Phillies caught surveying Japanese slugger amid impressive NPB season
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Phillies caught surveying Japanese slugger amid impressive NPB season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It’s safe to say that Japan has become a major market for organizations all around the MLB, with the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto making history with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Just in the last offseason alone, the likes of Tatsuya Imai and Munetaka Murakami had the MLB world tied to see where they were going to land once they were posted. While Imai has struggled to adapt to life in the MLB, Murakami has lit the league ablaze, slugging 17 home runs with 36 RBIs, which, when looking at his two-year $34 million contract, seems to have been the steal of the offseason.
Now all eyes are set on Japan to see who will be the next big player to make a splash in America, with Teruaki Sato being one of those names. Sato is currently a member of the Hanshin Tigers in the NPB, slashing an impressive .372/.732/.450 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs.
Phillies’ scouting expedition in Japan
This has caught the eyes of teams around the MLB, including the likes of the Philadelphia Phillies, who, according to Japanese outlet Sponichi Annex’s Yohei Kuraseko, sent a five-person team to look at the 27-year-old.
“...the US side is already working towards making it happen as early as this offseason,” Kuraseko writes. “In May, the scouting intensified. Just on the 15th, the Phillies visited with an unusual five-person team, including the general manager and other team executives, to observe him.”
This scouting expedition comes as Sato is expected to be posted in the upcoming offseason, meaning he could look towards the MLB for his next chapter.
Sato, who plays at third base, would certainly provide the Phillies with a solution for their potential vacancy at the corner infield, as Alec Bohm’s contract is set to run out. With the 29-year-old struggling from the batter’s box, hitting .218, it could lead Philadelphia’s front office to look elsewhere, including Sato.
For now, the Japanese slugger’s future and the interest from the Phillies, as well as other teams in the MLB, will be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
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