Shohei Otani, the most heralded prospect to come out of Japan in years, will be posted by his team and come to MLB this winter, according to reports in Japan.
Otani, 23, has put up pitching numbers akin to Clayton Kershaw and hit like Mike Trout against near MLB-level talent in Japan. Last season with the Nippon-Ham Fighters he hit .322 with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs in just 104 games and had a 1.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in only 140 innings. It’s easy to see why he’s commonly referred to as the Japanese Babe Ruth.