At the risk of turning this diary into a flame war between Red Sox fans (the Yanks have too much money) and Yankees fans (the Red Sox have a lot of money too), I'd be interested in hearing from people who have actually seen Matsuzaka pitch. (And yes, we've all seen those grainy Internet videos.)
- What kind of stuff does this guy have? For years I heard about the gyroball, now that's apparently something of a red herring.
- From pictures, he seems of slight build. Has that been a problem for him in NPB? Using the same projections we'd use in evaluating prospects, do people see that being a problem for him in terms of either injury or effectiveness in the majors?
- What's his composure like on the mound? His command?
- Finally, if you had to pick a MLB pitcher to compare him to, past or present, who would you pick?