Kenshin Kawakami
Kenshin Kawakami Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com.
It’s kind of interesting that Kawakami isn’t getting more love, because he pitched pretty well last year. His 7-12 record didn’t show it, but his 3.86 ERA did. 13 of his 25 starts were quality starts, but actually he had only five starts in which he gave up more than three earned runs; he had a lot of deep counts and didn’t get out of the sixth on several occasions when he was pitching well. I’d rather have him than Lowe out there.
I would like more strikeouts (six per nine) considering his control problems (3.3 walks per nine, the aforementioned deep counts) but he was sometimes that mythical beast, “effectively wild”, and he never had a game where the walks just overpowered him (no more than four in any start)… He worked in a six-man rotation in Japan, and there was some thought to putting him on long rest as much as possible, but he actually pitched best in normal rotation. His ERA on four days’ rest was 3.48, 4.50 on five days’, 4.45 on six days’ or more. His control was better on long rest (which is odd) but he was more homer-prone… Reverse platoon split, .252/.325/.377 against lefties, .268/.331/.504 against righties.
Looked pretty good as a reliever, and put up a 2.63 ERA, but was 0-2 with a blown save. He did pick up one save, a four-inning job in a blowout.
I like KK. He seemed to turn in his best starts when he faced the other team’s ace. He pitched a gem against Halladay.
February 20th, 2010 at 1:25 pmDid we ever agree on a nickname for Kenshin Kawakami?
With a little luck, he will be an even more effective pitcher in 2010 and yes, I have at least as much confidence in him as the $45 million Lowe….
February 20th, 2010 at 1:26 pmagree with ASG, seems like a guy who is ready to face the games best and stayed with them most of the way, if not better
February 20th, 2010 at 1:41 pmI think we started calling him Dragon Slayer after he beat Halladay.
February 20th, 2010 at 1:55 pmKK improved a lot in the 2nd half of the year, but a lot of his starts were incredibly frustrating. Baserunners everywhere (mostly because of walks) and constantly living on the edge. An SP who can’t throw strikes is painful to watch.
If he pitches the whole year this year like he did the in the second half last year he could have an excellent year. Let’s hope that’s the case.
February 20th, 2010 at 2:30 pmI think I posted it on Facebook, but one of my favorite things about Kawakami-san being a Brave is that I get to see pics of Bobby being ejected on Yahoo Japan.
And Braves highlights on Japanese television.
I don’t have a suggestion on a nickname, but please no kamikaze. Please.
February 20th, 2010 at 4:30 pmyeah, that was my suggestion, and i realize how distasteful (but unintentional at the time) that sounds. i plead ingnorance and i’ve learned better.
February 20th, 2010 at 6:09 pmIsn’t the baseball used in Japanese leagues a different size from the MLB version? And if so, does anyone else think that might have contributed to his early season difficulties?
February 20th, 2010 at 6:13 pmThe Japanese baseball is smaller and less dense and MLB baseballs are more slippery than the Japanese ones. I have no doubt that presents a problem for a transplant, especially a pitcher.
February 20th, 2010 at 6:40 pmHow about ‘Dragonfish’ for a nickname? I dunno why, just kinda popped into my head.
Kenshin ‘Dragonfish’ Kawakami.
I can’t say whether I love him or not, the jury is out until we get into May, however, I like his chances of being our third best starter, ahead of Hudson and Lowe, aka ‘the old, injured guys’.
February 20th, 2010 at 7:01 pmI am almost positive we settled on Shredder
February 20th, 2010 at 7:04 pmDid we ever agree on a nickname for Kenshin Kawakami?
How about The Yellow Peril?
February 20th, 2010 at 7:27 pmIf “Kamikaze” is offensive, I would think “Yellow” anything would be worse.
February 20th, 2010 at 7:41 pmIt was not meant seriously (although it would be seriously awesome).
February 20th, 2010 at 7:43 pmIf he stays a reliever I nominate this for his theme music. Ventures style rendition of traditional Japanese kabuki music, circa 1963. This guy is the Sawamura of Japanese rock and roll.
February 20th, 2010 at 7:47 pmHow about Samurai Ken?
February 20th, 2010 at 7:49 pmThe little Kenshin that Kould.
February 20th, 2010 at 7:53 pmI think I Ken, I think I Ken…
I love KK. He’s a gamer and exciting to watch. I think most of us were aware that his first season in the Majors would be a tough transition for him, but I think he performed very well. When he’s on, his breaking pitches are straight up nasty. An expensive #5 guy for sure, but he would be a solid #3 or 4 for almost any other team.
February 20th, 2010 at 8:24 pmDamon to Detroit – 1/8
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4931560
February 20th, 2010 at 11:38 pmGreetings from Athens, Ga…
KK seems to step it up against the better pitchers, which is somewhat encouraging. Would like to see some length in games, but not holding my breath.
Just got back from the UGA-Bama hoops game. The Tide is no fun to play. Their press gave UGA fits for awhile, but Bama can’t shoot straight. Leslie had a few big moments & Thompkins woke up just in time. Nice to be back in that atmosphere.
February 21st, 2010 at 12:06 amHow was the Vic Chestnut show part 1? Big Sandy was a bit of a bust.
February 21st, 2010 at 12:10 amDamon would have been nice, but for $8M, he can enjoy the Motor City.
February 20th, 2010 at 7:41 pmDOB says all but a physical is standing between the Braves and Salcedo
February 20th, 2010 at 7:45 pmThis is so badass. It’s like something out of 24.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:11 pmI may be the only one relieved that Damon has finally signed with someone else.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:37 pm@25 Of course not. Damon would be useful, but he is not exactly what we need.
February 20th, 2010 at 10:14 pmRyan C:
No sweat, man.
February 20th, 2010 at 10:15 pmSpike:
Okay, that was funny. I also dig the tune.
February 20th, 2010 at 10:16 pm#24–This is one of the current rages where I live….
February 21st, 2010 at 2:30 amI like KK. He also threw a gem against the Red Sox with Dice K last season.
Just browsed through the first ST pics on ajc.com. McCann looks a lot leaner, doesn’t he?
http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/sports/braves/atlanta-braves-022010/
February 21st, 2010 at 2:58 amJust saw a ridiculously good funk a capella group in CA tonight called The House Jacks. Highly recommended.
February 21st, 2010 at 4:12 amTimo @ 30,
Two things: You’d think they would be able to spell ‘Schafer’ correctly, at least by now (not that I can spell worth crap, but hey, when you’re writing for a paper, it is your job); and, who is this Brent Clevlen guy? Apparently from the Tigers organization, but I can’t find much more info on him.
February 21st, 2010 at 4:39 amHow about Pokemon for a nickname? KK is from Japan, looks like pikatchu and sure has superpowers when it matters most.
February 21st, 2010 at 5:29 amTimo,
Danke. Great pictures. #13 is a classic. While at it, I dare to suggest “Speedy” as a new nickname for Brian McCann.
February 21st, 2010 at 5:33 amGoing back to the previous thread, there is an interesting interview John Sickels has done with Howard Norsetter who is the Twins International Scouting coordinator. Norsetter outlines some of the things which the Twins do to enable international prospects to adjust to American life and the minors. The interview can be read here:
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/2/19/1317990/international-players-in-the-twins#storyjump
I wonder if the Braves will send any of their recent European signings to Australia to prepare for the GCL…..
February 21st, 2010 at 6:20 amlooking toward opening day, i wonder if bobby puts the platoon in place the first game of the season. since big z will probably start for the cubs, we’ll probably start melky in left. if you were matt diaz and just came off the best season of your life, would you be upset?
February 21st, 2010 at 8:04 amThe picture of Derek Lowe looks like Roger Dorn arriving for spring training.
February 21st, 2010 at 8:36 am@36 – Diaz is probably used to Bobby’s disrespect by now.
@37 – Bon mot!
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There was a young man in the Vandy crowd wearing a Braves hat yesterday – was that you, Stu?
February 21st, 2010 at 8:50 amTimo -
From a couple of threads ago, Cocoa Beach Country Club is great, 3 courses, reasonable prices, Walkabout in Titusville is Top-Notch and The Majors in Palm Bay is just about PGA quality. Next time your here, drop me a line, they still give me VIP treatment at Lido’s
February 21st, 2010 at 10:04 am38—No, hank, I was in gold with a black VU hat. Woulda gladly traded all of my clothes for a made bucket on one of our many wasted open looks…
February 21st, 2010 at 10:27 amHA, Greg Norton is the hitting coach for the Marlins AAA team
February 21st, 2010 at 10:46 amBowman has Heyward as our starting RF:
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100220&content_id=8106442&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
I guess we were just flirting with Damon….
February 21st, 2010 at 11:29 am@2
I call him “The Shredder”
Guys, I just got back from skiing in Vail, CO. It was outstanding and I recommend it to all of you.
February 21st, 2010 at 11:29 am@42 – That story is 100% revisionist history to make it look like the FO preferred the current Braves outfielders to adding Damon to the mix. A nice gesture, but not true by all accounts/public actions.
February 21st, 2010 at 11:40 amI vote we just stay with “KK.” It’s what most everyone here actually calls him for a nickname.
February 21st, 2010 at 11:41 am#45–Its certainly easier….I like your point about ‘revisionist history’–especially because in this case it is an attempt at official history….
February 21st, 2010 at 11:46 amI dont think the Braves ever planned on having Damon added to the OF. They knew their figure wouldnt get the job done. It has been almost two months since the Braves made a move to improve their team. Im guessing it was something to spike the interest level right before ST
February 21st, 2010 at 12:30 pmI think that the Braves were hoping that they cold low ball Damon–and it appears to have nearly worked.
I will be happy if the Braves sign Edward Salcedo (without exploding their budget for the draft) and look at finding other ways to improve the team….
February 21st, 2010 at 12:54 pmSeeing as how they don’t have a pick in the first round this year they should have money for an international signee in the budget.
February 21st, 2010 at 1:35 pm@47 – I agree, I don’t think the Braves “planned” to have Damon, but I think they certainly wanted and tried to sign him at the right price, which for the Braves was only going to be at about $3-4M for 1 year. From what I can tell they went after him the right way – let him know he’s wanted (call from Chipper) and offer pretty much your best offer and see what happens.
February 21st, 2010 at 1:45 pmI believe the article. The Braves low-balled him because they thought he really wanted to play in Atlanta (which is something they’ve done countless times), and they knew they were going to be out-bid. One thing the article didn’t say that I think went through the FO’s mind is whether or not that $4M would be better spent at the trade deadline getting a bat for the stretch run. Put it this way: the Braves potentially could try Heyward out for the first half of the season, and then if he’s not ready, they could trade a middling prospect for a half season of a guy that has an annual salary of $8M. Since they would only pay for half the season, it would cost them the same amount as Damon would cost, and he may or may not hit $4M more than Heyward would hit anyway.
As for saying that McLouth could be just as good, well I dunno. This is one case where we don’t know what the FO knows. McLouth could be spending his offseason for the first time in his career with the mindset of being a lead-off hitter. The Braves could be impressed with a change in his approach, and feel like he’s going to have a big season. If that’s the case, then why pay Damon to do what McLouth can do already? I can see that thought-process in their decision.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:09 pmAnother thing about McLouth…
I see McLouth as a really similar player to Dustin Pedroia. They have potential for a .300/.370/.480 line and 20/20 (McLouth missed 20/20 by 1 SB), which is really similar to Johnny Damon and would be great out of our lead-off spot. McLouth hit .260/.354/.426 out of the lead-off spot last year and I think he could most definitely improve on that. If we even got that this year, that’s a good lead-off hitter with his stolen base success rate. If all else fails, put Escobar in the lead-off hole. His .377 OBP would work nicely too.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:16 pmI like McClouth as much as the next guy, but a 370 OBP seems optimistic, and a 300/370/480 slash line would make him about the best hitting CF in the NL, non-Beltran division of course.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:43 pmSo I think a 370 OBP is totally possible for McLouth. He walks a lot. But what he isn’t is a high-average hitter, and that’s exactly what Dustin Pedroia is. Pedroia might actually be a true-talent .315 hitter. McLouth is a true-talent .260 hitter. If McLouth hits .300, he /would be/ the best CF in the NL; he’d be pretty near to .300/.400/.500. But predicting that he’d hit .300 is crazy.
February 21st, 2010 at 3:28 pmWell he’s got an ISO of .094. If he could just hit .270 he’d be about right there. I agree that asking him to hit .300 may be a stretch though. .280/.370/.480 would be there sensible.
February 21st, 2010 at 4:37 pmThree inches of new snow today in Central Nebraska, I’ve lost track of how many snowstorms we’ve had this winter, I’ve hardly seen my lawn since October——————I NEED BASEBALL!
February 21st, 2010 at 5:18 pmJust back from Vancouver.
Wow!
What a great city. Whistler felt more like the Winter Olympics though.
I am seriously considering Sochi in 2014.
February 21st, 2010 at 6:58 pmMelky Luv lololol
February 21st, 2010 at 7:46 pmI will say, I’m looking forward to a vision-corrected McLouth.
Also, slight correction there, Rob — his ISO is .194. (I’m sure that’s what you meant, since your math is right on the BA/SLG.)
February 21st, 2010 at 8:24 pmAnyone checked the US-Canada Hockey this evening?
USA USA USA!
February 21st, 2010 at 8:43 pmI watched it and Im not a hockey fan. FWIW, it was awesome
February 21st, 2010 at 8:58 pmCSG, same here. I don’t really watch hockey, but man, that was cool. Those last 6 minutes were just freakin’ awesome.
February 21st, 2010 at 9:02 pmAgree all around. The game made me feel patriotic in the best possible way.
February 21st, 2010 at 11:10 pmAll right, the blog is finally talking my “other” game. Hockey!
But what a game the U.S.A. team played last night. No question about it, this was the biggest upset in U.S.A. winter Olympic Olympic history since 1980 and it’s been 50 years since we beat the Canadians. Ryan Miller was brilliant in goal!
My man Zack Parise (University of North Dakota, GO SIOUX!) He along with nine other W.C.H.A alumni lead the U.S.A men’s ice hockey team in the 2010 winter Olympics.
Here is to hoping for another miracle on ice!
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:17 amI don’t think that Bowman’s story is revisionist history at all. That Damon was still around must have been a surprise and had he actually signed for the token offer made would have been a stunner.
I watched about 5 minutes of the hockey game last night. I’m not a big hockey fan but you could almost smell the testosterone coming from the TV. Tremendous competition.
February 22nd, 2010 at 7:02 amRe 59: I’m pretty sure Rob meant Nate’s IsoD, his difference between BA and OBP, was .094.
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:24 amRuronui Kenshin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurouni_Kenshin
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:26 am#62–I am happy to say that I have a similar reaction to the sport; that said 30 years ago it was a pretty good rush to watch us upset the mighty USSR–and even better to see it in TD….
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:26 amRandy @ 56, where do you live in NE? I’m just north of Wichita, KS and feel exactly the same way!!
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 amThis guy was a total badass – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawakami_Gensai. Not to mention “Four Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu” is an awesome name for your rotation.
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:59 amGood post on Glavine: http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/4603
I must’ve had 12 of those cards.
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:34 amGreat story about USA Hockey’s upset win over Canada, especially on the 30 year Anniversary of “Miracle on Ice” – a darn shame NBC had to insult sports fans everywhere by relegating it to non-high def MSNBC while airing freaking Ice Dancing on the main network in High Def.
http://consumerist.com/2010/02/nbc-continues-to-anger-olympics-viewers-this-time-over-hockey.html
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:55 amAs for the AJC story on our pitching staff, I am quite encouraged by the news that everyone thinks our bullpen is deep and dominant. Must have a different view since I am concerned that Wagner and Saito will not be able to hold up, injury wise.
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:57 am#58
apparently there is a lot of love for the Melkman in Yankeeland. If only I could figure out why.
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:17 pmOh how I wish we had still been in town for that hockey game last night.
The Canadian fans were beginning to get obnoxious. I am sure a hush descended on that country around 7 PM Vancouver time.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:14 pmThe Dodgers apparently have a plan in place to double ticket prices (and revenue, oddly) by 2018 but keep spending static or below. This is a great look behind the scenes at how baseball teams really work.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-revenue22-2010feb22,0,157533.story
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:38 pmif wagner and saito stay healthy, one has to think we’ll have the best pen in the league, or at least top 3. did anyone realize our pen, last year, almost averaged a strikeout per inning? for a whole, that’s phenomenal (448 in 476.2 IP).
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:00 pm