Tatsuya Imai was a player on the Chicago Cubs' radar before he agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros, but they were only willing to go so far for the NPB star.

Although all players have an equal chance of winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award, the honor has been claimed disproportionately by outfielders since its inception in 1949. Outfielders have 24 victories compared to 17 for pitchers and 17 for shortstops. Catchers are bringing up the rear with just two ROY victories over the past 73 years.

Tatsuya Imai dejó claras sus intenciones con sus primeras palabras durante la conferencia de prensa de introducción el lunes con los Astros de

Japanese starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai signed a three-year, $54 million deal with the Houston Astros on January 1, one day before his posting period

Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai immersed himself in Texas culture right away, taking in a game between the NFL’s Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and throwing up the team’s “H” hand sign when he was shown on the big screen.

There are certainly projections for all of the Astros pitchers and some sources have provided them for Tatsuya Imai as well, but providing projections for big league pitchers is challenging enough. Providing them for foreign born players is that much harder.