Hideki Okajima update

Here is a third-hand scouting report on new sox lefty reliever Hideki Okajima, courtesy of a Giants scout:

1. Fastball — low 90’s
Okajima’s fastball is an average MLB-caliber pitch. It is a heavy pitch that is difficult to hit because it has late movement away from lefthanded hitters. 20-80 scale: 60-65

2. Curveball — 70’s-80’s
Okajima’s curveball is his bread-and-butter pitch. It breaks hard and late, away from lefthanded hitters and down and in to righties. He’ll throw it on any count and he will strike-out batters by changing location with it, which he does very well. 20-80 scale: 70

3. Forkball
Okajima does not use his forkball often, but he will use it when he’s struggling with his control. He locates the pitch very well, but there are times when he does not get the necessary spin on the ball for it to break as much as he’d like it to. The pitch is very tough on righthanded batters. 20-80 scale: 55

Okajima will primarily rely on those three pitches, with the fastball and curveball being his most consistent and favorite pitches to throw. He also supposedly has a splitter, but it doesn’t have as much bite as his other pitches and is not an MLB-caliber pitch.

By the way, the Yankees supposedly also made an offer to Okajima that actually included more money than the Sox offer, but were turned down because Okajima preferred Boston, thinking that the Sox wanted him more because they placed the first offer.