Junichi Tazawa News

Certainly one of the most hyped-up members of this free agent class, 21-year old Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman has seen his share of media coverage since he first defected earlier this year, during the much maligned World Baseball Classic.

Boston Red Sox Top 20 Prospects for 2010. All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.

Prospects: Clay Buchholz , Casey Kelly , Ryan Westmoreland , Junichi Tazawa , Michael Bowden , Ryan Kalish , Josh Reddick , Lars Anderson Potential major losses: Jason Bay Major Free Agents after 2010: Josh Beckett , Victor Martinez , Mike Lowell , David Ortiz Infield: Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis , and Dustin Pedroia put together a very good ...

Baseball Prospectus released their list of the Top 11 Red Sox prospects, with an additional 4 noted after that, for a total of the Top 15.

Will he play in the major leagues or sign with a Japanese team? Speculation was rife until six Japanese pro baseball clubs named Yusei Kikuchi, the ace pitcher of Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, as their top draft pick Thursday.

One less prospect for the 2010 Handbook : Yusei Kikuchi decided Sunday that he won't follow Junichi Tazawa's path.

Kikuchi opts for Japan over U.S. HANAMAKI, Iwate Pref. Hanamaki Higashi High School left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on Sunday announced his decision to play in Japan next year after recent interviews with all 12 domestic and eight major league clubs.

In their bid to become big-time players in the burgeoning international talent market, the Rangers are doing everything they can to woo 18-year-old Yusei Kikuchi to bypass professional baseball in Japan, stiff-arm a dozen MLB clubs, and sign with Texas.

The Texas Rangers intensified their courtship of a young Japanese left-handed pitcher by sending one of their own young left-handers on a weekend recruiting trip across the Pacific Ocean.

Welcome to the offseason, which means I will try to take time once each week to answer all of your questions.

On their last venture into Japan, the Indians signed right-hander Masa Kobayashi to a two-year, $6.2 million deal.

Long widely and casually assumed, the concept of the Yankees' hegemony and its sheer inevitability has been ravaged since the memorable autumn of '04. So when the Bronx bullies ran roughshod over the Fenway pets the last couple of months it was easy for "the Nation" - " its collective mind gripped by group-think, like that of any other cult - " to ...

The Indians have shown an interest in high-profile Japanese pitching prospect Yusei Kikuchi, but it's unclear whether Kikuchi is committed to coming to the Major Leagues.

Brad Lincoln, rhp, Altoona 11. Hector Rondon, rhp, Akron 12. Josh Reddick, of, Portland 13.

They were one misfortune away. One oblique strain or pulled hamstring or line drive to the knee from the situation turning dire.

He spoke with sarcasm and meant it in jest, though still he managed to sum the sentiments of a fan base in no mood for a joke.

With the postseason on everyone's mind, it must be hard for the players to concentrate on the last couple of meaningless regular-season games this weekend at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox continue to keep dodging bullets. Saturday might have been their luckiest day yet.

Rocco Baldelli went to bed on Friday night hoping for the best. With the playoffs right around the corner, there's no worse time to receive a visit from the injury bug than the final days of the regular season.

Junichi Tazawa, who is on the DL, talked to the media early Wednesday morning after a Red Sox loss but the Sox clinched the 2009 American League Wild Card regardless because a late night west coast loss by the Rangers to the Angles.