Red Sox sign Tazawa
by Baltimo on Dec 2, 2008 4:23 PM EST
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PrintJunichi Tazawa is apparently now on the 40 man roster of the Boston Red Sox. The 22 year old would likely have gone in the middle of the first round if he were currently attending an American college. It's rather unfortunate that the Red Sox put a mere $3 million on the board and got a solid prospect. According to Keith Law, Tazawa was intent on playing alongside Daisuke in Boston.
Tazawa had the opportunity that American-born amateur players would kill to get: He could shop his services to any team with no restrictions and receive his actual market value rather than an artificially depressed figure dictated by the Commissioner's Office.
It's hard to believe that Tazawa was being offered millions more and left it on the table, but with Daisuke and Okajima already in Boston, there will be a certain level of comfort. Additionally, Tazawa was inclined to go to Boston as the Sox were the first team to initially scout him; another reason the O's should be putting money into international development instead of 30 year old DH's.
Judging by most reports, Tazawa is behind guys like Strasburgh/Crow, yet he's still in the mix. I don't think the O's ever stood a chance with a guy like this, but getting a 22 year old, highly regarded prospect without giving up a veteran, or a draft pick, is a huge plus. Furthermore, it's not like Tazawa is coming into the league at 28-31 like most Japanese free agents, this guy coud be in baseball for over a decade should he pan out. I don't mean to gush all over this kid as I've seen nothing but scouting reports, but the Red Sox gave up peanuts to get another elite prospect. It's not a coincidence that they've been able to simultaneously sustain a contending team while maintaining a farm that churns out talent.
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while maintaining a farm that churns out talent.
For me, the most damning evidence against Angelos is his failure to develop our farm, scouting and development system.
hakkaa päälle !
They're just a fundamentally sound organization
And we’re not. I mean, grabbing a guy like Tazawa is routine for Boston, whereas it would be considered a brilliant move by any Baltimore GM.
My best game plan is to sit on the bench and call out specific instructions like 'C'mon Boog,' 'Get ahold of one, Frank,' or 'Let's go, Brooks.' -Earl Weaver
And this is why we should spending our money towards signing amateurs rather than dropping $14M a year for a short term solution like Dunn.
i agree
but they’re not mutually exclusive, either.
i mean, maybe they are at a certain point. but petey’s been willing to spend large sums. It’s just a question of the ratio. Maybe you can sign guys like Dunn if you stop signing guys like Danys Baez.
bingo!
"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."
--Jerry Reed, on acting
You can't underestimate the front-running tendencies
of the Japanese. When it comes to American sports, they tend to only root for the real big names/teams considering there is no geographical allegiance. Hence the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers have a decided advantage when it comes to signing Japanese players. I mean c’mon…who would want to sign with the lowly Baltimore Orioles, it would be bad for the ever important Japanese national image.
When I attempt to follow international sports
I’m more drawn to Manchester United than Alianza Lima. Plus, with baseball not having a cap and all, teams like the Red Sox can afford to overpay for Daisuke and then have guys like Tazawa ride in on the wave.
It also can be attributed to the fact that the Red Sox/Yankees/Dodgers have legitimate programs that scout players outside of our country. If you’re leaving your home to play in a country where you neither speak the language nor know the people, I’d say it’s mighty tempting to choose a place like New York over Baltimore.
My best game plan is to sit on the bench and call out specific instructions like 'C'mon Boog,' 'Get ahold of one, Frank,' or 'Let's go, Brooks.' -Earl Weaver
excellent points
Also, people from other countries just don’t know American geography that well (in general, don’t yell at me if you know a counterexample). New York and LA and probably DC and Chicago are usually pretty good, but a lot of people don’t really realize how close DC and Baltimore are, or where many other cities are.
This isn’t remarkable, really. Think of whether you know, say, where Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Frankfurt are in relation to one another in Germany. I kinda do, but only vaguely, and I’ve been to two of those cities for crying out loud.
Big cities are known, smaller ones aren’t. Big sports teams become emblems of the larger culture, smaller ones don’t.
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