Brandon Gomes Reveals What Stood Out to Dodgers in Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Game

Dodgers fans should get excited to watch this young man pitch.

The Dodgers shocked baseball when they signed NPB superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year $325 million contract. Not only did Yamamoto receive the largest contract ever for a pitcher, but he did so without ever throwing a pitch in MLB.

With modern technology and scouting, teams can project a prospect's ceiling and capabilities better than ever. So, when handing out a record-breaking contract, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes had to be very confident in who he was signing.

On a recent podcast with Jon Heyman, Gomes opened up about what he saw when scouting Yamamoto over the past few years,

The stuff is electric and high end. The command is something that you just don’t see all that often anymore. And it’s those two combining that makes us feel really good about his ability to navigate big league lineups. And he’s gonna have multiple weapons to get guys out. On nights that he doesn’t have one of his pitches, he’s gonna be able to command other pitches to get outs effectively.

Per 

Brandon Gomes

Yamamotos' pitches speak for themselves. He has four quality pitches headlined by a 90 mph splitter that already looks like one of the best in baseball. 

The command though may be the most exciting part of Yamamoto's game. In an era where more pitchers can throw 100 mph, individual pitch metrics can take precedence over pitch command and placement.

Last year, Yamamoto had a 4% walk rate in NPB. For reference, only three pitchers in MLB had a lower walk rate last year - George Kirby, Zach Efflin, and Logan Webb. The combination of his pitches and placement is what projects him as an elite MLB pitcher.

Gomes did not stop there though. He continued to praise Yamamoto for his work ethic and competitiveness,

And then layer on how much he cares about his body, his routine, being as dialed as possible for every start, it’s something where it’s, ‘Okay, this is someone you want to bet on long term.’ And, he, like Shohei, wanted to win and felt like this was a great place for him and that the support staff that we have and the resources we can provide, they were all a good fit for what he was looking for.

Per 

Brandon Gomes

Yamamoto looks like the complete package. He has the talent and mentality to make him a baseball ace right away. It's no wonder the Dodgers felt so comfortable committing such a large financial obligation to him.