Just two hours after the 2025 international signing period opened on Jan. 15, the Athletics made a splash. The team announced they officially signed 18-year-old Japanese sensation Shotaro Morii to a minor league deal accompanied by a $1.5 million signing bonus.
アスレチックスへようこそ！森井翔太郎選手！
(Welcome to the Athletics Shotaro Morii!) pic.twitter.com/dMzh9kGvnk
— Athletics (@Athletics) January 15, 2025
Athletics Sign Japanese Phenom Shotaro Morii
Typically, most foreign prospects choose to play baseball abroad to bolster their profile before coming to America. Instead, Morii made the bold decision to fast-track right into American professional baseball.
After relocating from Oakland to Sacramento while their move to Las Vegas is pending, the Athletics organization has undergone drastic change over the past six months. General manager David Forst told the Associated Press that the team would be “making a statement” during the offseason. He has done nothing but fulfill this prophecy over the last three months.
First, they signed Luis Severino as their new ace to the largest free-agent contract in team history. Then, they added the extremely versatile and underrated Gio Urshela to lock up the hot corner. And last, but certainly not least, they extended their star DH Brent Rooker for another five years.
The signing of Morii essentially puts a close on one of the best free-agency periods in franchise history.
Why A’s Fans Should be Excited About Morii
For starters, Morii is expected to be another two-way Japanese superstar. He is going to serve as both a pitcher and hitter, as he did during his high school career at TOHO High School in Tokyo, Japan.
Of course, the first image that comes to most fans’ heads is obviously aspirations of a second Shohei Ohtani. However, Morii is his own special talent as a player.
In an interview conducted by ESPN.com, he claimed he doesn’t even deserve the Ohtani comparisons at this point in his young career.
“Shohei is a baseball player far away from me right now,” Morii said. “[The goal is] to get closer to him as soon as I can.”
Morii actually profiles quite differently than Ohtani did as a prospect. He’s more slim-built at 6’0″ and 190 pounds, but twitchy and explosive.
As a hitter, Morii features a smooth lefty swing with great extension through the zone. He belted 45 home runs during his short three-year stint in high school. Scouts also claim he has “great bat-to-ball skills” to accompany this power. Morii is also a very agile, skilled base-stealer. He has speed and uses it to his advantage, similar to the late Athletics great Rickey Henderson.
On the mound, fans have even more to look forward to. Morii’s fastball is already sitting mid-90s as featured on his Twitter. He has also ran up the velocity to 96 mph in various bullpen sessions. His arsenal features traditional elements of other Japanese pitchers; a fastball, slider, and splitter combination. Morii pitches from the stretch, and uses his back leg as a block to create power. His delivery is almost identical to MLB veteran Yu Darvish whom Morii has frequently been compared to.
The combination of power, bat-to-ball skills, and speed as a hitter paired with velocity, movement, and elite mechanics on the mound are all reasons the Athletics signed Morii straight out of high school.
When Will Shotaro Morii Arrive in the Big Leagues?
As first reported by ESPN.com, Morii will be headed straight to the Arizona Complex League (ACL) in March. There, he’ll learn how to properly polish himself as both a pitcher and hitter.
The Athletics already claimed they weren’t going to distinguish either of Morii’s roles or force him in one direction. As per his request, he will play two-way in the Athletics’ minor league system.
It’s a common consensus that Morii won’t make it to the active roster at any point this year. Sacrificing professional development in Japan’s NPB means Morii will have to do his time in the minor leagues.
However, as GM Forst claimed, the Athletics are looking to turn heads this season. They will eventually be playing in a bigger-market city with a surplus of fans eagerly looking forward to the newly acquired talent.
If Morii stays on the accelerated track he is currently on, it would not be surprising if he reaches Double-A (or even higher) by the end of this year.
Athletics fans should have nothing but positive expectations for the 2025 season ahead, and for the impending debut of their new, young two-way superstar.
Photo Credit: © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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