00:00Let's start with the bat. Seems like the mid-level team is pursuing this corner infield bat, Kazuma Okamoto. Knowing Munitaka Murakami, who got two for 34 from the White Sox, is this big swing and miss, big power guy. What differs Okamoto from Murakami and why could that price tag look a little different?
00:18He hammers fastballs and hammers velocity. I mean, he ran like a 93% zone contact against fastballs this past year and hit 340 with an OPS over 1,000 against him.
00:30So there is some question about how he can handle spin, and I think that's going to be interesting to monitor.
00:34But I think ultimately, if you handle fastballs well and make good swing decisions, you're going to translate, your skill is going to translate pretty well.
00:40I also think he has more power than he gets credit for. He pulls the ball in the air at a high clip.
00:44He hits the ball hard. It's like EV90 of 107.5 miles per hour, which is quite strong.
00:50I just think it's a very well-rounded game. I think you can get by at third. You could also play a good first.
00:56And there's a very high likelihood that even on the lower end, Okamoto is going to give you positive war.
01:00So I think teams are going to be a little bit more comfortable on the lower end.
01:03The high end is not going to be as high as Murakami, but he's so much safer where the floor and ceiling are more confined.
01:09And I think for a lot of teams, that's a little bit more comforting and why he's going to make, I think, north of $60 million.
01:15And I want to pin these two against each other. Okamoto and Eugenio Suarez.
01:22Eugenio Suarez, mind you, hit 50 jacks last year.
01:25This guy was a prolific power bat in Major League Baseball last year.
01:30But there's plenty of deficiencies that are very well documented with Eugenio Suarez.
01:34Oh, defensively, is he what he once was? Absolutely not.
01:38Oh, swing and miss wise. Like he had a bad stretch with Seattle.
01:42If you were a GM and you're sitting here and you've got Okamoto at $10 million in total money less than Eugenio Suarez, where do you go?
01:51I think I rolled the dice. See, here's the thing.
01:54I was going to say I think I'd roll the dice with Okamoto, but you're rolling the dice with Eugenio Suarez.
01:58You don't really know what version of him you're going to get next year.
02:02And if he's not hitting 40 plus homers, it's kind of the Santander conversation we're having.
02:07He's not that productive. He's got a slug over 500 to get that OPS over 800 generally.
02:14That's the biggest challenge with a guy like Eugenio Suarez.
02:21And also, you're not going to get Suarez in a one-year deal.
02:23Maybe the market really softens to the point where you can get him on a two.
02:26And that's where it becomes interesting. But you mentioned just less money.
02:30I'm going to go with the Okamoto where you can get longer term deal.
02:34I think a guy that's only going to get better as he gets more acclimated to Major League Baseball.
02:38Whereas Suarez, 34 years old, 35 at the All-Star break.
02:43You probably know what direction it's going to go if you're signing him to a three plus year deal.
02:48I just think there's too much dependence on launching a ton of homers if you're Geno.
02:54Whereas, I think Okamoto's built to hit a lot of doubles.
02:57He's going to walk more than Geno.
02:59And I just think it's a little bit more well-rounded at this stage.
Be the first to comment