The Book on Junichi Tazawa
Prospect Info
Junichi Tazawa
Born 6/6/1986
RHP, BOS
Japan's best amateur pitcher, 22-year old Junichi Tazawa met with four big league teams this spring, and the Red Sox were first in line with a big check, not to mention first in Tazawa's heart. He is the first premium amateur to skip Japanese baseball altogether.
Tazawa is a compact righthander whose claim to fame is a highly-effective 93mph fastball: early reports often listed it as 96, but US scouts have not yet seen such heat. What they have seen, though, is good fastball control with late tailing action, coupled with a plus slider in the mid-80's. His taste of the big leagues in 2009 wasn't exactly highlight-reel stuff, but he's still very young, and another season or two of minor league ball (perhaps with the occasional visit to Beantown) should help him get a handle on his own natural ability.
Ranking in ScoutingBook (3/11/2010): #71 
Ranking in Baseball America 2010: Unranked
Ranking in Baseball Prospectus: Unranked
Ranking in MiLB.com 2010 Season Preview Unranked
Ranking from the Sporting News: Unranked
Ranking from ESPN: #99
Player Updates and Notes
Junichi Tazawa's MLB debut didn't go quite as well as anyone hoped, as he served up a walkoff home run to Alex Rodriguez. He'll probably get a chance to make a start or two in place of John Smoltz while the Sox wait for Tim Wakefield to return, but he's probably not ready for MLB just yet.
8/10/2009 by KDaddy
Junichi Tazawa has accepted a 3-year, $3M contract from the Boston Red Sox, according to Boston Globe. The Sox will start Tazawa in the minors, treating him like any other draft pick, and have expressed early interest in both starting and bullpen roles for the young righthander.
12/2/2008 by KDaddy
Junichi Tazawa, technically a free agent, has formally declined his interest in the Atlanta Braves and other teams. He continues to negotiate with the Boston Red Sox, with whom he is expected to sign an MLB-level contract soon. Of course, he's never played a pro-level game, so he's in line for a couple of seasons in the minors anyway.
12/1/2008 by KDaddy
The Atlanta Braves appear close to stealing righthander Junichi Tazawa from the Boston Red Sox. While both teams expect the 22 year old Tazawa to require at least a year in the minor leagues, his agent is seeking a major league contract, and right now Atlanta looks more willing to take on the extra cost.
11/5/2008 by KDaddy
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