Japanese players are raising stock prices in the major league off-season pitching market.
Orix Buffaloes outfielder Masataka Yoshida will wear a Boston Red Sox uniform for five years and $90 million, followed by Softbank Hawks right-hander Senga Godai, who agreed to a five-year, $75 million contract with the New York Mets. Both players received a price that exceeded their expectations and succeeded in entering the major leagues. The next player is Hanshin Tigers right-hander Shintaro Fujinami (28).
Fujinami posted a post in the major leagues on the 2nd (hereinafter Korean time), and will negotiate with interested clubs until mid-January next year. The agent helping him enter the major leagues is Scott Boras. According to Nikkan Sports, a Japanese sports magazine, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants jumped into the race to sign Fujinami.
Fujinami was famous as a rival to Shohei Otani (LA Angels) in high school. After joining Hanshin in 2013, he appeared in 103 games for four seasons until 2016, recording 42 wins and 32 losses, an average ERA of 2.96, 695 strikeouts and 260 walks. In particular, during this period, he made 11 complete pitches and was spotlighted as the best pitcher in Japanese professional baseball. He set a career high in 2015 with a 14-7 record, a 2.40 earned run average, and 221 strikeouts in 199 innings pitched.
However, he suddenly lost control in 2017, and his decline began. Fujinami, who allowed 45 walks in 59 innings that year, could hardly recover from his physical condition even after going down to the second team. Since then, Fujinami, who has been in a position to go back and forth between the bullpen and the starting pitcher, has fallen out of sight of major league scouts. 메이저사이트
However, Fujinami, who pitched 66⅔innings in 16 games (10 starting games) this season, posted an ERA of 3.38, 65 strikeouts, and 21 walks, increased his fastball average velocity to 96 miles and regained stability in his control. It is an analysis that his slider and curve became sharper as he threw the splitter with a breaking ball. After gaining confidence in entering the major leagues, he requested a posting from Hanshin as expected.
Sports Illustrated (SI) said, ‘Fujinami’s splitter is the most effective pitch, and it is excellent for swinging misses and inducing ground balls. The slider induces a lot of miss swings, but it also hits well. Curve, at least, continues to develop’. According to the sports analysis site ‘Sports Info Solutions’, Fujinima’s ball combination is compared to Kevin Gaussman’s. Gaussman also throws a four-seam in the mid-90s and a splitter as his main weapons.
However, Fujinami has thrown more out of the bullpen than in recent starts. Even after entering the major leagues, there is a high probability that he will be assigned to the bullpen for the time being. SI said, “Major League clubs must be confident that Fujinami can return to the starting lineup with the help of the coaching staff.” have to bear it If not, Fujinami’s position is a bullpen,’ he predicted.