<figure id="attachment_225139" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-225139"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2791da4f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/01/jpp040309873.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-225139" class="wp-caption-text">Fujinami with Giants&#8217; Sugano (left) during a voluntary training session (Image: Courtesy of Yomiuri Giants, Jiji Press)</figcaption></figure>
Hanshin&#8217;s Shintaro Fujinami, 27, is struggling.
On January 11, he revealed his training session in Miyakojima, Okinawa, and said, &#8220;He is one of the most consistent pitchers in Japan. He is one of the most consistent pitchers in Japan. I really wanted to talk to him. Sugano, on the other hand, told the press about Fujinami: &#8220;It&#8217;s obvious that he&#8217;s struggling.
 It&#8217;s obvious that he&#8217;s struggling. The concern is his control. I think there are both mental and technical factors in that area.
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Fujinami had three consecutive years of double-digit wins after joining the team as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2001, but he hasn&#8217;t had much success since then. In the last three years, he has won only four games in total. As Sugano pointed out, the reason for his slump is probably his poor control of the ball, and in August 2007, he gave up eight walks in the middle of the fifth inning against Chunichi and was demoted to the second team. He was selected to start the season opener against Yakult, but he threw 103 pitches and gave up five walks in five innings.
 He&#8217;s been struggling a lot. He has been struggling a lot. I&#8217;m not sure what the cause of his pitch control problem is, so I guess it&#8217;s troubling. The fact that he&#8217;s on the popular Hanshin baseball team has also had a negative effect on him, as he&#8217;s been criticized by the mass media as &#8216;the king of Naruohama (the home of the second team)&#8217; for his current situation of moving back and forth between the first and second teams.
<h2>Studied under Maeken, Dar, and Yutaka Takehito</h2>
This off-season, Sugano was not the only one who asked for lessons from Fujinami. Every year, he gets advice from big-name athletes.
In January 2003, Kenta Maeda, the ace of Hiroshima at the time, suggested the importance of relaxed pitching.
In January 2003, Kenta Maeda, then the ace of Hiroshima, suggested that it was important to use a relaxed pitching style, and in December 2004, he and Yu Darvish gained 6kg in body modification.
In January 2006, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw taught him the curve.
In December 2006, he joined horse racing jockey Yutaka Take&#8217;s gym.
 I don&#8217;t think any of this is working. No matter how much advice an accomplished athlete gives you, professionals are not so naive as to be awakened after a week or so of training together. He needs a fundamental change, such as a trade to change his environment and make a fresh start.
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I wonder if there is a team that will help out the struggling Fujinami. A surprising team has suggested that they might be interested. It was Nippon Ham, led by new manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo. In December last year, Shinjo appeared on the YouTube channel of Tsutomu Iwamoto, a baseball team alumnus, and said, &#8220;There is one player I want.
 There&#8217;s one player I want. I want one player, Fujinami of Hanshin. If he comes to me, he&#8217;ll turn into a star.
I wonder if Shinjo&#8217;s words were just lip service.
 I think Shinjo has his own ideas. I think Shinjo has his own ideas. Shinjo was also a member of the Hanshin team when he was active and was bashed for his eccentric behavior. He once had a clash with the leaders who even interfered with his lifestyle. He is well aware of the difficulties of being on a popular baseball team.
 If Fujinami moves to Nippon Ham, he will be able to play freely without worrying about his surroundings, unlike at Hanshin. Manager Shinjo will understand Fujinami&#8217;s character and let him play freely. If you look at it in a positive light, Fujinami&#8217;s difficulty in controlling his pitches makes it difficult for hitters to target him. If he can throw the ball as hard as he can without worrying about the details, I think it will be a great weapon for him.
Will the troubled former ace of the Tigers be able to regenerate under the leadership of the &#8220;Big Boss&#8221;?

 Jiji Press

 It's been a long time since I've had a chance to talk to him. I'm not sure what to make of it. This offseason, he is asking for help from his archrival Tomoyuki Sugano of the Giants. There is a team that has suggested acquiring such Fujinami. It's an unexpected team!

The king of the second army”: A surprising team suggested acquiring the pinched Hanshin Fujinami

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