Report: Blue Jays among teams to scout Japanese phenom Otani

Arden Zwelling joins Jeff Blair to discuss the amazing story of Japanese baseball star and dual-threat, Shohei Otani, who projects as both a front of the rotation starter and a middle of the lineup hitter, with potential for 20+ home runs

The Toronto Blue Jays were among teams who requested seats to watch Japanese baseball phenom Shohei Otani pitch on Thursday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Otani was making just his second pitching appearance of the season for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, after battling through leg injuries in 2017.

The 23-year-old went 3.1 innings while giving up four runs, but was reportedly able to reach triple digits with his fastball.

The two-way star has batted in 45 games this season, slashing a gaudy .342/.402/.548 with five home runs.

It’s not yet known if Otani, dubbed the Babe Ruth of Japan, will come to North America this off-season. Under MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, he’d only be able to receive a signing bonus the size of a team’s international pool allotment.

However, if Otani were to wait until he turns 25, he would be treated as a regular free agent and could sign for any amount.

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