Yasuhiko Yabuta

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #10 prospect in 2008
  The first Japanese free agent ever signed by the Royals, Yabuta agreed to a two-year contract worth $6 million in December. He spent his first eight years in Japan as a starter, but found more success when Bobby Valentine moved him to the bullpen in 2004. Yabuta registered 86 holds for the Chiba Lotte Mariners over the past three seasons and drew attention by striking out Alex Rodriguez, Derrek Lee and Johnny Damon during the World Baseball Classic. Royals director of international operations Rene Francisco and special assistant Louie Medina discovered Yabuta while spending considerable time in Japan as part of the team's increased Pacific Rim presence. New manager Trey Hillman, who spent the past five years skippering the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, confirmed their positive reports. Yabuta throws a 90-92 mph fastball and controls the pitch down in the strike zone. His out pitch is a plus changeup with some late fade. It's deceptive because he deploys it with the same arm action as his fastball. He use his changeup and a forkball to keep lefthanders at bay. He throws strikes with ease. Yabuta struggled as a starter because he didn't have a good breaking ball. Coming out of the bullpen, he doesn't use his slider as much. The track record of Japanese relievers in the U.S. majors is strong, but he still has to adjust to big league hitters and an entirely new culture. The Royals will immediately plug Yabuta into their big league bullpen. With David Riske departing as a free agent, Yubota will be the primary setup man for Joakim Soria.