This little bit comes from Keith Law's "Top 40 Free agents". Igawa comes only at 31st, behind the likes of Borowski (sigh). I like his "mini-scouting" on the players, especially the pitchers, of the list. Not quite sure he would be the solution, and certainly not as our #3 starter.

Share your thoughts:

"One of the best left-handed starters in Japan, Igawa wasn't expected to come over this winter as a free agent, but his current employer, the Hanshin Tigers, has apparently made an about-face and will post him this week. Igawa is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, with a below-average fastball in the 84-88 mph range with a little run, and a plus 74-79 mph curveball with a late two-plane break. He has a slight stabbing motion at the start of his delivery, but stays on top of the ball well, giving the curve its good depth and creating some downhill plane to his otherwise flat fastball. He also has average command and plus control.

The downside to Igawa is that his fastball may be a little short for MLB hitters, in which case, he'll end up a reliever, and probably a good one with that plus curve as a lefty-killing weapon. (He does throw an occasional changeup, but prefers to use his curve to get righties out as well.) The upside would be if his quick delivery makes the ball hard enough for hitters to pick up that his fastball plays up to average, in which case he could certainly pitch in the back end of an NL rotation. He's also an ideal candidate to learn a splitter, although that's a common pitch in Asia and it would be a surprise if he hadn't already tried one."

I mean, two pitches? And one of them below average?

Shiza Minelli I hope I'm not breaking any laws here...