A's Two-Way Prospect Ranked for First Time

When the international signing period opened up in January, the Athletics made a bit of a splash, signing two-way star Shotaro Morii out of Japan. The 18-year-old decided to skip the NPB Draft to enter the 2025 international pool, where he would be free to sign with any MLB team.

Since the A's agreed to let him attempt to play both shortstop and pitcher, he chose them, receiving a reported $1.51 million deal.

Not long after he was officially with the club, Morii went back to Japan to continue to prepare for his new career path, with the plan being that he would return during camp and stay in the Arizona Complex League until he was ready for his first assignment, presumably with the Stockton Ports.

MLB Pipeline's top-30 rankings rolled out in recent days, and Morii made the list, but perhaps isn't as highly ranked as some would have expected. When fans hear two-way player these days, they immediately think that they have to be one of the best players around, because Shohei Ohtani has been able to have tremendous success.

But Morii's case is a little different, since he is joining a club right out of high school. Ohtani was 23 when he debuted with the Los Angeles Angels back in 2018. There is going to be some growth that will need to happen for Morii to really start to shine.

He's also trying something that is arguably more difficult, which is not only playing the field in addition to pitching, but playing shortstop, one of the most important positions on the field.

As for the ranking itself, Morri landed at No. 28 overall according to Pipeline. "His power stands out, as he clubbed 45 home runs as a high schooler. He is considered an advanced hitter with good barrel control.

"On the mound, his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph and sits around 92-93. He also brings a splitter with nasty movement, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a tighter slider with solid bite and depth, though that offering will probably require some fine-tuning. Having only been pitching with regularity for less than two years, Morii’s arm is relatively fresh as he enters the organization."

Morii will certainly be a prospect that people are keeping an eye on, especially once he makes his official pro debut when he gets that assignment. Until more people are able to see what he can do on both sides of the ball, he's going to be a relative unknown to the larger world. Yet, based on his potential, he could be a truly special player.