Mets’ David Stearns personally scouts Terukai Sato in Japan

Terukai Sato (Wikimedia Commons)

The Mets already have a Soto, and they one day might have a Sato.

President of baseball operations David Stearns was in Japan to personally scout Hanshin Tigers slugger Tarukai Sato. The Mets’ exec got a front-row seat to see the third baseman/outfielder slug a monster 451-foot blast.

At 27 years old, Sato is in his prime and has developed into one of the most feared power hitters in Japan. According to Baseball-Reference, he leads Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in batting average (.320), home runs (32), RBI (87), and OPS (1.022). Last season, he slugged 40 home runs with 102 RBI in 139 games.

Stearns has made scouting trips to Japan commonplace in recent years. Last season, he was on hand to watch Munetaka Murakami, who ultimately signed with the Chicago White Sox and has 29 home runs in his rookie season.

Sato likely projects as more of a first baseman when he makes the jump to North America, which would do the Mets a world of good if they were to come away with his signature. New York’s first base situation is up in the air after letting Pete Alonso walk to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency over the winter. Jorge Polanco, a career middle infielder, was supposed to be the solution, but was limited to just 37 games due to injury and batted .148 with a .431 OPS when he was available.

Jared Young has gotten the bulk of the first-base reps this summer, which was fueled by Mark Vientos’ lengthy IL stint due to a fractured wrist.