Over the Monster Top 20 Prospects Voting #9: Tazawa Takes 8

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 8, 2010 6:00 AM EST in Minors Comment 14 comments

The other big international free agent of the year lands at number 8. Junichi Tazawa took a drop from #4 last year, but that's probably more a matter of incorrect judgment to start then it is him having a bad year. When he came over, speculation put him starting anywhere from A to the MLB. He settled in at AA, breezed through it, and then continued his strong performance in AAA. His time in the MLB had mixed results as one might expect from a 23-year-old rookie, but Tazawa is one of the most MLB ready pitchers in the farm system.

Alright, folks, #8 was pretty close. So vote, vote, vote!

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Anyone else think the Tazawaian devil should've been higher?

I think he could be a decent #4, or #5 pitcher. Sitting at AAA and an injury or two away from starting in Boston, Tazawa is substantially more likely to hit the majors than most of our higher-ranked prospects, who are still in A ball.

"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.

by 0157H7 on Jan 8, 2010 9:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think as a fanbase for a team with a large payroll

We put a lot more value in ceiling than we do in actual likelihood to make the MLB. As valuable as a cheap #4 guy is, we can generally afford to pick up the bottom of the rotation in free agency with regularity. Look at what the bottom is right now, for crying out loud! A guy like Westmoreland, though, isn’t so easilly acquired. Teams lock up their Westmorelands for many, many years when they make the majors. They don’t necessarily do the same for Tazawas.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 8, 2010 9:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Teams not named the Yankees

need to produce league average players from the minors – they can’t fill positions entirely with free agents, and barring years of high draft picks and rebuilding-style trades, the farm system won’t enough all-stars. I’m thinking guys like Manny Delcarmen, Jed Lowrie and maybe Jacoby Ellsbury; guys that allow the Sox to save money by paying the league minimum for league-average production (or close to it).

Any farm system need some lower-ceiling, better-chances players; a farm of mostly lottery ticket high school draftees has a good chance of producing no one for the major league club.

"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.

by 0157H7 on Jan 8, 2010 10:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We're very close to the Yankees' payroll, relatively speaking.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 8, 2010 4:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

But yes, some people certainly agree with you.

He got about 10% of the vote for #3, 13% for #5, 18% for #6, etc.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 8, 2010 9:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bowden

I am sick of voting for him, so No. 9…

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by Randy Booth on Jan 8, 2010 10:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1.

"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.

by 0157H7 on Jan 8, 2010 10:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+2

Give this guy some respect.

"Hating the New York Yankees is as American as apple pie, unwed mothers and cheating on your income tax." -- Mike Royko

by sox-inda-south on Jan 8, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Stolmy Pimentel

I am sick of voting for him too.

by drabidea on Jan 8, 2010 11:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

So Tazawa basically dominated his first season of American professional baseball and dropped 4 spots.

"Ninety percent [of my salary] I'll spend on good times, women, and Irish whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
-Tug McGraw

by BTLove on Jan 8, 2010 11:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

though i think this says more about other prospect's success than it says he's failing

plus when someone comes over in IFA and there’s tons of media talking about it, they tend to get overrated quite a bit.

by wolf9309 on Jan 10, 2010 9:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Indeed

Reddick, Rizzo, Kalish, and Westmoreland all had huge years. And Iglesias is a big-hype pickup given his cieling.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 10, 2010 11:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

But what is the value to the sox?

At the moment i see him more as a tradechip in the same value area as Masterson was, but with our current rotation i hardly see him contributing on the major league level in the near future, maybe long relief or spotstarter but thats it. I wouldn be suprised if he is used at the trade deadline.

by German Red Sox Fan on Jan 9, 2010 5:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure of the details...

But Tazawa has some sort of no-trade protection. It might have been time-limited, but he signed with us because he liked the Red Sox. Maybe a buyout of some sort?

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 9, 2010 6:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs