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The Jays signed Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year $37 million contract this summer.
Kikuchi is a mass of potential, but getting that potential to show up on the mound is the issue.
It doesn’t seem like signing him to a three-year dealt was the best move, at least at the moment. We hoped that Pete Walker would find a way to unlock that potential. And he might, but it hasn’t happened yet.
| W | L | ERA | G | GS | GF | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | BK | WP | BF | ERA+ | FIP | H9 | HR9 | BB9 | SO9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | 5.12 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 65.0 | 61 | 43 | 37 | 14 | 41 | 0 | 74 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 295 | 78 | 5.81 | 8.4 | 1.9 | 5.7 | 10.2 |
Yusei did have an excellent May. 5 starts, with a 2.36 ERA. Batters hit just .177/.269/.260 against hit. We saw why the team signed him. But that didn’t carry over to June (7.17 ERA in 6 starts, batters hit .314/.416/.721).
The worst of it is his walk rate (13.9%, up from 9.3 last year). And he’s giving up more hard contact than last year (41.4%, up from 33.9). A lot of hard contact and a lot of walks is a bad combination.
He’s on the IL now. I’d imagine the team will have him out on a rehab assignment for as long as they are allowed. Let one of the minor league pitching coaches work with him and see if a different voice can help.
It is had to give up on a guy who can throw mid-90s. I’m sure the team won’t be giving up on him this year, but next year he will have to be better, or I can’t imagine the team will keep him around.
Poll
For the first half I’d give Yusei Kikuchi an
This poll is closed
-
0%
A
(9 votes) -
0%
B+
(4 votes) -
0%
B
(4 votes) -
0%
B-
(9 votes) -
2%
C+
(29 votes) -
5%
C
(58 votes) -
12%
C-
(126 votes) -
11%
D+
(117 votes) -
18%
D
(199 votes) -
14%
D-
(147 votes) -
33%
F
(346 votes)
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