Eight years ago, A’s two-way prospect Shotaro Morii was just a 10-year-old student with a dream of playing baseball. That year, he arrived to Japan’s MLB Cup, a tournament featuring over 1,700 fourth- and fifth-grade ballplayers, where he and his team eventually won it all.
Last week, Morii returned to witness the finals of the 2025 MLB Cup and chat with the young players. This time, though, he came in a bright gold Athletics jersey after making his Minor League debut this past summer.
“Back then, I was really just purely enjoying baseball. Being here brought back all those memories,” Morii, who signed for $1.5 million last year, said at the event. “We prepared for an entire year for that tournament, so remembering those feelings and how much fun it was, that all came back to me.”
Taking in the action and witnessing the home run derby — even getting a couple of swings in himself — Morii couldn’t help but notice the skill level that these pre-teens were showing.
“I’ve heard the level keeps getting higher and higher, but seeing it today, I really felt it’s gotten even better than when I was playing,” Morii said. “There were so many guys who could really drive the ball, and the average player quality just felt so much higher. It makes me think I can’t afford to fall behind.”
Just 18 years old, Morii — who’s ranked 22nd in the A’s system by MLB Pipeline — didn’t take the mound this year but looked impressive in rookie ball, posting a .399 OBP and showing hints of the power that led him to smash 45 home runs as a high schooler in Japan.
“There are definitely big differences, so I spent the whole year trying to adapt. In Japan, the impression I have is that it’s all about how efficiently you can score runs — scoring through tactics and strategy. In America, it’s more about the one-on-one battle between pitcher and hitter. It’s just ‘make hard contact,’ that’s the American culture. I definitely felt that difference.”
Of course, making the transition between Japan to America as a teenager isn’t the easiest thing to do. Moving from Tokyo to play in the Arizona Complex League would be difficult for anyone, much less someone fresh out of high school.
“The atmosphere in Japan is just different from America,” Morii said. “There are Japanese restaurants over there so I’d go to those, but what I missed most was the environment where I grew up. I left Japan so suddenly, so I got homesick for things like Japanese trains, the scenery, convenience stores, that whole atmosphere. What I liked about America was that everywhere you go, there’s music playing at massive volume.”
Fortunately, there were plenty of people on the team who were willing to help the young player out with tips and advice.
“The one that stuck with me most was when a coach told me to ‘Be friends with the earth,'” Morii said. “At first I was like, ‘What is this guy talking about?’ But as he explained it, it was about keeping your axis strong. If you’re wobbly, you’re weak, so feel the ground, feel the earth, and swing without losing your axis. He taught me that around March, and I’ve kept it with me ever since.”
While Morii still has a long way to go to reach the Major Leagues, he listed two players — one pitcher and one hitter, natch — who he looks up to and tries to emulate. As far as role models go, he could do a lot worse.
“I try to model my game after guys like Jacob deGrom. On my own team, there’s Nick Kurtz,” Morii said. “I’ve talked with him a lot and I just really respect him. Our lockers were next to each other so we’d talk, and he’s such a nice guy. It made me realize that personality is also an important factor in succeeding in the Major Leagues. Those are the players I look up to, guys like Jacob and Nick. I want to work hard to get closer to where they are.”
Thank you to Natsumi Mori for reporting and translation assistance.
