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Age: 23
Born:
June 6, 1986
Yokohama, Japan
Height:
5-11
Weight:
180
Bats:
Right
Throws:
Right
Drafted:
Not drafted
How Acquired:
International free agent (Dec. 2008)
High
School: Yokohama Shoka (JP)
ETA: Mid-2010
Photo ©
Kelly O'Connor
MLB Comparison:
Hiroki Kuroda
Links
2009 Prospect Preview
The
Ladder: 5.28.09 |
Scouting Report:
Small-framed Japanese pitcher with very good potential and top-notch
secondary offerings. In an unprecedented move, Tazawa asked his home
country pro teams to refrain from drafting him in order to allow him to
pitch in the United States directly from the amateur ranks.
He signed with Boston despite receiving larger offers from several
other U.S. clubs. His delivery
is somewhat unconventional, similar to Michael Bowden's. His arm
lags behind his shoulder and he has an abrupt whipping action down from
his elbow as he releases the ball. His follow through isn't all that
smooth. However,
his lower body has solid mechanics and stays balanced throughout his
motion.
He pitches almost
exclusively out of the stretch, but the team has recently started Tazawa
working out of the windup.
Tazawa makes use of an
88-92
mph fastball that works inward on righties. It flattens out at
higher velocities. Presently it's about
average, but it has some plus potential. His secondary stuff is very
advanced for his age, and he relies on it heavily. He mixes in an
excellent 77-81 mph backdoor slider, a nice low-70s curve (his out pitch), and
also makes use
of an above average
low-80s forkball (basically a split-fingered change-up). His forkball has awesome
potential. He has excellent command,
and likes to paint corners similar to Daisuke Matsuzaka, one of his idols. However,
he doesn't nibble as much as Matsuzaka. A
couple things to watch as Tazawa moves through the system is how he
adapts to pitching from the windup and how well he responds to bad
innings.
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Pitching
Stats |
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year |
team |
lg |
level |
org |
age |
w |
l |
% |
era |
g |
gs |
sv |
ip |
h |
r |
er |
hr |
bb |
so |
whip |
k/bb |
k/9 |
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2008 |
Nippon Oil |
JABA |
Intl |
--- |
22 |
13 |
1 |
0.929 |
0.80 |
21 |
11 |
5 |
113.0 |
--- |
--- |
10 |
--- |
15 |
114 |
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7.60 |
9.08 |
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2009 |
Portland |
East |
AA |
Bos |
23 |
9 |
5 |
0.643 |
2.57 |
18 |
18 |
0 |
98.0 |
80 |
31 |
28 |
8 |
26 |
88 |
1.08 |
3.38 |
8.08 |
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2009 |
Pawtucket |
IL |
AAA |
Bos |
23 |
0 |
2 |
0.000 |
2.38 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
11.3 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0.71 |
6.00 |
4.76 |
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2009 |
Boston |
AL |
MLB |
Bos |
23 |
2 |
3 |
0.400 |
7.46 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
25.3 |
43 |
23 |
21 |
4 |
9 |
13 |
2.05 |
1.44 |
4.62 |
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Additional Player Info |
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Pronunciation: Joo-neesh-ee
First Pro Contract: December 4, 2008 by Craig Shipley
Signing Bonus: $1,800,000
MiLB Debut: August 7, 2009
MLFA Eligible: N/A
Rule 5 Draft Eligible: N/A |
Added to 40-man: December 4, 2008
MLB Debut: August 7, 2009 (Boston)
MLB Service Time (through 2009): 58 days
Options Remaining: 3 (2009) (4 option years)
MLB Contract (2009): $450,000
Trade Restrictions: June 16, 2009 (2008-09 free agent) |
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Awards
Futures Game All Star (2009)
Eastern League All Star (2009) |
SoxProspects.com Awards
2009 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All Star - SP
2009 SoxProspects.com All Star - SP |
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