By TED BAARDA

Earlier this month, reports came out about Kia Tigers left-handed ace Hyun-jong Yang (also spelled Hyeon-jong Yang) looking to make the jump to MLB this offseason. To most North American fans the 32-year-old Yang is likely someone they have never heard of, except for maybe catching a glimpse of him playing an early-morning KBO game on TV. 

Background:

Hyun-jong Yang has had quite a successful career in the KBO since debuting for Kia in 2007 as a 19-year-old. In 2014 Yang was awarded the Dong-won Choi Award, the KBO equivalent of the Cy Young, going 16-8 with a 4.25 ERA (the KBO was in a high run-scoring environment at the time).

After the 2014 season Yang was posted by the Tigers in his first attempt to come to MLB. However, the bid received by the Kia Tigers was deemed by the club to be too low so they chose not to accept the bid and kept Yang.

The best year of Yang’s career was 2017, where he started the season pitching for the Korean national team in the World Baseball Classic. In the KBO that year Yang went 20-6 with a 3.44 ERA, winning his second Dong-won Choi award and the league MVP. The Tigers won the Korean Series and Yang was named Korean Series MVP to top off his dominant year.

How he Pitches:

The bespectacled Yang has a simple and repeatable wind-up with a full leg kick and a release from a ¾ arm slot. Yang has a traditional pitch mix of a fastball, slider, curve and changeup. His fastball is a straight 4-seamer that averages just under 90 MPH and can touch 93-94. Yang makes up for the low velocity by being able to locate his fastball to all four corners of the zone and is comfortable working at the top of the zone or above the zone as well as inside to hitters.

Yang’s low 80s changeup is his best secondary pitch, and it plays off his fastball well. He gets quite a few bad swings and misses from hitters that are out in front of it. Yang’s control of his changeup was a bit of an issue early in the season, as he was either leaving it belt high or burying it in the dirt. As the season went, he was able to throw his changeup for low strikes more regularly but his command of the pitch can still be inconsistent.

His third pitch is a low 80s slider, which has sweeping movement along with some drop. Like his change up, Yang only throws his slider to one half of the plate (inside to righties, away to lefties).

Yang’s last pitch is his curveball, that he throws in the mid 70’s. It doesn’t have exceptional break, but he uses it more as a change-of-pace breaking ball or to steal a strike at the beginning of an at-bat.

Overall, Yang typically has good control and can locate certain pitches to certain parts of the zone. He appeared to be wary of giving up hard contact this season, and buried more pitches in the dirt as a result. This along with varying his pitch mix and occasionally relying on his 3rd and 4th pitches against certain teams may have contributed to his rising walk rate this season.

When he misses his spots, Yang also tends to miss away from the middle of the plate, which helps him avoid getting hit hard. While he throws his fastball well over 50% of the time, he does have the confidence to throw his change or slider multiple times in a row if he feels that pitch has a better chance to get a tough hitter out.

Overview:

Hyun-jong Yang appears to be a candidate to make it to MLB as a control-reliant lefty at the back end of a rotation, with fastball command and a good offspeed and breaking pitch to make up for the low velocity.

However, should he need to move to the bullpen he has the pitches to get both lefties and righties out (and if his fastball gained a few miles per hour in short stints that would help too).

It will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes in the MLB in terms of pitch locations and sequences, such as working on a backdoor slider to righty hitters or throwing more changeups to lefties. In fact, in his best start of the season (8 scoreless innings on October 18) he threw more changeups to left-handed hitters, although he also had his best fastball velocity of the season in that game too. MLB teams in need of lefthanded pitching depth should take a close look at Yang.

Baseball Info Solutions (BIS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Fielding Bible Awards. This marks the 15th season that BIS has honored the best defensive players in MLB. The awards are voted on by a panel of experts.

This year’s winners are:

Matt Olson joins Albert Pujols as the only first basemen to win a Fielding Bible Award in three straight seasons. Over the last three seasons, he’s well ahead of the rest of the field in the Range component of Defensive Runs Saved. And he’s the MLB leader in that time in Scoop Runs Saved (Runs Saved from handling difficult throws).

Kolten Wong becomes the first second baseman to win a Fielding Bible Award in three straight seasons. He’s now won two close votes (this year and 2018) sandwiched around a unanimous choice in 2019. Wong was the only winner from a Cardinals infield that was the best in baseball in turning ground balls and bunts into outs. His 40 Runs Saved at the position over the last three seasons are easily the most in the majors.

Javier Báez lost out to Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks by two points last season but won a tight vote in 2020. This is his fourth Fielding Bible Award, his first at shortstop with the other three being the Multi-Position Award. Báez finished tied for second among shortstops in the component of Defensive Runs Saved that measures range, throwing, and handling balls hit in the air. He finished tied for first in Double Play Runs Saved.

Nolan Arenado takes his fourth Fielding Bible Award, tying Adrián Beltré for the most won at the hot corner since we began handing them out in 2006. Arenado led all MLB players with 15 Runs Saved, so it’s not surprising he was a unanimous selection. No other third baseman was in double figures in Runs Saved. Arenado stood out most on balls hit to his left, making 58-of-89 plays on which he had a greater than zero chance of getting at least one out. That was 10 more than he was expected to record based on historical probabilities.

Tyler O’Neill is the fifth different left fielder to win a Fielding Bible Award in the last five years. He earned it on the strength of an MLB-leading nine Runs Saved at the position. O’Neill won with his play on balls hit to the deepest part of the ballpark. He caught 46-of-54 chances on those balls, eight more than an average left fielder.

Kevin Kiermaier wonthe closest vote, with Kiermaier and Byron Buxton finishing even in Points. Kiermaier won on our first tiebreaker, recording six first-place votes to Buxton’s five. Kiermaier won this award in a little different fashion than his previous honor in 2015. He is normally known for catching up to balls with his great closing speed. But this year, he saved six runs with his Outfield Arm compared to only two for his Range & Positioning. The six Outfield Arm Runs Saved were double that of the next-closest player.

Mookie Betts won for the fourth time in five seasons, receiving all 12 first-place votes. Betts’ four Fielding Bible Awards pass Ichiro Suzuki and Jason Heyward for most won by a right fielder since the Awards began in 2006. Betts extended his streak of seasons with at least 10 Runs Saved at an outfield position to six (one season in center field and now five straight in right field). He led in the Range & Positioning component of Runs Saved in right field, rating above average at getting outs on balls hit to both the shallowest and deepest parts of the ballpark.

Roberto Pérez became the first repeat winner at catcher since Buster Posey in 2015 and 2016. Though Pérez finished third among catchers in Defensive Runs Saved, he had positive Runs Saved totals in pitch framing, pitch blocking, and stolen base deterrence. His MLB-best three Stolen Base Runs Saved came from catching 9-of-13 basestealers and picking off another.

Max Fried led pitchers with five Defensive Runs Saved, matching the total he recorded in 2019. Fried showed both quick reflexes to snag hard-hit ground balls and the ability to get off the mound to field a weak dribbler or bunt. Additionally, Fried is tough to run on. His four pickoffs tied Tyler Anderson of the Giants for the MLB lead.

Kiké Hernández saved an MLB-high nine runs at second base, made three starts in right field, three starts in center field, two starts in left field, two starts at shortstop, and chipped in seven innings at first base. He was a major asset to the Dodgers defensively. And in winning his first Fielding Bible Award, he helped the team to the best record in the majors.

“It is important to us that we continue to present the Fielding Bible Awards, even after this pandemic-shortened season,” said Baseball Info Solutions owner, John Dewan. “I’m very pleased with the work that our panel put in covering games and evaluating the metrics, and I’m confident that the winners of our 15th annual awards are the best of 2020.”

The awards are determined by a panel of 12 baseball experts, who ranked the top five players at each defensive position (including the multi-position players left out of Gold Glove voting) on a scale from one to five. A first-place vote gets five points, second place gets four points, third place gets three points, etc. Total up the points for each player, and the player with the most points wins the award. A perfect score is 60 points.

A complete list of ballots and the history of the Fielding Bible Awards (which began in 2006) can be found online at FieldingBible.com and in The 2021 Bill James Handbook, which is available at ActaSports.com.

About Baseball Info Solutions

Baseball Info Solutions (also known as Sports Info Solutions) is committed to providing the most accurate, in-depth, and timely professional baseball and football data, including cutting-edge research and analysis, striving to educate professional teams and the public about sports analytics.

By TED BAARDA

Players coming to MLB from overseas are always intriguing to look into. Will they produce similar numbers as they did in Asia? Or will their skills not translate at the highest level? There are opportunities for teams to find a bargain, along with the risk of tying up valuable payroll space on a player who does not contribute to the team. Let’s look into three position players from Japan who may have the opportunity to jump to MLB next season, should their NPB teams permit it.

Tetsuto Yamada – 2B – Yakult Swallows

If you search Tetsuto Yamada’s name on the internet, it isn’t long before you find someone who refers to him as Japan’s Mike Trout. Yamada’s strong all-around game is what intrigues people so much, and as he gets closer to free agency it makes more sense for the Yakult Swallows to consider posting him. Yamada’s resume is impressive, with four 30-30 seasons, five All-Star appearances and a Central League MVP award all accomplished before the age of 28.

Yamada isn’t the biggest player on the field, but he gets the most out of his 5’10”, 163 lb frame by incorporating a big leg kick into his swing. He has quick hands and a level bat path and is able to drive the ball despite his stature. Yamada has above-average speed and strong running instincts (as evidenced by his 176 steals against just 28 caught stealing for his career). While he isn’t an elite defender, he does a solid job at second thanks to his athleticism and strong fundamentals. He has not played any defensive position other than second base since the 2013 season.

Yamada would be highly sought after if he does get posted, but he is in the midst of a down year by his lofty standards. This could be the result of an upper-body injury (he did not play from July 27-August 12), but Yamada does have a history of being remarkably durable, as he has reached at least 140 games played out of a possible 143 in five of the past six seasons. The injury may have affected his approach at the plate as well, as his strikeout and walk rates have trended in the wrong directions this year.

Assuming he is fully healthy Tetsuto Yamada could find a role on any MLB team, and maybe this offseason he will get that opportunity.

Seiya Suzuki – OF – Hiroshima Carp

When thinking about the prototypical right fielder, two attributes come to mind, namely a strong arm and power at the plate. If you asked an NPB fan who fits this mold, they would likely name Seiya Suzuki’s name off the top of their head. The 26 year-old Hiroshima Carp right fielder has been a consistent power threat in the middle of the lineup and has held his own in the field as well.

The 5’11” Suzuki has a leg kick that he uses as a timing mechanism, lifting his leg when the pitcher starts coming towards the plate and letting his foot hover in the air until he drives forward with his swing.

For a smaller player with a flat swing Suzuki can produce power without much visible effort, sending laser-shots all around the diamond. Even when the ball does not leave the park, Suzuki still produces at the plate. He is in the midst of his fifth straight season with a batting average of at least .300 and was the Central League batting champion last season.

Suzuki was primarily a pitcher in high school, then a third baseman and shortstop upon joining the Carp before settling into right field, all positions that require a strong arm. Runners have to be wary of running on him as Suzuki has 31 assists from right field in the last 4 years. His arm is his best defensive attribute, but he will occasionally get a poor read on fly balls. Still, Suzuki has won the NPB version of the Gold Glove Award in three of the last four seasons, which is a testament to the effort he has put into his defense since moving to the outfield.

While Suzuki is a gifted athlete, he has not developed instincts on the bases. Despite his good speed he is a poor base-stealer in the NPB, having gone 72-for-119 (60.5% success rate). His focus on the mound for his formative baseball years may have contributed to this, but his success rates haven’t moved from the low 60’s range even in recent years.

Seiya Suzuki is still just 26, and the Carp may decide to keep him around for a couple more years before posting him (if they choose to), but he could provide an MLB team with a middle of the order righty bat in the corner outfield.

Tomoya Mori – C – Seibu Lions

Tomoya Mori is a solid catcher, and at age 25 should be on the radar of MLB teams soon. 2019 was a career year for Mori, as he won the Pacific League batting title and took home the league’s MVP award. But 2020 has seen Mori’s offense take a step back. He still has a solid track record at the plate for his career

Mori is more known for his accomplishments with the bat than with the glove, and the 5’6” lefty swinger gets a lot out of his diminutive frame.

Mori uses a big leg kick to start his swing and kicks his foot out in front of home plate before stepping forward in his swing. The body control required to pull off this swing is impressive, and Mori finishes his swing with a violent uppercut. The swing works for Mori, who has shown great bat to ball skills, good gap power and improving plate discipline.

Defensively, Mori’s 5’6” stature is an advantage in one regard, as in a crouch the umpires can easily see over him. Mori’s arm strength is around MLB average for a catcher, as his pop times to second are right around the 2-second range. Mori is a good pitch blocker on balls that are in front of him, but he can have difficulty blocking balls that require him to move laterally.

One thing that Mori will need to work on is consistency in his setup. When watching a recent game, I noticed that he usually sets up in a crouch when on the third base side of the plate, but will go to one knee when calling for pitches on the first base side of the plate. With a runner on first and second base open he will be in a crouch on both sides of the plate to prepare for a potential throw, but otherwise the crouch/kneel pattern held for most pitches in the game. This type of pattern would be easy for a big league team to notice and exploit.

Though his height plays fine in the NPB, it will be a challenge for someone his size to play in MLB. There hasn’t been a catcher 5-6 or smaller since Tony Rego, a backup for the St. Louis Browns, 95 years ago.

Despite his small size, he has a track record of hitting and pitchers have to pitch to his smaller zone (though he is chasing more this year). He is likely a bat-first catcher, and the bar for catcher offense is fairly low at the MLB level giving him a good opportunity to provide value.

Overall Mori, assuming his bat bounces back, could provide teams with an above-average bat at the catcher position, which is a luxury in today’s game. Some defensive improvements would make him even more appealing to MLB teams as well.