MACK - MORE FOCUS - Kazuma Okamoto, WPBL, Sabermetrics, Sonny Gray, Yandy Diaz, 2025 Seam-Shifted Wake Leaderboard, Top 10 FA Hitters, David Peterson, Annie Savoy

 

Just Baseball                      @JustBB_Media

29-year-old Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto will be posted this offseason, per Yahoo Sports Japan.

He had a .992 OPS and 15 homers in 77 games in the NPB last year

                MACK –

Kazuma Okamoto is a 29-year-old Japanese professional baseball infielder, born June 30, 1996, in Nara Prefecture, Japan. He plays for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and is set to be posted for MLB teams this offseason, allowing him to pursue a career in Major League Baseball. A right-handed batter and thrower, Okamoto stands at 6’0” and weighs 212 lbs. He primarily plays first and third base, with some outfield experience, though he played mostly first base in 2024.

Okamoto debuted with the Giants in 2014 after being a first-round draft pick out of Chiben Gakuen High School. He became a regular in 2018, replacing Shinnosuke Abe at first base, and has since established himself as a power-hitting star. His career NPB slash line is .277/.361/.521, with 248 home runs over 11 seasons, including 30+ homers each year from 2018 to 2023, peaking at 41 in 2023. In 2025, an elbow injury from a collision at first base limited him to 69 games, but he still hit .327/.416/.598 with 15 homers.

A six-time NPB All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and three-time home run leader, Okamoto led the Central League in homers and RBIs in 2020 and 2021, earning back-to-back Best Nine Awards. He was named Central League Climax Series MVP in 2019 and became the Giants’ captain in 2023, a rare honor for his age. His nickname, “The Young General,” reflects his leadership under former manager Tatsunori Hara.

Internationally, Okamoto shone in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping Japan win the championship. He hit a 407-foot solo homer in the final against Team USA and a three-run homer against Italy, finishing with a 1.278 OPS, third on the team behind Shohei Ohtani.

Okamoto’s hitting combines power, discipline, and consistency, with a career 17.7% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate in NPB. He’s effective against fastballs above 93 mph, hitting .298 with 20 homers in such scenarios. However, transitioning to MLB may pose challenges due to higher velocity and different pitching styles.

With his posting, all 30 MLB teams will have 45 days to negotiate a contract, with the signing team paying a release fee to the Giants based on the contract’s value (e.g., 20% for contracts up to $25 million). Teams like the Mets, Orioles, Mariners, Red Sox, Angels, Padres, Cubs, Phillies, and Tigers are potential fits, particularly for corner infield roles. He’ll compete with other posted NPB star Munetaka Murakami and MLB free agents like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman.

Okamoto’s blend of power, plate discipline, and proven performance makes him a compelling MLB prospect, though his success will depend on adapting to the major leagues’ pitching.            

 Women's Pro Baseball League                   @wpbl_official

They’re here. Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco will make history as the First Four—the inaugural teams in the WPBL.

 

Thomas Nestico                               @TJStats

This is awesome to see! Women are underrepresented in sports spaces, especially in baseball. Hopefully this sparks a new wave of growth in the game and inspires more young women and girls to play the best sport in the world!

 

Tangotiger                @tangotiger

When George Harrison was asked about Paul McCartney's debut solo songs, he said Maybe I'm Amazed was fantastic, but all the other ones were lacking, precisely because Paul didn't have the other three of them to eviscerate and shape them up

Works that way in sabermetrics too...

Sonny Gray linked to Mets

LINK

Despite the Orioles rough 2024 season, they have all the pieces and just dealt with injuries this past season. Baltimore was a playoff team the year before, and Gray is exactly what the Orioles need to improve their pitching staff.

The Mets also have all the pieces, and also have all the money needed to get whatever else is needed to put a World Series-caliber team on the field.

Bowden added that both the Mets and Orioles have a history of liking shorter-term commitments to starting pitchers and that's exactly what Gray is right now.

 

Yandy Diaz

LINK

“The Mets and Rays discussed a deal involving Yandy Diaz leading up to the trade deadline, according to a person with knowledge of the talks,” DiComo reported. “Even though Diaz would have been limited to third base and DH with Alonso around.”

After the Mets missed the playoffs on the last day of the season, questions remain about what they will do this offseason to address the situation. One of the biggest concerns was the defense. This past season, New York ranked 14th with a .986 fielding percentage. Losing Alonso creates a gap for them at first base. DiComo also discussed Díaz and his defense.

“Díaz has mostly played first for the Rays, albeit not at a high level. That’s a problem for a team looking to improve its defense. Plus, if Díaz becomes available, the Mets would also have to compete against smaller-market teams drawn to his relatively low $12 million salary.”

 

Pitch Profiler                     @pitchprofiler

2025 Seam-Shifted Wake Leaderboard

 

MACK – this is why they should re-sign him

 

B/R Walk-Off                     @BRWalkoff

Ranking the Top 10 hitters of the upcoming free agent class

David Peterson

The New York Mets are in a position where three rookies and multiple returning veteran starting pitchers could contend for Opening Day rotation spots in 2026. But if they land a coveted frontline arm over the winter, someone would have to be the odd man out.

In an article published Friday, SNY’s Danny Abriano listed five players the Mets could consider trading during the offseason. Among the candidates named was left-handed starter David Peterson.

“Dealing Peterson shouldn't be something the Mets explore right away. Rather, it should be viewed as an option if the starting rotation is shaping up in a way where the presence of Peterson might be superfluous,” Abriano wrote. He elaborated that this scenario would occur if New York were to add more than one external arm via trade or free agency.

 

Jim Koenigsberger                          @Jimfrombaseball

"Baseball is like sex. There's never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn't have the best year of his career. Making love is like hitting a baseball: you just gotta relax and concentrate.

Besides, I'd never sleep with a player hitting under .250, not unless he had a lot of RBI and was a great glove man up the middle.

You see, there's a certain amount of life wisdom I give these boys.

I can expand their minds.

Sometimes when I got a ballplayer alone, I'll just read Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman to him, and the guys are so sweet, they always stay and listen.

'Course, a guy'll listen to anything, if he thinks it's foreplay.

I make them feel confident, and they make me feel safe, and pretty.

'Course, what I give them lasts a lifetime; what they give me lasts 142 games. Sometimes it seems like a bad trade.

But bad trades are part of baseball - now who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God's sake?

It's a long season and you gotta trust it.

I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball"

Annie Savoy       "Bull Durham"

Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon, 36 years later.