Two-way high school star Shotaro Morii signed with Major League Baseball’s Athletics, the team announced Wednesday, with a $1.5 million signing bonus that is reportedly a record for a Japanese amateur.
A left-handed hitter who belted 45 home runs during his time at Tokyo’s Toho high school, Mori has touched 153 kilometers (95 miles) per hour as a right-handed pitcher. The A’s said they want to develop him as a two-way player.
“I feel really happy to be able to do both,” Morii told an online press conference. “I want to make the most of this chance.”
Shotaro Morii attends an online press conference on Jan. 15, 2025, after signing a minor league contract with the Athletics. (Kyodo)
Nippon Professional Baseball teams had considered Morii one of the top prospects ahead of last autumn’s new-player entry draft, but the youngster instead chose to turn pro abroad.
“It’s a historic day for our organization,” A’s assistant general manager Dan Feinstein said.
“We are anxious and excited to watch Shotaro both pitch and hit as he begins his ascent through our minor league system beginning this spring.”
An A’s team official speaking to Kyodo News by phone said Morii took batting practice at the club’s complex in Arizona and “was as impressive as we expected.”
“His hitting is more advanced than his pitching right now, but that could change,” the official said of the 185-centimeter Morii. “He’s a shortstop with a power bat, who has good fluid motion in the way he runs and swings.”
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