Japanese Baseball NPB Draft Analysis - Taketora Anzai - Yokohama BayStars

Taketora Anzai - Pitcher - Kojo High School
  
   DOB : 10/28/91  
   age : 18  
   throws / hits : R / R  
   height cm : 190  
   weight kg : 75  
   height inch : 74.8                Yokohama BayStars 
   weight lbs : 165.3                   round 3

Taketora Anzai is a tall, lanky pitcher who was a bit of a surprise pick. Anzai only became talked about in Spring 2009 and was not on any radar before that. Anzai throws a fastball in the 145 km range, which is respectable. Anzai is not known for his flame balls, but more for his command and quality of pitches. Anzai has nice life on his fastballs and throws a nice curve as well. He lacks the mentality to own a game, but at 18 that can develop. If fostered properly, I can see Anzai developing into a semi-dependable middle relief pitcher if he can put on some weight and add strength. His throwing motion uses his lanky arms to whip the ball nicely, and added weight and strength will allow Anzai to add velocity to his fastball and be more effective with his deceptive off-speed pitches.

Outlook: The BayStars took a flier on Anzai and I think they will be pleasantly surprised with what they get. Anzai needs to add muscle and strength to his frame, but when he does he can develop into a very balanced, but not flashy, pitcher for Yokohama. Look for the BayStars to develop Anzai for a few years mentally and physically. Look for Anzai to make spot starts or middle relief appearances in 2012 or 2013. If he develops properly, he has a good base of talent to become a dependable pitcher at the NPB pro level. He certainly will have his chance with all of the pitching holes Yokohama needs to fill.

Brandon Siefken has covered Japanese pro and amateur baseball since 1991. He is currently an intern for a Major League Baseball team and has been quoted in Bloomberg, The New York Times and other publications regarding Japanese baseball. Brandon is a regular writer for Bob Bavasi’s JapanBall.com site and has authored several articles including “The Kuroda Index” and “Yu Darvish: A 315 Pitch Scouting Report.”

Each year Brandon publishes the “Japan Baseball News Weekly” ( http://www.japanbaseballnews.com/?page_id=1543 ) with updated weekly stats for every player from April to October. Brandon can be contacted at brandon@japanball.com.