Let’s Watch Shohei Otani Throw 31 Pitches 99-101 MPH In One Start

Most pitchers who sit in the upper-90s are relievers. Maintaining that type of top-of-the-scale velocity deep into the game or even for more than a couple of innings is rare, aside from a few mutants like Noah Syndergaard.

Put Japanese righthander Shohei Otani into that rare category pitchers who can maintain that high-octane velocity throughout their starts. On Sunday, the 21-year-old threw seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, a start in which he threw 31 pitches between 99-101 mph. You can see all those pitches in the three-minute video below.

Otani is the best pitcher in the world who isn’t currently in Major League Baseball. He leads the Pacific League in strikeouts (99) and ranks second in ERA (2.42), with 32 walks in 85 2/3 innings. His 101 mph fastball is a record for Nippon Professional Baseball.

Yet Otani’s pitching stats might not even be the most impressive part of his 2016 performance. He’s also raking as a two-way player, batting .337/.427/.673 in 124 plate appearances with nine home runs, 17 walks and 26 strikeouts.

And that’s coming from a player who is slightly younger than pitchers Dillon Tate, Tyler Jay and Carson Fulmer, all top 10 overall draft picks out of college last year. It might be a while before Otani ever gets the opportunity to sign with an MLB team, but when he does, let’s hope it’s with a National League club.