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Friday, December 9, 2011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Tribe Prospect Countdown #27 RHP Toru Murata

6'0", 175 lbs, 27 in 2012

2011 Stats (A+ Kinston): 3-2, 2.36, 0.95 WHIP, .208 OBA, 1.8 BB/9, 10.5 K/9

I struggled with the inclusion of Murata. Does a fully formed, 26 year old foreign import truly rate as a prospect? In the end, I decided not to think too hard about it. Toru, who will begin 2012 in AA, will certainly be an option for the Indians in 2013, if not this coming season. His 2011 numbers speak for themselves, although they were against younger competition and he did miss much of the middle months with right arm soreness. Murata's fastball velocity is a pretty standard 92, but this is no four-seamer. In fact, it's not even a this, it's a these. Toru features both a forkball and a cutter, complimented with the usual curve/slider/change mix. As he progresses towards the bigs, he will likely play as a reliever and two or three of these will become afterthoughts as the organization hones his focus on his best offerings. You may wonder about his delivery, since he hails from the Far East. Not to worry, the motion is compact and, frankly, reminds me of former Seattle closer Kaz Sasaki. BIP wise, Murata does allow quite a few fly balls (0.73 GO/AO), you have to respect limiting the opposition to just 2 home runs in nearly 50 innings pitched. Perhaps his most marketable skill is his pinpoint control, exemplified by a 58:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. With an effective US season under his belt, truncated as it may have been, Toru now needs to show the ability to stay healthy and maintain his performance against more polished hitters. His age is the only reason that Murata is so far down this list. Thus, if he can advance quickly next season, he will become a much more heralded asset.

Up Next: #26 RHP - Jake Sisco