Junichi Tazawa Signed by Boston Red Sox
November 29, 2008 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under News, Transactions
According to numerous reports, Junichi Tazawa is about to be signed by the Boston Red Sox. The contract Tazawa, who is a pitcher out of Japan, will sign is unknown at this time.
Tazawa is an interesting story because the 22-year-old decided to bypass the regular Japan league draft to come to the United States. Instead of coming to the U.S. from the Japanese professional league, Tazawa is out of the corporate league in Japan.
Since Tazawa bypassed the Japanese draft, some Major League Baseball teams didn’t want to pursue him fearing repercussions from the Japanese professional league. After Tazawa bypassed the draft, the Japanese professional league made a new rule that banned players who elect to bypass the draft.
Tazawa’s main attribute as a pitcher is his fastball — which reaches 97 MPH on the radar gun. There’s a good chance that Tazawa will begin his Red Sox career in the bullpen.
