Japanese baseball star Koyo Aoyagi is taking his talents to the international stage. The Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s nippon Professional Baseball announced last night that the right-hander is available to major League baseball teams through the posting system.MLB Network’s Jon Morosi confirmed that the posting has been approved, opening a 45-day window for Aoyagi to sign with a big league club.
Aoyagi, who turns 31 next week, is projected as a depth arm for MLB teams. While he has experience as a starting pitcher for the Tigers, his sidearm delivery is more commonly seen in bullpen roles.Last season,he split his time between the Tigers adn their minor league affiliate,making 12 starts at the top level and 11 appearances in the minors.
In his time with the Tigers, Aoyagi posted a respectable 3.69 ERA over 61 innings. Though, his 13% strikeout rate falls substantially below the MLB average. he demonstrated decent control, walking 7.8% of batters faced. Looking at his career, Aoyagi boasts a 3.08 ERA and a 17.1% strikeout percentage across nine NPB seasons. Though, the past two seasons have been less remarkable, with a 4.57 ERA in 100 1/3 innings in 2023.
“I’m excited for this opportunity to showcase my skills on the international stage,” Aoyagi said.”I’m confident that I can contribute to a Major League team and help them achieve their goals.”
Standing at 5’11”, Aoyagi represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the team clinched the gold medal with a perfect 5-0 record. Although he allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings across two appearances,aoyagi’s Olympic experience highlights his international pedigree. He was not selected for Japan’s World Baseball Classic roster two years later.
With the posting window officially open, Aoyagi has until January 17 to secure a deal with an MLB team. If he doesn’t receive a satisfactory offer, he will return to the Hanshin Tigers. Given his statistics, Aoyagi is likely to receive a minor league contract. Any MLB team signing him would also be required to pay a release fee to the Hanshin Tigers, calculated as a percentage of the contract value.For contracts under $25 million, the fee would be 20% of the guaranteed amount.
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