Igarashi fires his patented daburu boyake sÅ«pÄpawÄpitchi
In case any of you had doubts in the back of your minds about the official-ness of Igarashi’s signing, the Mets chose 4:39pm Thursday to send out a press release to announce the signing of the former Yakult Swallows reliever.
Here’s a quote from the release:
- “I have known the Mets scout in Japan, Isao O’Jimi, since I was in high school,” Igarashi said through an interpreter. “When I received the Mets offer there was no doubt in my mind that this was the team I wanted to go to and start my career in the United States. I am looking forward to playing in New York and pitching in the same bullpen as Francisco Rodriguez.”
In other international Met news, the Mets have signed two Dutch baseball players, Kevin Weijgertse and Björn Hato. If my google translation skills are up to snuff, Weijgertse is an 18 year old 3B. Hato, also 18, is an infielder who batted .403 in the Haarlem rookie league. Both have signed 7 year contracts with the organization.
More information on the pair can be found at mister-baseball.com.
26 comments
jaydh
12/17/2009-5:41pm at 5:41 pm (UTC -4)
I’m fine with this as long as omar realizes he should still acquire another reliever.
GravediggerHebner
12/17/2009-5:50pm at 5:50 pm (UTC -4)
I agree with you though I would add I’m fairly satisfied (not excited) with the current RH relievers and hope Omar will add a 2nd LH reliever to pair with Feliciano.
I figure Rodriguez, Feliciano, Stokes and Green are assumed, plus Igarashi, but that they have room for 2 more “improvements” over last year and I’m hoping 1 will be LH and the other will be a long man who may already be in house. Maybe I’m over valuing Green or Stokes.
wannybackstra
12/17/2009-6:29pm at 6:29 pm (UTC -4)
I think you might be overvaluing Stokes. But at the same time I’m in the minority here when it comes to him so perhaps I undervalue him.
To me, the bullpen is in trouble if he is a key component. He’s best suited as a ROOGY when you need a K.
metsfan4decades
12/17/2009-7:09pm at 7:09 pm (UTC -4)
Well, I’m more in favor of Stokes than Green.
For the $$, I guess Green is O.K. but I had no confidence in his consistency last year at all. He did not look comfortable at all out there when he got into trouble.
oleosmirf
12/18/2009-12:56am at 12:56 am (UTC -4)
im not a huge fan of Stokes but he’s fine as one of the lesser used bullpen guys. I still think Figueroa should be the long man as he does nothing but pitch well especially in that role…
i dont think he should be in the rotation but id be fine with him spot starting…
trs86
12/18/2009-8:10am at 8:10 am (UTC -4)
You should change part of that sentence to
He does nothing well…
As a reliever his WHIP was 1.865. He was also not used as a long reliever but once the entire season.
I got nothing against Figgy being an emergency man in AAA and he has value doing that. But what is this idea that he is a good pitcher? Guys we have released him about 20 times and he has never been claimed by another team. The last time he was pissed and his wife whined big time. He went out begging for even a minor league job and got NOTHING. Again, he is a good story but lets stop there.
Kingman 26
12/18/2009-8:37am at 8:37 am (UTC -4)
OMG, Figgy does nothing but pitch well?? Are you kidding??
Wow.
Figgy SUX and NO TEAM in MLB wants him except us.
Oleo, man, wow.
oleosmirf
12/18/2009-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
his last start of the season was fairly impressive
Kingman 26
12/18/2009-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
Wow, I am trying to be nicer, really I am, but it is SOOOOO hard to take you seriously.
You are among the biggest whiners and complainers, and you are judging a mid-30s guy, who has had opportunities with many organizations, has never ever stuck as a starter or a reliever with any of them, by ONE start, on the last day of the year, when the Astros could not wait to get the season over with and get home?
If Figgy is on the team next year, I guarantee you will be first in line yelping at Omar for keeping such a rotten, cheap, Latino player.
metsfan4decades
12/17/2009-7:10pm at 7:10 pm (UTC -4)
I like this signing. New blood, some upside. Good be a sleeper.
And it could be lip service but I like the fact that he stated he wanted to pitch for the Mets.
Kingman 26
12/17/2009-8:08pm at 8:08 pm (UTC -4)
+ Several
metsfan4decades
12/17/2009-7:27pm at 7:27 pm (UTC -4)
Heyman on SNY’s Hot Stove tonight states the Mets are definitely the front runners for getting Bay. In fact, he doesn’t see any other team seriously offering anything.
– Said the Mets would probably be just as comfortable going 5 years and less money than the 4 years and more money.
– Said Holliday is their second choice but the money is a factor there, as well as other teams interest.
– Said he doesn’t have much doubt Molina will be a Met.
– Said has heard Sheets named mentioned with Mets, as well as Yankees. Said though that Sheets is going to take a little while and he’ll probably want somewhere around 10 Mil for a year.
- Garland is another they appear to have interest in. He mentioned someone else but I didn’t quite catch it.
Heyman feels though the Mets are favoring health more than other teams for acquiring pitchers (well that’s a no brainer given ’09).
He thinks Bay will be signed by Xmas. Not ruling out Holliday but thinks Bay is the likely one.
Thinks Molina could be signed by Xmas as well.
And Woo-Hoo – Santana threw today in Venezuela and he feels pretty good. Short interview with him and he sounds excited. Kept saying he feels pretty good – as soon as they removed the bone chips he felt instant relief. Can move the arm in all directions now. Going to start pitching off a mound next month.
Said he came back from the same surgery in ’03 and won 20 games so he’s looking forward to a good season.
He started out as a kid throwing and hitting as a righty. Huh, I didn’t know that. Said he made the team as a righty, then switched to lefty.
Johan really likes kids. Quite the emotional interview with him on the field talking about those little kids there. I just love Johan. He is The Man.
Kingman 26
12/17/2009-8:12pm at 8:12 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks for all of this MF4D! Did not know Johan started as a righty and switched. Maybe that is Ollie’s problem–maybe he needs to try throwing righty!
Bay, Molina, Sheets, Igarashi, and Arroyo/Garland?
I would be VERY happy with that.
njstuckintx
12/17/2009-8:56pm at 8:56 pm (UTC -4)
I’ve been looking at your statement and I can’t figure out if I agree or disagree.
“Bay, Molina, Sheets, Igarashi, and Arroyo/Garland?”
I lean towards agree, but the question marks that Sheets, Igarashi and Arroyo/Garland are…
Screw it, I agree.
The offense I see as being solid, it’s the pitching that scares me. It could be wonderful, and it could be sheet’s blowing out his arm, shoulder, hip, neck, and earlobe in his 4th outing.
Kingman 26
12/17/2009-9:56pm at 9:56 pm (UTC -4)
Actually, Sheets has been noted for his unusually sturdy earlobes since little league…..
I guess that while Sheets is of course a huge question mark, maybe after over a year off he will be rested and healthy? But if we sign someone else, and have Johan, Sheets, Arroyo/Garland/Marquis, then two of Maine/Ollie/Pelfrey/Niese/Nieve, I am thinking there is enough there to potentially make a solid rotation.
On the other hand, if Sheets is indeed healthy, he is far better than Lackey, and a Johan-Sheets 1-2 will be more than enough to make 3-5 sufficient.
I would expect Omar to get another lesser starter before Sheets though, as insurance.
njstuckintx
12/17/2009-10:01pm at 10:01 pm (UTC -4)
That was my flip flop. Would that rotation of Johan, Sheets, Arroyo, Pelf, Ollie be decent enough. If healthy, yes. And with Maine as the 6th man, that isn’t too bad. Hence, my “agreeance”.
oleosmirf
12/18/2009-12:58am at 12:58 am (UTC -4)
i would think Maine would have be traded in acquiring Arroyo…although I would pay them to take Ollie instead…
GravediggerHebner
12/17/2009-8:16pm at 8:16 pm (UTC -4)
Yes, thank you for the thorough summary. I was eating dinner and unable to see the show, this is much appreciated!
Kingman 26
12/17/2009-8:28pm at 8:28 pm (UTC -4)
Forgive me Grave if I missed this on here, but here are Iggy’s stats from 2009:
Igarashi went 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA and three saves in 56 games last season in Japan. He struck out 44 and walked 20 in 53 2-3 innings.
GravediggerHebner
12/17/2009-8:35pm at 8:35 pm (UTC -4)
Thank you, that info has not been posted here previously. Every time I’ve (and others here) searched for his stats, they only included through 2008. They are in the press release from the Mets today but people rarely click through on the links we make here and I should have posted them, so these are quite useful and appreciated.
Kingman 26
12/17/2009-8:37pm at 8:37 pm (UTC -4)
Cool; I searched the net and found incomplete stats; these were in an AP story in the Ledger tonight, so hopefully they are accurate.
trs86
12/17/2009-11:14pm at 11:14 pm (UTC -4)
This Holliday Bay battle could get interesting. I would offer Bay 5/70 and Holliday 6/85 and let them both get nervous.
trs86
12/17/2009-11:15pm at 11:15 pm (UTC -4)
Also, I really think that either Arroyo, Duke or Meche will be a Met by Christmas.
oleosmirf
12/18/2009-12:59am at 12:59 am (UTC -4)
no thanks on Meche…coming off a bad year, makes a lot of money. I’ll take Duke or Arroyo though…
trs86
12/18/2009-8:13am at 8:13 am (UTC -4)
Meche did not have good numbers last year but salary wise is comparable and had been a very good pitcher. I think he would be a prime rebound candidate and as far as trust I would trust him to do better than Duke next year.
oleosmirf
12/18/2009-10:11am at 10:11 am (UTC -4)
i dont want another 20 mil + rebound project. 2 years and 24 mil for someone who was injured and pitched to an ERA of over 5.00 is asking for trouble.
do we really need another Ollie on our hands???