GLENDALE, Ariz. — Japanese League and free-agent sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound Wednesday for the third time this spring since signing with the traveling show of stars known as the Los Angeles Dodgers, and if all begins to go as expected after a rather uneven start in Dodgers blue for the $325 million man, he will move up on the list of stars on a team perfectly designed for Hollywood.
For now, Yamamoto — who signed the richest pitching contract ever, beating Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, by a measly mil (not even counting the $51M posting fee) — by all rights should be ranked behind the incomparable two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, and probably former MVPs Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, the sudden shortstop, but ahead of the rest of the team (including even all-time great pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who currently heads an extra rotation of stars on the IL), plus part-owner Magic Johnson, baseball president Andrew Friedman, visiting fan Will Ferrell and the stream of celebs expected to stop by through what promises to be one of the most fascinating baseball seasons on record.
Here’s another thing: These Dodgers should be very good, too. Las Vegas is projecting 103 wins, but one Dodger predicted they’d blow through that number. “Easy,” he said. It’s hard to doubt them after a walk-through of a clubhouse that includes four almost certain Hall of Famers and ridiculous talent among even the non Hall of Famers.
If Yamamato isn’t a superstar, every big-market team in baseball missed on him — including the Yankees and Mets, who also tried especially hard for the 25-year-old phenom. The Dodgers, rightly, aren’t putting much stock in a spring when he finished Wednesday with an 8.38 ERA after being hit around by the Mariners’ “A” team in an ugly loss. “He’s going to be all right, he’s going to be more than all right,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
The scouts all love him, and that isn’t changing soon. One NL scout says Yamamoto has a plus curveball, great fastball and “devastating” splitter to go with what scouts suggest is all-time great command.
Yamamato seems unworried, as well, after a second straight less than $325M result (though he does have 14 strikeouts in 9 ¹/₃ spring innings). “When I was in Japan I was thinking about the numbers,” he said. “But because I came to a different league, it’s different now. I know what I need to do to get ready for the season.”
There’s no way this spring is a real measure of his ability, almost no chance everyone had it wrong. He was easily the most coveted free-agent pitcher ever, which is something considering he’s never gotten an out in a major league game, and he’s 5-foot-10-ish and 175 pounds. But obviously he has other attributes, such as “the best command ever” in the words of another scout.
Yamamoto carried a 1.82 career ERA in Japan, and every big-market team did whatever they could to try to sign him. Once he sailed past the $200M figure projected, folks in the know say it became about where he wanted to be. No surprise: He took the Dodgers, the team that’s a World Series favorite where he could blend in as just one star. The Phillies reportedly bid even higher than $325M, and the Mets, who visited him in Japan and invited him to Steve Cohen’s house, might have, too, if it meant bringing him into the fold.
The Yankees acted confident about their chances when Yamamoto showed interest in pinstriped history (and boy, could they ever use him now). But either he’s a baseball history buff or just a good actor, which should fit his new surroundings, too.
“The Dodgers have been on a great run the last 11 years,” explained Yamamato, who apparently knows a thing or two about the Dodgers’ history too. “I just felt it was a great fit for me.”
Yamamoto was dominant at times Wednesday, just as he was in his previous start.
Dodgers people were noting how Ichiro Suzuki and other phenoms failed to post big numbers their first spring. I get it. No need to overplay this.
This should be the year of L.A., whose only title since 1988 came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Even the rival Giants, who’ve won hundreds of fewer games since L.A.’s last full-season championship, have three more rings in that time.
Speaking of rings, it’s a circus-like atmosphere around the team, with media outnumbering players by several fold. Most of them are here to see Ohtani, the international sensation with the $700M deal.
There are a lot of extraordinary things about this team, but one of the most remarkable goes beyond the current 26 to the rotation in waiting, led by the all-time great Kershaw, former All-Star Walker Buehler, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. Throw in Ohtani, and you have a full rotation as good as any in the bigs.
Buehler, May and Kershaw are expected to join the current rotation at some point, which is led by Tyler Glasnow, another big winter acquisition — unlike Yamamoto, he’s killing it; no hits allowed in his past two outings — and of course Yamamoto, who really should be the ace. At these prices, he better be.
