D-Backs look at Akiyama
As Arizona surveys baseball’s free agents, Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama might be a good fit.
With the domestic free-agent market short on appealing options and the cost on the trade market potentially prohibitive, the Diamondbacks might turn to Japan in their hunt for a center fielder.
At the general manager’s meetings on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks’ Mike Hazen acknowledged his club’s interest in Japanese center fielder Shogo Akiyama, an unrestricted free agent who is said to be looking to make the jump to the major leagues.
“We think he’s a good player,” Hazen told reporters. “… We’re in the outfield market, the center-field mar
ket, specifically. We’re in the entire market.”
Akiyama is viewed by rival scouts and executives as a somewhat risky but intriguing player. Though he will turn 32 next April, evaluators seem relatively confident he is still capable of playing at least an average defensive center field. They describe him as being an athletic, instinctual player who takes good routes and gets good jumps.
There seem to be more questions about Akiyama’s ability to hit at the big league level. However, among a halfdozen sources familiar with him, most seem to think he will be something around an average hitter. During his nine-year career in Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s top league, he owns a .301/.376/.454 line, and in 2015 he set a single-season record with 216 hits.
“Akiyama is an everyday big league center fielder for me,” said a high-ranking scout with a National League club, a veteran scout who had the highest opinion of Akiyama among those polled. “If he’s not a plus defender in center field, he’s at least average. And I think he’s going to hit maybe .280 with 15 to 20 home runs.”
Even if he is merely an average hitter and defender, that would stand out on the free-agent and trade markets. The closest thing to an everyday center fielder among free agents might be Juan Lagares, who developed a reputation as a strong defender during his time with the New York Mets but who owns just a .254 average and .659 OPS in parts of seven seasons.
As far as potential trade targets, Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has a similar reputation as a far more reliable defender than hitter. He also is projected to earn $11 million in arbitration by MLB Trade Rumors. Akiyama isn’t expected to command that high of an annual salary.
The Diamondbacks have been active in the Japanese market since Hazen came aboard prior to the 2017 season, signing veteran reliever Yoshihisa Hirano and amateur right-hander Shumpei Yoshikawa. Hazen said his team has put an emphasis on making sure the transition from Japan to the United States goes
Hazen said catcher Daulton Varsho, who injured his ankle Monday in an international tournament, will be evaluated by Diamondbacks doctors this week. Hazen described the injury as a “moderate ankle sprain,” and while he noted that X-rays were negative he didn’t rule out the idea of more tests, including an MRI, to be sure the injury isn’t serious. “We’ll see what our doctors say,” Hazen said.
❚ Hazen intimated that the club would prefer to have Ketel Marte play more second base than center field next season. He also said the preference would be to keep Eduardo Escobar at third, though he admitted Escobar could be an option at second. However, he said keeping Escobar at third and Marte at second “would be the priority.”
❚ Hazen said the Diamondbacks have had “initial conversations” with Hirano, who is a free agent, about a potential return. “I don’t have anything to report on that yet,” Hazen said. “We love Yoshi. He did a great job for us.” Hirano posted a 2.44 ERA in 75 appearances in 2018 but had only a 4.75 ERA in 62 games in 2019.