MLB’s annual international signing period opened Wednesday and while the baseball world awaits Roki Sasaki’s decision, the Athletics have rushed to sign a vaunted two-way player from Japan. The A’s signed 18-year-old Shotaro Morii to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,510,500, according to the Associated Press.
“I wanted to join the professional baseball environment as soon as possible,” Morii said during his introductory Zoom call (per the Associated Press). “…Continue to fulfill my dream of becoming a great player. I didn’t want to regret my decision when I think about my whole life and my whole career.”
Typically, Japanese players are drafted or sign with Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball teams after high school, then later come to MLB as free agents or through the posting system (like Sasaki). Morii took the rare step of skipping NPB altogether. He signed with the A’s right out of high school, where he played shortstop and was also a right-handed pitcher.
This $1.5 million bonus is a record for a Japanese amateur player not from the NPB, according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan.
Baseball America ranked Morii as the 25th top prospect in this year’s international free agent class. Here is an extract from their reconnaissance report:
Morii has a simple, effortless swing from the left side of the plate… (He has a) knack for making contact with bat speed to get good speed and chase balls out of the park to his side of the plate. traction. An average runner, Morii moves well at shortstop, with smooth actions and a plus arm. He could stay at that position, but if he continues as a two-way player it could present a challenge. On the mound, he hit 94 mph and showed feel with both a slider and splitter, with a curveball as a showcase pitch as well. He’ll need to tighten up his control, but he has the chops to be a legitimate prospect if that were his only position.
“He is a very talented baseball player with enough athleticism and mobility to play both shortstop and pitching,” AGM Dan Feinstein said over Zoom (according to Associated Press). “But beyond his physical abilities, what struck us most was his passion for the game and his unwavering desire to be one of the next great Japanese players.”
Rintaro Sasaki, a Japanese high school phenom projected to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 NPB Draft, completely ignored NPB and instead committed to Stanford last June. The 19-year-old hit .257/.439/.505 with seven homers in 35 summer league games last year. He will join the Stanford baseball team this spring and will be eligible for the 2026 MLB amateur draft.
The annual amateur draft includes players from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Everyone else can sign as international free agents. All 30 MLB teams each receive a bonus to spend on international amateurs each signing period. The A’s have a bonus pool of $7,555,500 this year, and teams are allowed to trade for an additional 60% of their original pool.
Because he is under 25, Roki Sasaki, 23, is subject to international bonus pools and limited to a minor league contract. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was free to sign his record $325 million contract last offseason because he was 25 and no longer subject to bonuses.
