According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, reported that 15 major league teams requested seats last night to watch Shohei Otani pitch but the New York Mets were not among them.
Teams that were in attendance include the New York Yankees (Brian Cashman), San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds.
Otani (or as some call him, “the Japanese Babe Ruth”) was making just his second start on the mound this year because of lingering ankle and thigh injuries. He went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Scouts had his fastball at 94-100 MPH with spotty command given time away from pitching. He also throws a devastating splitter and a slider.
Otani, left-handed hitter, also plays the outfielder and is slashing .342/.402/.548 with five home runs in 164 plate appearances. In 2016, he had a 1.004 OPS and an 1.86 ERA for the Nippon Ham Fighters.
The international spending rules under the CBA will limit the type of bonus that teams are allowed to give to Otani who could be pluck away from the Fighters this offseason through the posting system.
The maximum signing bonus that the 23-year-old Otani could receive is currently $10.1 million. Of course, he could decided to wait two years and there would be no limitation to the type of contract he could sign.
