I would only be convinced he actually was in his early 20s if he was trying to compete in the Little League World Series.

“We also have a Bronx Little Leaguer.”
“How old is he?”
“Once?”
“Once.”

I just want us to have a pitcher with a name as cutesy as “Kikuchi”.

If we could find a Korean baller called “Koo” they could make a delightfully twee double act.

Alas, that’s on Bavasi: he traded Shin Soo Choo.

Also a bummer Kikuchi is a pitcher and likely will end up as in the AL, where he won’t bat. Would be awesome for him to come to the plate to the strains of “I Am the Walrus” (koo koo ki choo…)

Heh. I wonder why he didn’t sign with Scott Boras. He could be asking for $160 million with Boras touting him as a talent that comes across every 140 or 140 years.

This is Mejia’s big break, as I understand it. It was a thing where a friend of his was in contact and he happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Ive heard that the Sox are not interested in Kikuchi!

That’s new. The Sox are the first of four teams he’s scheduled to hold talks with on Monday.

How far out would this kid be if he did come to the states anyway? It seems like somewhat of a wash if we didnt even see him till 2012 or later, all it would be is bolster to our farm system and no real help to our team in the immediate future! If indeed he is as raw as what Ive seen!

Pricetag aside, the comparison is like drafting a college player to a prep one. Kikuchi would take three years at the very least to get up to where you start thinking about him with the big club, and likely longer than that. People are going to come in knowing that, and that’s going to drive the price tag down.

Chapman, on the other hand, is likely to be paid like he’s major league ready, when he’s going to take a year or two to get there. He’s a great arm, but right now, that’s all he is. His reputation got blown out of proportion by his comparisons to Strasburg and Darvish, both of whom have better command and better repertoires. At Contreras prices, Chapman could be a steal (Contreras, at his own price, wasn’t bad except for the second year). I’d consider him up to $40m. As it gets toward $50m and beyond, I’m less and less interested.

It’s just additional evidence of the inequities of the draft vs. FA system that Chapman is going to get a contract three to four times the size of Strasburg.

If we could find a Korean baller called “Koo” they could make a delightfully twee double act.

How far out would this kid be if he did come to the states anyway? It seems like somewhat of a wash if we didnt even see him till 2012 or later, all it would be is bolster to our farm system and no real help to our team in the immediate future! If indeed he is as raw as what Ive seen!

Heh. I wonder why he didn’t sign with Scott Boras. He could be asking for $160 million with Boras touting him as a talent that comes across every 140 or 140 years.

Huang, I might get to as well, but he’s not on the same level as the other two. He’ll likely be in the same boat as Choi and Kim. If he signs, I’ll tell you what I know. If not, it isn’t an extraordinary loss, though it’s worth mentioning the Rangers are also competing for his services.

As to Chapman’s age, there’s been some background rumors that he might actually be twenty-six, but most seem to believe he is what he says he is.