With a little help from ChatGPT, Morii to focus on two-way skills in A's system

MESA, Ariz. -- While conducting a Zoom call with reporters last year after signing his first professional contract out of Japan with the Athletics, Shotaro Morii, accompanied by an interpreter, vowed to improve his English to the point where he can do future interviews on his own.

On Sunday, Morii showed up to Hohokam Stadium for the Spring Breakout matchup between the A’s and Brewers. When it came time for pregame media availability, the 19-year-old requested that he handle all his pregame interviews by himself, answering all questions in English.

"Learning English is so tough,” Morii told MLB.com. “But it’s an important thing for me. So, I learned a lot.”

Carrying a ton of hype as a two-way player after signing for the largest bonus ever for a Japanese amateur outside of Nippon Professional Baseball (according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan), Morii -- currently ranked as the A’s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline -- recognized the extra attention that would be coming his way from media outlets in the United States. To prepare for those times, he wants to ensure he can properly communicate his thoughts in English.

"Learning English is really important, on and off the field,” Morii said. “I’m not only playing baseball, but I’m living here. So, I have to improve my English skills to get more comfortable living here.”

Morii was already learning English through classes while attending TOHO Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo. Over the past year, ChatGPT has become a daily tool for him to learn new words by engaging in conversations with his phone.

"ChatGPT is my biggest friend,” Morii said with a laugh. “I’ll just tell it I want to practice English. It’ll ask me some questions and have me answer them. It’s a great way to learn English.”

The language barrier is one of a few adjustments Morii dealt with last year as he acclimated to his new life stateside in Arizona, where he played 43 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and hit .258 with three home runs, eight doubles and 27 RBIs.

The food options in Arizona are also a bit different from Japan, but Morii said he has quickly become a fan of Mexican cuisine -- tacos specifically. The weather difference, however, was a bit more challenging.

"It was crazy hot,” Morii said. “But it was a great experience.”

Morii spent most of his first year as a professional focused on hitting, only making a few pitching appearances after the ACL season while in the Bridge League. The A’s view his bat as being ahead of his arm at this point, and he showed it off in Sunday’s 9-8 win over the Brewers’ top prospects by going 2-for-2, notching an RBI single in his first at-bat before roping a 106.6 mph triple down the right-field line in the third.

"For now, I think my hitting is more advanced,” Morii said. “Last year, I played mostly shortstop, [designated hitter] and second base also. I pitched a little bit, but compared to hitting, my pitching is less experienced.”

The full two-way experience will come for Morii in 2026. The A’s plan to send him to Single-A Stockton to begin the season, where he’ll likely play defense three days a week, pitch once a week -- either Saturday or Sunday -- and serve as the DH on the day before he’s scheduled to pitch. He will also move from shortstop to second base to ease the stress on his throwing arm.

"He really wants to do the two-way thing, which we promised him we’d do,” said A’s director of player development Ed Sprague. “It’s a good arm. It’s a little raw. It’s kind of what you’d expect from a high school arm. It’s 94-ish but really 92 to 93 [mph] with a little bit of a high school breaker. There’s some command. He’s got a long way to go on the mound, but the physical ability is there.

“It’s going to be really difficult to play a position and be a pitcher, but we’re definitely going to give that a shot in Stockton.”

The jump from the ACL to Single-A will be sizable. Morii, who maintains a goal of reaching the big leagues by 2028, knows that, and he prepared his body for the larger workload this offseason back home in Japan.

"The goal for me is to stay healthy and play every single game,” Morii said. “Playing the whole year is my biggest goal. Preparing every single day is the most important thing. Baseball-wise, I think I will get used to everything. So, staying healthy is the biggest point for me.”