Akinori Otsuka

Otsuka posted a tidy 1.07 WHIP and 2.11 ERA thanks largely to just 11 walks in 59.2 innings. He unexpectedly found himself closing games after Francisco Cordero's early struggles and never relinquished the job. Eric Gagne's signing clouds his outlook, but he still figures to get some saves with Gagne's injury history. There's another nice season awaiting, though knock him down a buck or two in 5x5 leagues due to a declining strikeout rate.

After an all-world debut in 2004, Otsuka fell back down to earth in 2005, seeing his walk rate rise and his strikeout rate fall. Since he's averaged 70 appearances over the last two years with the Padres, after averaging only 47 in the previous three in Japan, he could simply be wearing down. A move to Texas after an offseason trade also hurts the chances he'll rebound.

The former Japanese closer turned out to be better than initially thought. He arrived in 2004 with a positive attribute in tow, but a change in his delivery found an additional 2-3 miles per hour for his fastball and it resulted in more life and movement as well. The end result was 34 holds and two saves with better than a strikeout per inning average and a subterranean 1.75 ERA. He's the natural closer candidate if Trevor Hoffman should go down and the Padres have resisted quality offers to trade him to clubs wishing to make him a closer. He enters 2005 as one of the top set-up man in the National League for a puny $1.5 million a season.

Over seven Japanese league seasons, Otsuka posted a 2.39 ERA, notched 137 saves and posted a 4-to-1 K:BB ratio. He'll be 32 when the new season begins, the year he embarks on a new career as a set-up man for Trevor Hoffman and the Padres. Between Hoffman, Rod Beck, and himself, the revamped bullpen for 2004 features 775 career saves, and not one of three features high-90s heat. The Japanese right-hander possesses a devastating slider and also throws the staple of all Japanese relievers, the split-finger, but his fastball is strictly 89-91 without a lot of movement. Relying heavily on breaking stuff, and placement, he faces a real challenge against the adept mistake-hitters of the National League West.