Shinnosuke Ogasawara Talks Admiration for Daisuke Matsuzaka and Potential Transfer Destinations

Chunichi’s Shinnosuke Ogasawara (27) has officially decided to aim for a move to Major League Baseball this offseason. Ogasawara had expressed his desire to challenge for the majors two years ago, and on October 22, the team approved his move through the posting system. Ogasawara commented through the team,

“I received understanding from the new manager (Kazuki Inoue). There are many uncertainties, but I will take on this challenge.”

He has already signed with a major U.S. agency and is preparing for the move.

“Ogasawara, who is from Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture, was a member of the prestigious ‘Shonan Boys’ during his junior high school days. In his third year, he won the ‘All Japan Junior High School Baseball Championship Giants Cup.’ He then went on to Tokai University Sagami High School, where he helped lead the team to the national championship at the 2015 Summer Koshien. In an article published on October 25 by ‘BASEBALL KING,’ it was reported that he had said, ‘When I was young, I was close to the Yokohama BayStars, but watching Japanese players perform in the majors on TV, I thought, ‘I want to do this.'” (Sports newspaper reporter)

 

He is cool no matter what he does.

Among the Japanese players who have succeeded in the majors, Ogasawara may feel the strongest desire to get closer to Daisuke Matsuzaka (44). Matsuzaka, who was the ace of Yokohama High School in Kanagawa Prefecture and a Koshien championship-winning pitcher, moved to the Boston Red Sox through the posting system in November 2006. In his first year with the team in 2007, he won 15 games and helped them win the league title. That same year, he became a World Series champion. Matsuzaka returned to Japan in 2018 and joined Chunichi, where he and Ogasawara were teammates for two years.

In August 2018, the magazine “FRIDAY” interviewed Ogasawara, who was in his third year with the team, having served as the opening pitcher and recorded his first complete game shutout that year, emerging as the ace of Chunichi. In the interview, he shared his thoughts on Matsuzaka.

“Yeah, he’s cool, right? How can I put it… What I used to watch when I was little was Matsuzaka with the Red Sox, and I thought, ‘He’s so cool.’ Before anything about his pitching, I just thought he was cool to watch. To think that someone I admired is now in the same locker room. Everything he does is cool. I think he’s cool even beyond baseball.”

 

“The world is so different.”

When asked about his teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka, who joined the team in the 2018 season, the word that came out of Ogasawara’s mouth was always “cool.” He recalled a memorable conversation with Matsuzaka:

“I told him that my pitching form changes depending on the pitch type, and Matsuzaka-san said, ‘Why don’t you try to be aware of it from your catch? I think it will make a big difference.’ He doesn’t just tell you what to do, but leads you with his words. Having experienced both Major League Baseball and Japanese baseball, it’s different from what a manager or coach would say, and it’s refreshing. I want to keep asking him various things.”

His eyes sparkled as he spoke. When reflecting on the decisive differences between himself and Matsuzaka, he said:

“He just practices quietly and steadily. Recently, in a game, he gave up a run due to consecutive walks, but he was completely calm. It was amazing. His composure on the mound is completely different. The world is different, huh?”

Lastly, when asked about the “professional barrier,” which is different from high school baseball where he dominated by getting one batter out after another, he expressed:

“I don’t think I can ever stand on the mound of a Koshien championship. But even so, I enjoy where I am now. I’ve become the professional baseball player I admired. Of course, I’m not satisfied with my current situation. I think I need to learn more about things like pitch sequencing and the batter’s psychology. I’ll just keep working hard to get as close as I can to players like Yoshimi (former Chunichi pitcher Kazuki Yoshimi) and Matsuzaka-san.”

Teams that are interested in acquiring Ogasawara.

Ogasawara, who is just one step away from the Major League Baseball world that Matsuzaka, the first pitcher to use the posting system to move to the majors, experienced, still faces challenges. However, reports suggest that Major League scouts do not have particularly high evaluations of him, and many opinions are cautious. The question remains: will his move to the majors become a reality? Sports writer Nachi Tomonari analyzes, “There are teams that would be a good fit for Ogasawara.”

“This year, the performances of Shota Imanaga (31) with the Chicago Cubs and Yusei Kikuchi (33) after moving to the Houston Astros have greatly raised the evaluation of Japanese left-handed pitchers. Ogasawara is still young at 27, and he has a smooth, clean pitching form. His mental toughness is also believed to be solid. Although he recorded five wins this year, his ERA of 3.12 is an impressive figure. There will likely be several teams looking for him as a fifth starter.”

So, which team would be the best match for him?

“The New York Mets. They advanced to the League Championship Series this season, ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but team executives are not giving up on their chances of becoming World Champions next year if they fill the missing pieces. Even if he cannot start, they may consider using him in long relief. It’s uncertain whether they can offer him a long-term contract, but there is a possibility they could acquire both Ogasawara and Tomoyuki Sugano (35) of the Yomiuri Giants, who has expressed his intention to use his overseas free agent rights to move to the majors. If both perform well for the team next year, it would be a great result for the Mets.”

If Ogasawara were to win the World Series in his first year, he would be following the exact same path as his idol, Matsuzaka. For now, we can only wait for good news.