Written by Greg Fertel
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09 January 2007
As you may remember, a couple months ago I enlisted Mike Plugh of Canyon of Heroes to write a piece on Dice-K, giving you more insight into the guy than any of the Japarazzi have done. Well despite being sidetracked by the birth of his son, Mike was kind enough to put something together on the newest Yankee prospect, Kei Igawa. Enjoy.
Mike A. asked me to write a piece about our newest Japanese import, Kei Igawa, some time ago. I thought it was important to do something a bit different, considering that the major media sites have generally circulated the same basic information for months now. What Iâd like to do is briefly touch on Igawaâs background and makeup as a player, before giving you a little insight into what makes the man tick. With his press conference in the books, and Spring Training his next major milestone, letâs talk about the new Yankees lefty.Â
Igawa, like all good Japanese boys, started playing baseball at a very young age. In Japan, there is no sand lot baseball anymore. There is only organized play with practice and development of fundamentals. Sure, they play on the sand lot, but there are always coaches around to offer instruction in the proper way to play the game. In recent years, soccer has become a second love for young Japanese people. The popularity of soccer boomed during the World Cup while it was played in Japan and South Korea, but generations of children have grown up kicking around soccer balls, and Kei Igawa was one such boy. To this day, soccer is Igawaâs first love. If you ask him about the sport, heâll engage you in passionate conversation about the game.Â
Until now, the Hanshin Tigers had his junior high school in Ibaragi Prefecture to thank for his success as a professional pitcher. There was no soccer program at Igawaâs junior high school, and he instead turned to baseball to participate in athletics. He had an 18 strikeout perfect game in high school and at one point struck out 72 over the course of 42 innings. During that same period he was unscored upon in 35 straight frames. It is also noteworthy that Igawa was scouted by the Mets in his youth. He has been âon the radarâ? for a very long time, and is now about to test himself at the highest of all professional levels.Â
What does he bring to the table? Most writers and scouts credit Igawa with a fastball that sits in the 87-92 mph range. Iâve seen him hit the radar higher than that, but I would have to agree that he will more often hit 90-91 on the gun with his fastball than 94-95. He features a very good curveball and slider, although those are the pitches heâs most likely to miss with. His control is âplusâ?, but when he gets wild itâs with his breaking stuff. The pitch that will make or break him for the Yankees is his excellent change. The fastball is very nice, but doesnât move all that much. It is made a lot more effective by the changeup that he mixes in nicely. If thereâs anything that you need to understand about Kei Igawa, itâs his ability to concentrate on the mound.Â
This pitcher will get knocked around on occasion. He will give up the long ball, and if his control is off, he will give up a lot of baserunners. The question is, how often will that happen in the AL? I believe, he will do very well on most days and keep the Yankees in the ballgame thanks to great run support. His ERA will mainly suffer due to the outings that he will get smoked. If he can keep hitters off balance, and keep them guessing, heâll have a similar level of success in the United States. That brings me to his makeup.Â
Igawa is a typical quirky left-handed pitcher and is considered highly eccentric by most Japanese observers. A recent interview at CNNSI.com gives a brief glimpse into the mind of this character. One of the questions posed to him was, âWhatâs the most exotic thing in your refrigerator?â? He replied, âWater.â?Â
As Yankee fans will soon find out, Igawa is the new David Wells. Iâm not talking about pitching style, after hours activities, or body type. Iâm talking about the âwalks to the beat of his own drummerâ? mentality that both makes him an intriguing character and a tough opponent. His personal hobbies include things like flying model helicopters, collecting manga, playing computer games, and from what Iâve seen of him in the media here, heâs addicted to games of any kind. I recently witnessed an interview in which the journalist was asking him about playing in the Majors, competing in the United States, and other more personal things. At the time of the interview, Igawa was engaged in a game of shogi (Japanese chess) and frequently tuned out of the questioning to concentrate on the game. Heâd answer a few questions promptly and then start muttering to himself. The reporter would pose the next question and heâd just stare at the shogi board. At one point, he looked up and said, âOh, could you ask me that question again?â?Â
I could go on and on about the personal quirks he brings with him to the Bronx, but the gaming is what I believe is the key to understanding Kei Igawa. The single-minded focus that he gives to competition of any kind helps him on the mound. His ability (or personality quirk) that allows him to tune out a pre-arranged interview, while itâs going on, to concentrate on a game of shogi is the same skill he will use to succeed on the Yankee Stadium mound. I honestly believe that Igawa will not be aware of anything happening around him after his first start. Even in his first start, I believe heâll lose track of whatâs happening by the 4th inning. Thatâs Kei.Â
Brian Cashman has repeated over and over and over and over that Kei Igawa is not Daisuke Matsuzaka. He has openly said that Matsuzaka is a front end of the rotation guy, while Igawa is a back end of the rotation pitcher that will take time to adjust. There are two parts to this PR strategy. The first is the idea that Igawa may end up in the Irabu scrap heap when allâs said and done. Sure, itâs possible. If that happens, and Matsuzaka dominates, the Yankees want to cut off any Yankees/Red Sox back and forth from the start. The second part is that Cashman want to give Igawa the âunder cover brotherâ? treatment to allow him to sneak up on guys. If no one expects much, and he pitches well, it makes Cashman look like a genius, Igawa is a hero, and the Yankees trump the Red Sox yet again.Â
My predictionâ¦I wrote at Canyon of Heroes that Igawa just might put up similar results to the late 90âs Andy Pettitte. Some people around the Yankees bulletin board circuit got on me about the statement. Iâll clarify it here. I believe that while the two are very different pitchers, Kei Igawa is quite capable of winning 16 or 17 games with a low 4âs ERA. He has the ability to strike guys out, and dominate in stretches. Even with a WHIP around 1.400, Igawa will have enough on most nights to win ballgames for the Yankees, and his personal makeup is so distant from the broody and disinterested Hideki Irabu itâs almost a lock that heâll perform better than his former Hanshin teammate. In fact, while Igawa was the ace of the Hanshin staff, the Yankees were coveting Irabu. I suppose they finally chose the right guy after all.
