Two-way prospect signs with A's, creating rare exit from Japan.
A viral Instagram post showcased Japanese teen Shotaro Morii's baseball skills, attracting attention from major league scouts for the Athletics.
Decades of tradition were flipped upside down thanks to an Instagram post featuring Shotaro Morii, a teenager showing off his skills on a dirt field in Japan. He threw heat at 92 mph and swung with power. The Oakland Athletics didn’t hesitate; scout Toshiyuki Tomizuka quickly confirmed, “This guy is bona fide.” On Wednesday, Morii broke the mold, signing a $1.5 million minor-league deal with the A’s, becoming the first top Japanese prospect ever to skip the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league entirely in pursuit of an MLB career.
Morii’s move challenges a 30-year norm that pressured elite Japanese talent to first prove themselves in the NPB. He wanted to seize his moment, stating, “I did not want to regret my decision.” With waves of change in the air, scouts are now targeting Japanese amateurs while younger fans support this shift. Morii’s courageous leap not only simplifies paths for future prospects but also places him at the forefront of a potential transformation in how Japan interacts with MLB. “He’s carved his own way thus far,” said Steve Sharpe, the A’s scouting director. “And I’m not gonna be shocked if he has success carving his own way again.”
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