AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
The St. Louis Cardinals have some gaping holes in their rotation that need to be filled in the up and coming off-season. Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto should be on the top of their list if he’s made available. The young hurler has been dominant in his career so far and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Bright Future Ahead
Yamamoto is only 25 years old and is already considered one of Japan’s top pitchers. The sky is the limit for the young righty. Currently, he plays for the Nippon Professional Baseball’s Orix Buffaloes. This season, he has posted a 1.48 ERA with a 0.852 WHIP. Additionally, he has accumulated 125 strikeouts over 122 innings pitched. Also, he has demonstrated pinpoint control, only walking 16 batters for an impressive 1.2 walks per nine innings.
He throws a fastball that sits around 95 mph and can reach the upper nineties if he wants. The righty also has three other pitches, a devastating splitter, a cutter, and a curveball. The young hurler is effective with them all and has no problem throwing them for strikes. Demonstrated by his career 2.1 BB/9. He has excellent command, combined with some decent swing and miss pitches. The Japanese star Yamamoto is still young, yet on the field, he shows the maturity of a veteran.
Accolades Abound
Yamamoto made his debut with the Buffaloes in 2017. Since then, he has twice won the Eiji Sawamura Award, Japan’s version of the Cy Young Award. Also, he has won the Pacific League MVP twice, two gold gloves, and has been named an All-Star five times. The Japanese star Yamamoto rose to the top of his game in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He won the pitching Triple Crown both years, earning the MVP and the Sawamura Award in both seasons. The young righty concluded the 2021 campaign with 18 wins, an ERA of 1.39, and 206 strikeouts in 193.2 innings pitched. Following that performance with more of the same in 2022. Yamamoto had 15 wins, an ERA of 1.68 and 205 strikeouts in 193 innings pitched. Furthermore, the righty only gave up 82 walks combined in those two seasons. A truly remarkable stat in this day and age.
Will the Cardinals have the Guts to Enter the Bidding?
If the blossoming young star is made available, it’s uncertain if the Cardinals front office will be willing to pay the price plus the posting fees for a player of this caliber. They have been unwilling in the past to enter the fray when it comes to Japanese stars like Yamamoto. However, if there was ever a chance that they would be more aggressive, this would be the year. The need is obvious, and they will have the payroll space to make it happen. Also, they are certainly aware that Cardinal fans are growing impatient with the front office’s lack of urgency where the starting rotation is concerned. Many are hoping that they will finally have the guts to make a big move. If they don’t, there will undoubtedly be more dark days ahead.
