Aoki, A-OK

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Japanese-Americans & batting stance imitators are most ecstatic Norichika Aoki heading to MLB.

Yakult Swallows outfielder, walks a lot, line drive spray hitter, 3 time Gold Glove centerfielder. Mets apparenty interested

I could see this guy potentially solving a few problems at once

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[Frayed Knot]

From 'MetsBlog' [quoting an NPB follower on Fangraphs]: -- �I�d actually go so far as to say that Aoki is the best pure hitter Japan has produced since Ichiro. Aoki is a line drive hitter with occasional power who uses the whole field. He�s also a disciplined batter, walking about as often as he strikes out, which is rare in Japan. Aoki is short and somewhat stocky at 5�7.5, 182 lbs, but is a good runner with tremendous range in the outfield. The only knock on his game is his rather weak throwing arm, which may limit him to left field at the MLB level.�

Meanwhile, the stat sheet next to all that lists him at a rather skinny-ish 5'10"/170 while also showing that his BA, power & walk rate all declined this past season.

He would need to be posted by his current team (Yakult Swallows).
Turns 30 in January.

[Edgy MD]

To grossly generalize, I'm really kind of frustrated with the amount of moving parts in the batting and pitching motions that veteran Japanese players arrive here with, hurting them with regards to making adjustments.

I like that he ---- like Ichiro, KMatsui, and Shinjo --- is so adept at keeping the [crossout:27jeg8gp]back[/crossout:27jeg8gp] bat head back until late, but for Matsui, that just meant more bouncers to short.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The back head? Do Japanese players have more than one head?

[Edgy MD]

Bat head. Keeping the bat head back.

Yeah.

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Yakult Swallows outfielder, walks a lot, line drive spray hitter, 3 time Gold Glove centerfielder. Mets apparenty interested

So if he's any good, how the hell are the Mets going to get him? What am I missing?

[metirish]

Him and Murphy hitting together gets me excited. If we return the same starting nine with this guy what's the lineup?

[batmagadanleadoff]

metirish wrote: Him and Murphy hitting together gets me excited. If we return the same starting nine with this guy what's the lineup?

Yeah. And then the Mets'll sign Albert Pujols. And after that, Reyes'll say that he wants to stay because when you're a Met, you're a Met all the way.

[metirish]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: metirish wrote: Him and Murphy hitting together gets me excited. If we return the same starting nine with this guy what's the lineup? Yeah. And then the Mets'll sign Albert Pujols. And after that, Reyes'll say that he wants to stay because when you're a Met, you're a Met all the way.

But if the Mets sign Pujol's where will Davis play?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

metirish wrote: metirish wrote: Him and Murphy hitting together gets me excited. If we return the same starting nine with this guy what's the lineup? Yeah. And then the Mets'll sign Albert Pujols. And after that, Reyes'll say that he wants to stay because when you're a Met, you're a Met all the way. But if the Mets sign Pujol's where will Davis play?

Second base, obviously. Doy.

[smg58]

Not sure what to make of him. He's sort of Ichiro lite, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. His K/BB is close to one, light years better than that of a certain Japanese infielder who came this way a few years back. His numbers plummeted when they switched to a new ball last year, though. If he has difficulty making adjustments, that would be a red flag.

I might give him a year at $3.5M, but I don't trust him enough to guarantee multiple years or pay him more than we'd have to pay Pagan.

[Edgy MD]

Well, he'll likely mean more because of the posting fees involved. Maybe a lousy 2011 will lighten the competition, and the Mets may be less afraid than other teams if they are looking for defense first. I'm a little wary of this quote.

"Personally, I want to assist him to make the move," said (club president Tsuyoshi) Kinugasa, who said he met with Aoki on Monday night. The club plans to give a response by Thursday after hearing the opinions of its executive board.

Is that profession of professional courteousness or is it an offer to pack the guy's bags and drive him to the airport just to get rid of him?