Shohei Otani

[seahawksfan234]

This name has come up a few times recently on different threads so I'd start a thread specifically for conversation relating to him.

Was doing some research into him, and man this kid is really talented. Apparently his fastball has topped out at 102.5 MPH.

How much would it take for the Mariners to land him? Will the Mariners pursue him? If the Mariners were to obtain him, obviously he would pitch, but would he also see time in the outfield or DH? He has a hell of a bat.

Should be interesting to see how whoever lands Otani decides to use him. It would almost be a shame to waste his bat on the American League, unless whoever signed him also used him at the plate.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Imagine landing Otani and Darvish... Man... One can dream, right?

 

[AceKeptic]

Nope. Would never happen. They're too good, and Mariner management doesn't do "too good."

 

[SeattleCoug]

I guess being there is something. We can dream for a minute.

 

[NWinAZ]

I guess being there is something. We can dream for a minute.

All for show.

 

[SeattleCoug]

All for show.

Yea my minute is up already.

 

[seahawksfan234]

AL West Notes: Otani, Angels, Rangers

As many as 16 teams had scouts and/or executives on hand to watch star right-hander Shohei Otani’s most recent start, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times (Twitterlinks). Of particular note, Hernandez adds that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was among the execs on hand to scout Otani. The start was just Otani’s third of the season, as he’s been hampered by ankle and hamstring injuries throughout the calendar year that have prevented him from getting on the mound. It’s not yet certain if the two-way phenom will be posted for MLB clubs to bid on this offseason — the new CBA’s strict limits on international spending have radically limited his earning power in that scenario — but if he does, virtually every team that is not currently restricted for shattering previous bonus pools would have interest in the 23-year-old. Otani posted a 1.80 ERA with a 174-to-45 K/BB ratio in 140 innings on the mound and hit .322/.416/.588 with 22 homers in 382 plate appearances last season. He’s hitting .346/.416/.574 with seven homers through 185 PAs as a designated hitter this year.

Good news: Sounds as if Dipoto was there personally. Probably just would've sent some scout or other front office staff to watch him. Maybe means the Mariners are serious about it.

Bad news: 1. It's the Mariners. 2. 15 other teams were there...

 

[wazzu31]

This is one where I could see them making a push. Attendance, to my eyes no stats to back it up, has dropped since Ichiro left and to me it is the decline in Asians showing up. It is a huge market in Seattle and baseball is/was the only sports team that demographic ever came in numbers for. You guys have to remember the Mariners are a marketing juggernaut more than a professional sports franchise.

 

[seahawksfan234]

This is one where I could see them making a push. Attendance, to my eyes no stats to back it up, has dropped since Ichiro left and to me it is the decline in Asians showing up. It is a huge market in Seattle and baseball is/was the only sports team that demographic ever came in numbers for. You guys have to remember the Mariners are a marketing juggernaut more than a professional sports franchise.

I think part of the decline in attendance was the result of the allure of a "new" stadium starting to lose it's glamor, and poor on-field performances. I bet if you created a way to account for team performance relative to attendance, it's pretty strong. But I do agree that having a Japanese superstar on the team is a huge attraction to the stadium. I don't know the exact statistics, but the biggest international travelers I've noticed to Seattle are Asians (not including Canada, obviously).

Having someone like Otani on the team would make Mariners games as big a destination as the cherry blossoms at UW. Any former UW student can testify how fucking insanely annoying it was having the quad absolutely packed with Asian tourists when the Cherry Blossoms bloomed.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Although to add to my previous post, I'm unsure how much one star itself can impact attendance.

Bringing back Ken Griffey Jr. seemed to have a big effect on early attendance, but overall attendance from 2008 to 2009 actually dropped despite an improvement from 61 to 85 wins.

Hard to say the individual impact that Otani would have on the financial side of things for the Mariners front office, but the more important thing is he would improve the team, which should be the first consideration for the Mariners. I almost feel like putting that in bold because of how important that is lol.

 

[wazzu31]

I think part of the decline in attendance was the result of the allure of a "new" stadium starting to lose it's glamor, and poor on-field performances. I bet if you created a way to account for team performance relative to attendance, it's pretty strong. But I do agree that having a Japanese superstar on the team is a huge attraction to the stadium. I don't know the exact statistics, but the biggest international travelers I've noticed to Seattle are Asians (not including Canada, obviously).

Having someone like Otani on the team would make Mariners games as big a destination as the cherry blossoms at UW. Any former UW student can testify how fucking insanely annoying it was having the quad absolutely packed with Asian tourists when the Cherry Blossoms bloomed.

You might be right, like I said my opinion isn't based off facts just observations. Outside of big promotional nights most games attendances, that I've been to are the exact same as 2007 except one demographic isn't attending anymore which is why there is a steep decline in overall numbers.

 

[seahawksfan234]

You might be right, like I said my opinion isn't based off facts just observations. Outside of big promotional nights most games attendances, that I've been to are the exact same as 2007 except one demographic isn't attending anymore which is why there is a steep decline in overall numbers.

Give us Otani and Darvish and I'll be happy.

 

[wazzu31]

Give us Otani and Darvish and I'll be happy.

I think everyone would be happy. Even if Darvish continues his struggles next year, at least he could solidify a spot. And maybe won't allow Jerry to make more bonehead trades to create more depth in the rotation.