The Oakland Athletics have signed 18-year-old Shotaro Morii to a record minor league deal, marking a significant investment in the young talent.
This deal is part of a spending spree for the A’s, who also signed Brent Rooker and pitcher Luis Severino for big bucks. Morii has some serious skills, hitting 45 home runs in high school while also throwing fastballs at 95 mph.
He’s skipping the usual route for Japanese players, wanting to dive into the pro scene right away. Morii said he’s eager to join the professional baseball world. With his impressive background, he was a top-10 prospect in Japan’s draft.
Standing at 6-foot-1, he’s got a solid curveball and can throw a slider and forkball too. He looks up to players like Jacob deGrom and Elly De La Cruz, saying De La Cruz is his favorite because of his speed and power.
The A’s are excited about him. Their assistant GM, Dan Feinstein, praised Morii’s talent and passion for the game. Morii mentioned that the success of players like Ohtani influenced his decision, but he’s humble, saying he’s not on that level yet.
There was some buzz in October about a bidding war for Morii among several MLB teams, but the A’s came out on top.
