Big news in the baseball world! The Oakland A’s just made a major splash by signing 18-year-old Japanese two-way phenom Shotaro Morii to a minor league deal—and they didn’t hold back on the bonus. Morii, who’s already creating a buzz with his explosive skills as both a pitcher and a hitter, is set to earn a jaw-dropping $1.51 million. That’s the largest bonus ever for a Japanese amateur who wasn’t already playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Mind you! Morii is not your normal potential prospect. Before entering the major leagues, the majority of Japanese players follow the well-traveled path through NPB but Morii is blazing his own trail, and the A’s are completely on board. But MLB insiders are worried about one problem.
Will the two-way phenom actually be able to play two-way?
A.J. Pierzynski reacted instantly when Scott Braun of Foul Territory disclosed that Shotaro Morii is a pitcher and a shortstop. He stated, “That ain’t gonna happen,” outlining his justification right away. “You can’t play shortstop and be a pitcher, I’m sorry. You just can’t because shortstops are too valuable.” Pierzynski continued by saying that it’s difficult to simply put someone in there daily because a shortstop is such an important position. He went on, “Shohei works because he’s a DH or outfielder. It’s much easier to find an outfielder to fill in for a day than it is a shortstop to fill in every fifth day.”
An 18-year-old two-way player from Japan is skipping out on NPB and has signed with the A's.
"You can't play shortstop and be a pitcher," says @AJPierzynski12. pic.twitter.com/9kNwHgK0dV
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 16, 2025
Erik Klatz then offered his own opinion. “I saw him pitch in the quick video that I saw. He is going to pitch.” Klatz stated, “I haven’t seen him at shortstop, but he is going to pitch. Shortstop is a big-league position. Shortstop is way different.” Neither Pierzynski nor Klatz appear to believe that Morii’s future is at shortstop but rather on the mound.
They believe that pitching in the major leagues and playing shortstop are incompatible. The problem is that the A’s are placing a lot of money on Morii, who has a unique talent. Despite the conventional belief that it is impossible to be a two-way player at shortstop, Morii’s strength and pitching talent might potentially alter the outcome of the game.
Know more about the Japanese player Shotaro Morii
Although Shohei Ohtani may have paved the path for two-way players in Major League Baseball, nobody has really followed in his footsteps—at least not yet. Here comes the A’s newest prospect, Shotaro Morii, who is committed to altering the course of events. Morii has boldly said that he intends to play both shortstop and pitcher in the major leagues, in contrast to the majority of Japanese players who follow the conventional NPB-to-MLB path. The Oakland Athletics are giving him a chance, which is fortunate for him.
According to assistant general manager Dan Feinstein, “He’s a very talented baseball player with enough athleticism and mobility to play both shortstop and pitch.” MLB scouts were salivating over his three seasons at Tokyo’s TOHO Junior and Senior High School, where he hit 45 home runs and achieved speeds of up to 95 mph on the mound.
The A’s made a deliberate attempt to scout him and establish a relationship with Morii and his family rather than just jumping in at the last minute. Oakland was able to hire him thanks to this close relationship, and they are now totally committed to seeing if the two-way ideal will materialize at the major league level.
What’s even more exciting is that Morii’s decision reflects a larger trend of Japanese players choosing to make the leap to the U.S. earlier than ever. In 2023, high school slugger Rintaro Sasaki made waves when he bypassed Japan’s draft to play college baseball at Stanford. This growing shift shows that more and more Japanese athletes are eager to test their talents on the American stage, and Morii is the latest and most exciting example of that.
As he heads to Oakland with high hopes, one thing is clear: the future of two-way players might just be starting to take shape—and Shotaro Morii is leading the charge.
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