Phillies going to obscure, great lengths to find next great Japanese pitcher

The Philadelphia Phillies made waves with their unexpected pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason. While the two-time Nippon Professional Baseball MVP eventually landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 12-year, $325 million contract, the Phillies reportedly offered more than $300 million to the 25-year-old. Yamamoto would have joined a starting rotation that already includes Zack Wheeler and the recently re-upped Aaron Nola.

That was not the Phillies' first or only step toward an expanded presence in the Asian market. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Dave Dombrowski and the Philadelphia front office want to increase scouting efforts in Japan and others Asian countries.

"There’s no question we’ve taken a significant jump,” Dombrowski said. “The play [in Asia] continues to improve. The players continue to improve. You want to make sure you’re as thorough as possible."

The Phillies recently hired more Asian scouts, with two based in Japan, one in Taiwan, and one in Korea. Dombrowski instructed assistant GM Jorge Velandia to focus on Asia, in addition to Latin America. More U.S. scouts have been traveling to Japan as well.

Now, the Phillies are taking their international scouting efforts to new heights. According to Sankei Sports, Philadelphia is holding pitching tryouts in Japan. The first round will include a video screening process, with applicants needing to cross at least 145 KM (roughly 91 MPH) on the radar gun.

Phillies hold open pitching tryouts in Japan

Nobody can doubt the seriousness of Philadelphia's front office when it comes to expanding their horizons and finding talent in new corners of the globe. Japan has become a hotbed for all-world pitchers, from Shohei Ohtani, to Yamamoto, to the highly-anticipated Roki Sasaki coming down the pipeline in 2025.

Philadelphia will continue to occupy the front of the line when it comes to scouting and pursuing Japanese players in the future. The rest of the league is following suit, of course. The Dodgers and Angels are premier destinations for Asian free agents. The allure of playing next to Ohtani and Yamamoto is strong, while the Giants recently broke into the Korean market to sign Jung Hoo Lee. Naturally, the west coast teams have an edge over Philadelphia and the eastern seaboard.

Even so, the Phillies are smart to double and triple efforts overseas. All it takes is one unearthed gem to change the direction of their franchise. The Phillies have made it to the NLCS twice in a row. There are few more sustainable contenders in the MLB. With Bryce Harper at the center of their recruiting apparatus — not to mention the impending free agency of Zack Wheeler — expect the Phillies to continue making plays for the top pitchers in Japan.