Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, December 5, 2024
No, it’s not a Lord of the Rings reference, though the idea is the same. Much like Aragorn awaited assistance from his allies to the east to save him from certain doom, the Rockies could do something similar in regards to the KBO League and Nippon Professional Baseball. While their team is doing their best to stave off the juggernaut Dodgers, they may find the task impossible if they cannot receive reinforcements.
Huh, I guess it actually is a Lord of the Rings reference after all?
Seriously though, there are more than a few interesting names departing their former organizations in hopes of landing a spot in MLB, and the Rockies could benefit from their support.
Roki Sasaki is the most obvious pick of these players and probably carries the highest level of name recognition, and for good reason. At just 23 years of age, he’s coming off of an incredible run in Japan in which he recorded a 2.02 ERA over four seasons. His greatest achievement was an otherworldly start that saw him set the NPB record for consecutive strikeouts (13) and tie the record for total strikeouts (19) en route to a perfect game. Have a day!
Sasaki is a phenom and a young superstar in the making. Any team, the Rockies included, would love to add his electric arm to their ranks. Who better to bolster a rebuilding rotation than a budding talent such as him?
But hey, we already know about Sasaki, and he’s probably going to sign with Los Angeles anyway. Let’s turn to another interesting pitcher – Tomoyuki Sugano.
Fans of Japanese baseball will be well aware of the exploits of the legendary Sugano. The 35-year-old right-hander has experienced all the ups and downs the game has to offer in his 12 years on the mound. After a couple of lackluster seasons (by his standards, anyway), Sugano saw a career resurgence last season when he finished with a 1.67 ERA and career-best marks in BB/9 and SO/W ratio.
Of course, it remains to be seen how he’ll transition to American ball, but if nothing else he’s certainly set up for success. So should the Rockies consider signing the veteran pitcher?
Well, I recognize that bringing on a mid-30’s arm making his debut in MLB, especially amid what is ostensibly a rebuild for Colorado, isn’t exactly the move many would make. But hey, I’m quirky, and I’d like to see what Sugano can do at one of the sport’s most trying stadiums.
Considered by some to have the skills to be an ace, Sugano is an intriguing, if unlikely, option to be picked up by the Rockies. With their rotation largely set (on paper, at least) entering next season, he’s more of an experiment than a true answer. But baseball is all about fun, and I think it would be worth the price of admission to see what he can do at a mile high. Who knows? Maybe Sugano could turn into one of those trusted veteran presences that the Rockies seem to favor.
Plus, a solid half-season from the veteran could make him a sought-after trade target come deadline season. A playoff-contending squad would be happy to trade prospect capital for his services, and we all know we love our prospects. Even if it’s a short stay in Colorado, Sugano could be a big help to the Rockies’ move towards future success.
Hyeseong Kim, meanwhile, could be a more long-term solution. Kim is an exciting infielder arriving from the KBO. His last eight seasons saw him slash .302/.364/.766, smack a career-high 11 home runs and 75 RBIs, and play all over the diamond, though mostly at second base. His glove is one of the most enticing reasons to sign him, as he possess great range and athletic ability, comparable to that of Ezequiel Tovar. And at just 25 – almost 26 – years old, he’s got room to improve and hone his skills even further.
Colorado’s second base situation is more open this offseason than it’s been in years after the non-tendering of cornerstone Brendan Rodgers. With Adael Amador potentially needing more time to cook and the keystone role seemingly up for grabs between newcomer Kyle Farmer and versatile Aaron Schunk, Kim could provide an extra bit of competition and maybe even bolster Colorado’s offense.
Kim is likely to be courted by many franchises in the coming weeks, and we can only hope the Rockies are among them.
Finally, we have another NPB pitcher to consider in the form of Shinnosuke Ogasawara. He hasn’t had quite the success that his contemporaries Sasaki and Sugano have, but he’s been a fine member of the Chunichi Dragons for the last nine seasons. A 3.12 ERA in his most recent season in Japan shows promise, but he does tend to give up hits (9.4 H/9) and will need to limit his hard contact rate if he is to survive in the majors.
Maybe a transition to the bullpen could yield positive results for Ogasawara, who already has teams vying for his services. The 27-year-old southpaw could be viewed as a less expensive alternative than Sasaki while having more tread on his tires than Sugano. He’s an under-the-radar pick that could make sense for a Rockies team that historically lacks in lefty help.
All of these players hold tremendous upside, so the hope is that Colorado can make a play for one or all of them in attempts to return to relevancy. Time will tell exactly how interested the Rockies are in such a move, but I for one would love to see them make a splash and bring in some new faces from a market that they’ve typically avoided, or at least left unexplored, during their existence.
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