Japanese two-way player Shotaro Morii signs with A’s

The Athletics made waves to kick off the 2025 international signing period, signing 18-year-old two-way player Shotaro Morii to a $1,510,500 million contract, the largest bonus ever given to a Japanese amateur outside of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan.

A left-handed hitter with 45 high school home runs to his credit, Morii has also been clocked up to 95 mph on the hill. This potential to impact both sides of the diamond made Morii a potential top-10 pick in the NPB draft.

Scouts see Morii’s long-term future in the batter’s box, but he will play his entire first professional season at age 18, giving him plenty of room for development as he acclimates to the rigors of pro ball .

At the plate, Morii exhibits a smooth swing with tremendous balance. His high-octane throwing arm plays well at shortstop, but could also help facilitate an eventual transition to third base as his 6-foot-1 frame fills out.

Morii becomes the latest Japanese teenager to chart a unique path. Rintaro Sasaki, the nation’s all-time leader in high school home runs, is attending Stanford University and will first be eligible for the draft in 2026. The slugging first baseman has previous stints in the Draft League and the Appalachian League last summer, where he showed his power. exploits.