Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette just introduced new starting pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada in a news conference at Camden Yards. Here's what Duquette had to say about Wada:
"We are excited to have Tsuyoshi join our team, and we’re honored to have him join our pitching staff. Tsuyoshi has been one of the top pitchers in baseball the past two years, having won 33 games in Japan. Last year he was the MVP, the Most Valuable Player, of the Japanese baseball league in 2010, which is an extraordinary accomplishment. He started his career, he was the Rookie of the Year for the great Japanese legend Sadaharu Oh. And he was also a four-time All-Star.
"He has excellent control, and he has command of a fastball, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. And he is someone our scouts had targeted and seen extensively the last couple years in Japan. Some clubs would be concerned about his velocity, but when I saw that he could throw his breaking pitches and his changeup over when he is behind in the count, to both left- and right-handed batters, I felt like he had everything to contribute as a starting pitcher for the Orioles. So we are very very happy to have Tsuyoshi join the team. I also want to thank Yoshi Hasegawa and Octagon Sports for their help in completing the deal that brings Tsuyoshi to the Orioles.
"He’s built a lot like Tippy Martinez, the great left-handed reliever that we had here, and his style of pitching is a lot like Scott McGregor. So those are two Orioles pitchers that our fans will remember, and his physical capabilities and also his stuff remind me of those two great Orioles pitchers"
And here's Wada's statement, which he delivered in English rather than through Hasegawa, who was on hand to interpret:
"My name is Tsuyoshi Wada. I’m from Shimane, Japan. I played for Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. I would like to thank you, Baltimore Orioles organization, to give me this opportunity. I was dreaming to play major league baseball since I was a college [pitcher]. So this is a very special moment. I very [much] look forward to pitch at Camden Yards. Thank you."
“All right, Tsuyoshi, nice job there,” Duquette said afterward.