2013, year of the Japanese pitcher?

[Controller Jacobs]

There are eight Japanese-born players who have appeared in MLB games this year.

Three haven't had many innings, 23.1 IP combined:
Kyuji Fujikawa
Hideki Okajima
Hisanori Takahashi

The other five have been terrific:
Yu Darvish
Hisashi Iwakuma
Hiroki Kuroda
Junichi Tazawa
Koji Uehara

If you combine the stats for all eight, you get (my sums, based on B-R):
640.2 IP, 41-22, 14 saves, 2.58 ERA, 1.009 WHIP, 605 Ks

Some GMs must be seeing this, wonder what the next Japanese pitching import will get?

[Sour Masher]

It depends on the pitcher. I don't think anyone elite is in the pipeline. Is there someone that should be on my radar?

[onejayhawk]

Given what Darvish cost, about half of them.

I thought Kuroda was Korean for some reason.

J

[Controller Jacobs]

It depends on the pitcher. I don't think anyone elite is in the pipeline. Is there someone that should be on my radar?

Well, there's a high school kid who has apparently hit 98 mph while pitching like Joe McGinnity: link

But I don't know that it has to be an "elite" pitcher. Seattle got Iwakuma cheap, Kuroda and Uehara are both 38 years old. Perhaps what is consistent is very good control?

[madducks]

The guy with the best pitching in my local league drafted Darvish, Kuroda, and Iwakuma. He paid good money for Darvish and Kuroda at our auction. Then, he somehow sneaked Iwakuma past all 13 of us for $5. Then he added free agent Uehara ($1) when Hanrahan got injured. He's 1st in era & whip, 2nd in k's, 3rd in wins, 5th in saves, but 4th overall because his hitting is just mediocre.

I was happy to draft Fujikawa for $2. But, you know how that turned out.