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The best hitter in this year's Major League Baseball free agent class is not currently playing in MLB.
A third baseman with Nippon Professional Baseball's Hanshin Tigers is generating a lot of interest.
ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote Thursday that NPB MVP candidate Teruaki Sato could be the top hitter in this year's class.
"Teruaki Sato is a 27-year-old third baseman, and if the Hanshin Tigers post him as expected, he could become the first reigning position-playing NPB MVP to join MLB since Hideki Matsui in 2003," Passan wrote.
Sato must go through the posting system because he has not played the required nine years to reach international free agency.
"At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, the left-handed-hitting Sato is slashing .320/.398/.636 with 35 home runs and 92 RBIs in 122 games in an offense-starved Nippon Professional Baseball. Not only are his traditional Triple Crown numbers leading the Central League, so are all three of those slash numbers," Passan added.
One glaring issue with Sato's game is his strikeout rate. The 27-year-old has punched out 135 times in 524 plate appearances.
MORE: How Reds' Sal Stewart has MLB history on his side for NL Rookie of the Year award
Still, scouts were skeptical of Munetaka Murakami's ability to hit MLB-level velocity and concerned about his high strikeout percentage, but things have turned out all right for him with the Chicago White Sox.
Clubs like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees could be interested in Sato.
The Yankees could use an offensive upgrade over Ryan McMahon in 2027, and Sato's power is hard to ignore.
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