Yoshinobu Yamamoto's first performance, and why not to worry.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted just one inning during Thursdays 15-11 loss to the Padres. During this one inning, he gave up five earned runs, four hits, one walk, while landing two strikeouts. He also got the loss on the game. Heres the reason that were telling you to not freak out and trade Yoshinobu if he is on your team.
If you're thinking about trading Yoshinobu Yamamoto based off this last performance, we would highly advise you not to. Yamamoto is still one of, if not the highest rated pitching prospect of this generation. His averages in Japan last year was a insane 1.21 ERA, with 164 IP and one shutout. He also had 169 K and a 0.884 WHIP, with a 16-6 record in the JPPL.
A reminder to you that Yamamoto was only 23 at the time, and now he is entering his age 25 season as a rookie in the MLB. The reason that critics are so disapointed with him after this performance is that he signed a 12 year, $325 million deal, while only getting $5 million this year and $10 million next year. Along with the fact that he signed with his World Baseball Classic teamate from Team Japan, Shohei Ohtani, who is the best player in baseball right now and had just signed the largest deal in MLB history for 10 years, $700 million. The fact of the matter is, everyone will be watching Yoshinobu Yamamoto because of the deal he signed, his teamate Ohtani, and the team that he plays for.
So, if you saw a Instagram post or a Tiktok telling you to "sell on Yamamoto", they are just saying it for clicks and you shouldn't listen to them. In fact, if you dont have Yoshinobu Yamamoto on your team, this would be the perfect opportunity to buy low on him as he will be a great pickup and a great pitcher for the rest of the year. Depending on the league you're in, he varies from being a top 20 to a top 10 pitcher. For example, in Redraft leagues Yamamoto is a top 15 pitcher. But, in Dynasty Leagues, he is a top 5 pitcher because of his age. The moral is, dont sell on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but if you can, buy low.
Key: JPPL- Japan Pacific League ERA-Earned Run Average ER-Earned Run IP-Innings Pitched K-Strikeout WHIP- Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched