As many international baseball fans await Roki Sasaki‘s decision, another Japanese player will sign tomorrow once the International free-agent signing period opens. Two-way player Shotaro Morii is expected to sign with the Athletics and receive a $1.5 million signing bonus, the highest ever for a Japanese amateur who did not come straight from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Morii, 17, elected to skip the NPB Draft to pursue an opportunity to join the MLB. According to World Baseball Network correspondent Yuri Karasawa, Rintaro Sasaki inspired him to attend college in the United States. However, Morii drew interest from MLB scouts as he assessed his options: attend college or sign with an MLB organization.
As a two-way player, Morii is a right-handed pitcher who also plays shortstop and third base. His fastball can reach 95 mph on the mound, where he has plenty of upside as a hitter. He also possesses a quick arm in the infield, with great movement and the ability to get rid of the ball once he fields it. His power is something to keep an eye on, and his sound understanding of his body gives him one of the highest ceilings of any position player in Japan, as Karasawa states.
In high school tournament play from 2022-24, Morii played in seven games, hitting for a .364 average in 22 at-bats, hitting a home run. Also, as a pitcher, his pitch mix includes a fastball, curveball, slider, and forkball. His fastball sits around 90-93 mph, his curveball around 74-76, his slider 76-79, and his forkball around 78 mph. The St. Louis Cardinals were also linked to him before the A’s swooped in last fall.
The official date that international amateur signings will be able to make their dreams turn into reality is set for Wednesday, January 15th. Watching Morii develop in the A’s system will be intriguing, as many wonder if he could be the next Shohei Ohtani on the diamond.
