Kenta Maeda may be coming to the Majors, and here's what you can expect to see

Just as you thought the market for pitching was drying up after David Price, Jordan Zimmerrmann and Zack Greinke all signed with teams, here comes an injection of pure adrenaline to the system: The Hiroshima Carp are posting their ace, Kenta Maeda. 

Coming off a season in which the hurler went 15-8 for the Carp, finishing fourth in the league with a 2.09 ERA and third with 175 strikeouts, demand will surely be high. In fact, Maeda hasn't had an ERA over 2.60 since 2010, when he was a 21-year-old in just his second year in the league. It's that track record of performance which has analysts believing he'll max out the $20 million posting fee that teams can offer the Carp for the rights to sign the pitcher. 

But if your team has the money to enter and comes out victorious, just what can you expect from the starter? 

While Maeda has been successful, don't go looking for a blazing fastball. It normally sits between 88-92, though he has the ability to heat that up to 95 mph when necessary. His greatest skill is in locating both his four-seam and two-seam, as he walked only 1.8 batters per nine last season. 

Maeda's best assets are his breaking balls. To go along with his 12-6 curve, Maeda's changeup dips, dives, ducks and has so much arm-side movement, it looks like it blew out a tire on the way to the plate. It's enough to have earned the nickname "Bugs Bunny" change. 

And then there's his slider. Though it may not be blessed with the most movement you've ever seen, Maeda once again commands the pitch like he's a hypnotist at a work retreat and the baseball is the gullible volunteer. Just watch how the opposition was unable to lay contact on at the 2013 World Baseball Classic:

Of course, when batters do make contact, Maeda is ready as well. He's a consummate baseball player, with the reflexes necessary for any comebacker hit his way. 

While perhaps not an ace, there's not a Major League team that couldn't use an arm like Maeda's in the heart of it. With bidding lasting 30 days, there's plenty of time to jump on the hype train and hope your team gifts you with a late holiday present.