Shintaro Fujinami’s Next Move: Overcoming Struggles with High Walk Rates and MLB Insights
A man who has struggled in the U.S. may realistically start this season in the minors. The time for a decision is approaching.
In 4 and 2/3 innings, he allowed 6 walks and posted an ERA of 7.71…
This is the performance of Shintaro Fujinami (30), who is under a minor league contract with the Mariners, in 5 spring training games as of March 17th (all statistics as of that date).
Despite being invited to the major league camp, his control issues persist. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), which is crucial in the majors, is even worse than the minor league level at 1.93, compared to the minor league standard of 1.40. His average walks per game stands at 11.6, more than three times higher than last season’s MLB average of 3.4.
“In the March 16th game against the Padres, he came in as the fourth pitcher and went one inning without giving up a run, but allowed 1 hit and 2 walks. Of the 23 pitches thrown, only 11 were strikes, less than half. After the game, he commented that he ‘couldn’t help but think about his form during the game,’ showing he was unsatisfied with his performance.
Fujinami has an excellent fastball that exceeds 160 km/h. The Mariners’ coaching staff highly values it and has advised him to throw more fastballs, but he is still struggling. In the spring game against the Padres, despite throwing 18 fastballs out of 23 pitches, he continued to struggle with his control.” (Sports newspaper reporter)
Starting in the minors seems realistic
Fujinami’s control issues have been a concern since he entered professional baseball with the Hanshin Tigers.
“During his first few years, when he had double-digit wins, it wasn’t as much of an issue. However, as his performance declined, his control problems worsened. Fujinami experimented with his form, even switching to a sidearm delivery, but he couldn’t pinpoint the root cause, and improvement never came,” said a source.
This year marks the third year since Fujinami’s challenge in the majors, but he still hasn’t delivered the results that would satisfy fans. Given his current performance, a major league call-up seems unlikely.
Former major league pitcher Mack Suzuki, who also played with the Mariners, explains:b
If he returns to Japan, there is speculation about a surprising new team for him.
