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'Already' Japanese Premier 12 preparation begins... Following the national team coach, Sasaki, Yomiu
Japan seems to be quickly preparing for the Premier 12. Japan national baseball team manager Hirokazu Ibata is visiting each team's spring campgrounds to check the starting resources.
Japan's Sponichienex reported on the 6th (Korea time) that "Shosei Togo went into bullpen pitching at the Miyazaki camp of the Yomiuri Giants," adding, "He threw 46 balls with a combination of curves, cut fast balls and fork balls." He didn't throw as much as he could from the first pitch, but his condition gradually improved.
Togo explained, "Throwing like that is more effective at keeping balance. This is the theme of the camp. I'm planning to throw like this in the game as well."
Togo made his professional debut after being drafted by the Yomiuri Giants with the sixth pick in the 2018 draft. The 2022 season was his prime. He was the Pacific League's strikeout king with 154 strikeouts, with 12-8 losses and a 2.62 ERA in 25 games and 171 innings. As a result, he has established himself as the Yomiuri Giants' ace.
He has a total of 96 games (609 ⅔ innings) with 43 wins and 27 losses with a 2.98 ERA and 550 strikeouts in five seasons.
Thanks to these performances, Togo was selected to the WBC National Team in March last year. He came out of the bullpen in the competition and contributed to Japan's victory.
The upturn continued even after the tournament ended and the season began. He went 12-5 with a 2.38 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 24 games. He won 10 games for the second year in a row.
Togo has started preparing for the 2024 season. He is also in good shape at the camp.
Especially on this day, the head coach of the national team Ibata visited the Yomiuri camp and watched Togo. Nikkan Sports said, "Togo is expected to start the Premier 12 tournament."
Ibata recently visited Lotte Campground in Chiba and watched Rocky Sasaki pitch in the bullpen. We are constantly checking the physical conditions of the starting players.
Togo said, "I won't be selected if I don't do well. My role is to throw long innings for the national team. Being able to face various hitters in world competitions is a big advantage," expressing his determination to join the national team
SD agrees to a four-year contract with veteran left-hander Peralta... "Set-Man option with Ko W
San Diego signed a four-year contract with Peralta.
The official Major League Baseball website reported on February 1 (Korea time) that the San Diego Padres agreed to a contract with Wandy Peralta.
San Diego is signing Peralta to a $16.5 million, four-year contract. Other details are not yet known, and the contract is expected to be officially announced once the physical process is completed.
Peralta, a left-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic born in 1991, made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2016. He spent eight seasons in the big leagues with the Cincinnati, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees. His career record over eight seasons is 385 games, 345.2 innings, 19 wins, 18 losses, 61 holds, 13 saves, and a 3.88 ERA.
Peralta improved after moving to the Yankees from San Francisco during the 2021 season. After moving to the Yankees, he recorded a 10-9 record, 32 holds, 11 saves, and a 2.82 ERA in 153 innings in 165 games. Last season, he was a key member of the Yankees bullpen, recording a 2.83 ERA with four 18 holds in 63 games.
San Diego's best left-hander bullpen Josh Hader has left as a free agent. When he needed to reinforce his left-hander bullpen, he hired Japanese pitcher Yuki Matsui, and this time, he also brought Peralta. It seems that the two players are trying to fill the gap left by Hader.
MLBcom predicts San Diego will move setup man Robert Suarez to closer and see Peralta, Matsui, Ko Woo-suk, Tom Cosgrove, Stephen Wilson and Enel de Los Santos as setup man options.
Will Go to Annual Salary Hearing... KRW 24 Billion Highest Booking Rate Ever, Explodes Confidence &q
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who secured at least $18.05 million (about 24 billion won) in salary and received the highest salary ever for a player who went through a Major League Baseball salary adjustment hearing, predicted a strong performance in the new season.
Major League Baseball's leading video game "MLB The Show" announced on the 31st (Korea Standard Time) that it selected Guerrero as its cover model for 2024. The MLB The Show series, which boasts global popularity, features superstars representing Major League Baseball every year with their best skills and popularity.
The son continues his legacy 18 years after his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who was a cover model in 2006. Gary Roy has extraordinary storylines and star potential, but he is considered somewhat surprising in that he struggled with a batting average of 0.264 (159 hits in 602 at-bats), 26 homers, 94 RBIs and an OPS of 0.788 in 156 games last year.
According to MLB.com , Ramon Russell, the brand manager of MLB The Show, said, "It was really easy to choose Guerrero as the cover model. His father is a big part of it, too, but we wanted to focus on him," adding that a special documentary was filmed in Guerrero's hometown of the Dominican Republic last month to shed light on his growth.
In interviews with local media, including The Associated Press, Guerrero said, "I feel emotions that are inexplicable. I'm really happy to follow in his father's footsteps and grace the cover. I grew up playing this game since I was young. I appeared on the cover of a game I played with my friends and family. It came true. I want everyone to be a cover model," he expressed his joy.
He became famous as the son of his father, Guerrero, who entered the Hall of Fame. In 2021, in his third year since debut, he hit .31 with a batting average of 188 for 604, 48 home runs, 111 RBIs, 123 runs, a .411 on-base percentage, a .612 slugging percentage, and an OPS 1.002. His potential exploded. He led the American League in home runs, runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. Although he was not named the MVP because he was blocked by Shohei Ohtani, who played full-time with a double, he finished second in the vote.
Question marks have begun to appear as the performance has declined for two consecutive years, but this year, he is adjusting his swing mechanism to bounce back. "I may not notice it with my own eyes, but I am improving my technology to minimize movement," Guerrero said, expressing confidence, "This will be my season. I am 100 percent confident that it will be a great year."
Guerrero, who was out of normal condition last year due to injuries to his left wrist and right knee, is also focusing on treatment and muscle strengthening to prevent his injury from worsening. "Injuries are also a part of sports. I don't want to say that I wasn't feeling well. Now I'm 100 percent healthy." "I'm 150 percent confident that I'll be back to my normal self," he said.
Guerrero is also facing a salary adjustment hearing. He received $14.5 million last year and asked for $19 million this year, his second year in eligibility for salary adjustment, but Toronto offered $18.05 million, a $1.85 million gap. In the salary hearing, a three-member panel meets the terms of both the club and the players. Whatever the results, he booked the highest salary ever among the players who went to the salary adjustment hearing, surpassing Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers), who received $14 million from the Seattle Mariners last year.
Guerrero, who will become a free agent after the next two seasons, has not heard about extending his contract with Toronto. Due to Guerrero's recent slump, long-term contracts are not easy. If Guerrero recovers this year, discussions over contract extension will likely become more active.
I got in trouble because I caught myself eating a hamburger... I'm leaving Tottenham for Saudi Arabi
Will Tanguy Ndombele go to Saudi via Galatasaray, Turkiye?
British media 'The Boot Room' reported on the 25th (Korea Standard Time) that 'Saudi Arabia's Al-Etifa coach Steven Gerrard is interested in recruiting Ndombele.'
"RET Park's Jordan Henderson moved to Ajax in the January transfer market," he said, adding, "Coach Gerard is considering a transfer of Ndombele."
He also said, "Ndombele joined Galatasaray on loan. He often showed disappointing performances. There were suggestions that his lease could be shortened."
In fact, Italian media outlet Tutomercato said, "Both Al Etipak and Ren want Ndombele."
Ndombele is the highest paid transfer target in Tottenham's history. In the 2019-20 season when he joined the club, he recorded a transfer fee of 65 million pounds (about W110.5 billion). This is how much expectation he had for his activities and creativity in the midfield.
Ndombele, who was quiet in his first season, made his presence known the following year with six goals and four assists in a total of 46 matches. He played well, starting 28 of 33 Premier League matches.
But that was all. With his role scaled back in the 2021-22 season, he had to go on loan to his hometown team, Lyon. It was the same for the following year. Ndombele, who was excluded from Tottenham's plans, moved to Napoli on loan. He came off the bench and played well, but there was no complete transfer. He returned to Tottenham ahead of this season. However, Coach Enzi Postekoglou had no intention of using him. He had to go on loan again.
He heads to Turkye. His performance is still disappointing. He has one assist in 17 games this season. His role in the team is small enough to start only 4 of 12 league games.
He is not even taking care of his body. This is because he has not been taking care of his weight since joining Galatasaray. He is already failing to take care of his weight, and is causing problems such as eating hamburgers at night. Rumor has it that he gained 6kg after moving. As a result, local reports said he wanted to cancel the contract. It was said that Galatasaray had no intention of working with Ndombele.
Tottenham and Ndombele will not be able to go together. Tottenham want him to leave. If Al Etipak shows interest in recruiting, Tottenham will also actively negotiate. Bootroom said, "Tottenham will have given up hope of recovering Ndombele's transfer fee. If he goes to Saudi Arabia and plays, it will help increase his value."
Munich, Kane from Tottenham → Deer → Trippier, turned to Mukiele
Bayern Munich gave up Kieran Trippier and turned to Nordi Mukiele.
The global sports media ESPN reported on the 24th (Korea Standard Time) that "Munich has stopped paying attention to Newcastle United's fullback Trippier and is interested in Paris Saint-Germain's fullback Mukiele."
"Munich offered 8 million euros (about 11.6 billion won) and 15 million euros (about 21.7 billion won), but Newcastle is reluctant to transfer to Trippier and offered only 20 million euros (about 29 billion won) in Trippier's ransom," he explained.
Munich bought a series of Tottenham Hotspur players. Munich struggled with the absence of a striker last season and pushed for Harry Kane ahead of this season. Kane became Tottenham's best striker but did not win the title. Kane needed a win and Munich needed a striker. The interests of the two sides were compatible, and after a long courtship, Munich held Kane in their arms.
Eric Dier was brought into the winter transfer window. Munich has suffered from a shortage of center backs this season. He had three outstanding center backs in Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, and Matthijs de Ligt, but Upamecano and De Ligt were injured one after another. Munich chose Dier, who could play center backs and defensive midfielders.
Next up was Trippier. Munich had Benjamin Pavard on the left and Nusair Mazraoui on the less-than-expected performance. Munich did not have a right fullback, so midfielder Konrad Reimer was the right fullback. Munich stepped up to reinforce its right fullback and hired Trippier. Trippier is a fullback with a sharp kick. He is experienced and very skilled. However, Newcastle had no intention of sending Trippier easily, and Munich had to find another alternative.
Turning to Mukiele, who Munich showed interest in. Mukiele is a player who can play both right fullback and center back. Excellent physique conditions and mobility ensure his role in the defensive end. He boasts a wide range of defense because he has fast feet. He shows off his strength defensively, but he also lacks some offensive skills. He is not very skilled, so he does not often produce threatening scenes when he joins the attack as a fullback.
The key is for PSG to find a replacement for Mukiele. RMC Sports, a French media outlet, said, "Munich showed interest in Mukiele of PSG. PSG will approve the sale if it finds a replacement for Mukiele. Joshua Kimmich was offered as a replacement at the time, but it seems difficult to realize."
