Who is Kenta Maeda?

Coming all the way from Osaka, Japan the Dodgers have found a new sensation to their starting rotation; Kenta Maeda. Known as ‘Maeken’ to his teammates and fans, because of his curious pre-game dance, he played his entire career for the Hiroshima Carp before he joined Los Angeles during last winter’s sweepstakes.

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Maeda was born in 1988 and completed his studies all the way to High School in Japan, he studied in PL Gakuen HS. Afterwards, he became a pitcher for Hiroshima and spent eight seasons with them. During his career in the asian country, he managed to post a 97 – 67 record with a 2.39 ERA while striking out 1,233 batters in 1509.2 innings pitched.

Kenta Maeda was one of the top pitchers in the league, there he won three ERA titles, two strikeout titles and 2 Samura Awards; a similar recognition as the CY Young Award.  Last season he posted a 15 – 8 record with a 2.09 ERA in 29 starts, while winning his second Samura Award.

His pitching style is not directed towards overpowering batters, he rather likes to confuse them by mixing up his stuff. Maeda’s first pitch is a fastball that leans towards the low 90’s, he also has a good slider and a changeup; scouts consider his slider his best pitch. Initially he was consider to help the back end of the rotation, but during Spring Training he surprised many eyes back in Camelback Ranch.

‘Maeken’ has some experience in facing Major League batters, back in november 2014 he faced some MLB All Stars while playing for his national team. He lasted five innings, while allowing no runs, giving up two hits and walking two batters; the final result was Japan shutting out MLB’s All Stars 2 – 0.

The Dodgers seriously need consistency and durability in their starting rotation. Kenta Maeda brings some of it as he has averaged about 188 innings each year, and he even has 28 complete games in his career.

What you need to know about Maeda’s contract is that it is low risk in a financial matter. An eight year deal and $25 million guaranteed makes it a good deal for the Dodgers, although the amount of innings played and starts can push it towards $100 million with incentives.

Granted with an enjoyable personality, Maeda can become a valuable player in the clubhouse and a fan favorite if his outings prove to be succesful. We all have to wait and see if Dodger Stadium will begin to do the ‘Maeken’ dance every time he has an outing; it should be an enjoyable sight and a delight listening to a description of it by Vin Scully.

Check out the Maeken dance here: Maeken Dance

Cristian Brehm
@cristianbrehm9