Teams across Major League Baseball that seriously undervalued one Japanese slugger last year now have a chance to get it right with another one: Teruaki Sato.
A year ago, questions about Munetaka Murakami’s ability to make consistent contact against MLB pitching greatly depressed his free agent market. In the end, the Chicago White Sox rolled the dice on the Japanese import and landed one of the best signings of the season.
It is safe to assume that multiple teams wish they would have made stronger offers for Murakami after watching him bash 35 homers last year for Chicago. Those teams have been presented with a chance to correct that error with the posting of Sato this year. Curiously, he is facing many of the same questions from the scouting community that plagued Murakami just 12 months ago.
Scouts agree that Sato has prodigious power. He may not have quite as much pop as Murakami, but he hit 40 home runs last year in the Nippon League. Sato makes hard contact and hits the ball with authority when he’s able to center up opposing pitching.
The questions about Sato’s hitting center on his inability to make enough contact to succeed in MLB. He struck out 909 times in his 3,313 plate appearances in Japan. Pitching in America is widely considered to be superior than it is in Japan. It is reasonable to believe that Sato’s contact rate will continue to be an issue as he makes the transition to MLB.
Add it all up and it is still very possible that Sato repeats Murakami’s feat of hitting for big-time power in the U.S. His batting average will likely be below average, but he should hit enough home runs to make up for that offensive deficiency.
Teruaki Sato’s defense may be the real problem
Sato faces even more questions from MLB talent evaluators about his potential defensive fit for a quality team. He played third base during most of his career in Japan, but he lacks the mobility and arm strength to be anything more than passable at the hot corner in the US.
That means Sato will likely end up as a corner outfielder or first baseman once he makes the transition. That position switch heaps even more pressure on him to be an above-average hitter if he wants to turn into a valuable free-agent signing.
At the very least, Murakami’s success last season should be enough to motivate teams looking for value in free agency to take a longer look at Sato. Time will tell if he can be the next Japanese star to blossom into one of MLB’s best power hitters. Teams in search of a boost in the middle of their lineup need to take a careful look at Sato in the coming weeks.
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