At the Winter Meetings earlier this month, when the Mets were in pursuit of Kodai Senga but the deal wasn’t done, some people pointed out the wry smile that was etched across GM Billy Eppler‘s face while discussing the Japanese ace.
Did Eppler have a good feeling the Mets were about to land the 29-year-old who has massive upside? Maybe. Maybe not.
Either way, while officially introducing Senga as a Met during a news conference on Monday morning at Citi Field, Eppler went into detail about New York’s pursuit and what to expect from Senga as he gets acclimated to Major League Baseball after pitching in Japan.
“We’ve scouted him from afar for a number of years, and we knew when he hit free agency that we would want to make this day a reality,” Eppler said. “Buck (Showalter), Jeremy Hefner, Eric Jagers and myself had a chance to sit down with Kodai in the middle of November. After that meeting, it just reinforced our belief in him.
“Kodai is a highly accomplished pitcher. He was a member of five championship teams in Japan, oftentimes starting Game 1, sometimes starting the clinching game. And in the early years, coming out of the bullpen. He knows what it takes to win. We’re looking forward to adding a player with that kind of resilience to our roster and to our pitching staff. We’re also drawn to Kodai’s resilience and work ethic.”
Added Eppler about the personality traits of Senga’s that impressed the Mets:
“Really a curiosity to learn and to be better. I would classify Kodai as definitely a growth mindset type person,” Eppler explained. “What became apparent was his goal is to win a championship here. … I think the pursuit of the ring, the trophy, the ultimate prize — I think that’s what drives him.”
With the Mets, Senga is expected to slot in behind Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander and be the No. 3 starters.
And while Senga’s upside is incredibly high — numerous scouting reports have pegged him as someone who can pitch near the top of a big league rotation if he hits his ceiling — the scouting reports that tout his huge upside also point out the risks.
To reach his ceiling, Senga will have to improve his secondary pitches, adjust to a new league with a different ball than the one that’s used in Japan, get used to pitching more regularly (most starting pitchers in Japan get the ball just once a week ), and have his stuff translated.
While discussing why the Mets are confident Senga will succeed in making the transition, Eppler touched on the scouting reports and projections, but also singled out Senga’s tools, worth ethic, and desire to grow as a pitcher.
“We rely on our scouting reports, we rely on the projections,” Eppler said. “Oftentimes I reflect back on my upbringing in the game in scouting. Some of my mentors always talked about guys that had impactful tools and big tools. And we try to gravitate towards that because they’ll show up in big-time games.
“As far as Kodai’s concerned, he encompasses impact level pitches and an impact level arsenal. It was a decision that we made based on a number of scouting reports and a lot of the data that we were able to capture from them. And just kind of watching him and getting to know him over the years.”
On Senga’s desire to grow, Eppler noted:
“One of the things that really stood out was this guy is very growth-minded. He wants to get better, he’s asking lots of questions, he’s very curious. I think that characteristic as well as the resiliency I was just talking about gives him as good a chance as any.”
Speaking specifically about Senga’s stuff, Eppler was effusive in his praise. But he eventually came back to the mental aspects of Senga’s game.
“Obviously the tools. It’s a strong fastball, it’s a curveball, slider. It’s a forkball that has been nicknamed in Japan the “Ghost Fork.” He’s just a really complete pitcher,” Eppler said. “And also his resiliency. He scratched and clawed his way to a very high level in the NPB. … It’s the resiliency as well as the ability.
“You kind of go back to the foundation of scouting, which is big tools. And big tools play in big spots. He’s rolling around with a fastball of 93 [mph] to 99. Some have seen him as high as 100. But he knows how to use it. … He has an understanding of what he wants to accomplish, he knows he’s got the weapons to do it. He also knows that there’s a lot of learning to do. He’s been a sponge. He’s been here this weekend working with some of our staff already, just trying to develop a foundation for the season and the things he needs to do to be successful here.”