four to five seconds in our viewing of him during the WBC.
One could be concerned that Yamamoto might not have the same effectiveness with his splitter at the MLB level, given the difference in size of the baseball used in North America. However, that didn’t affect Kodai Senga, who came over this past year and used his forkball to great effectiveness.
The Dodgers will reportedly give Yoshinobu Yamamoto a 12-year, $325MM deal to head to LA. Per ESPN and SNY, the Mets offered Yamamoto the same deal, but Los Angeles matched.
Analysis
With four pitches that have proven to get outs and the youngest big-name starter on the market, it’s not hard to see why Yamamoto got such a large contract. Plus, it did help that several major-market teams were looking to add starting pitching.
The pickup of Yamamoto gives the Dodgers yet another big piece to their 2024 roster, which will include Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. Los Angeles’ rotation was a weakness heading into the winter, but it’s gotten much better since it started.
Now, the Dodgers can tentatively construct a rotation that includes Glasnow and Yamamoto, plus Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, and Emmet Sheehan. Los Angeles could also conceivably use a six-man rotation and work in Michael Grove and Gavin Stone, as well as Clayton Kershaw should he decide to re-sign.
The Dodgers rotation did not perform up to par in 2023 and Los Angeles sought to change that. Now with two premium right-handers in Glasnow and Yamamoto, Los Angeles looks considerably better, and that doesn’t even take into account what Ohtani brings to their lineup.