A’s introduce Shintaro Fujinami, Japanese veteran slated to join rotation
Pitcher Shintaro Fujinami slipped on a white Oakland Athletics jersey, donned a green cap and launched into a prepared greeting in English.
“Please call me ‘Fuji.’ Like Mount Fuji,” the Japanese righthander said.
The A’s introduced Fujinami in a news conference Tuesday after signing him to a one-year deal, and they are hoping his on-field transition to the majors proves equally smooth.
Fujinami, 28, is expected to join Oakland’s rotation after 10 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. His camp was seeking an opportunity for Fujinami to start in MLB after a promising 2022 season split between the majors and minors with the Hanshin Tigers. The A’s offered that possibility and a $3.25 million deal with potential to earn another $1 million in performance bonuses.
A hard-throwing, 6-foot-6 right-hander, Fujinami drew reported interest from several teams after being posted by Hanshin on Dec. 1, prior to agreeing with the A’s.
“They gave me the best deal,” Fujinami said through interpreter
Issei Yamada. “And they trust me, what I did in Japan.”
“Obviously, we have a lot of questions to answer about our rotation overall,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “But with his track record and the way he pitched down the stretch for Hanshin, we know he’ll be an important part of our rotation.”
Fujinami pitched as both a starter and reliever during his
up-and-down decade in the NPB. He posted a 42-32 record and 2.96 ERA in his first four seasons with Hanshin in Japan’s major league. For the next five seasons, Fujinami dealt with command issues and bounced between the Tigers’ major- and minor-league teams.
His repertoire remained intriguing. Fujinami throws a midto high 90s fastball that hit triple digits in Japan and a low-90s splitter that was his best strikeout pitch last season, according to Sports Info Solutions. His control improved in 2022 as he totaled 65 strikeouts and 21 walks in 662/3 innings and posted a 3.38 ERA in the Japanese majors.
Forst said that Adam Hislop, the A’s Pacific Rim scouting coordinator, watched Fujinami pitch for Hanshin in August and, along with Japan-based scout Toshiyuki Tomizuka, encouraged the front office to pursue him. Fujinami’s agent, Scott Boras, said the A’s history of developing pitchers — he pointed to clients Frankie Montas and Cole Irvin — factored into the player’s agreement.
Oakland has a number of candidates for its 2023 rotation. Beyond Fujinami, the A’s have added free agent Drew Rucinski and trade acquisition Kyle Muller this offseason. Irvin is one holdover with a secure spot, with Paul Blackburn (finger) and James Kaprielian (shoulder) coming back from injuries this spring; manager Mark Kotsay declined Tuesday to provide updates on either. Other possibilities include Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, Adrián Martínez and A.J. Puk, who Forst reiterated will have a shot at winning a rotation spot after pitching in relief in 2022.
“We feel like we do have a deep rotation,” Forst said. “What we lack in experience, we have in talent, we believe, coming up. And I think Fuji will give us both of those. He’s got 10 years of major-league pitching in Japan. The big leagues here will be new to him, but he’ll bring his experience and his talent with him.”
Fujinami said he’d spoken with countrymen Yu Darvish and Kenta Maeda about adapting to life in the U.S. and spent the past week in the Bay Area being shown around by A’s staff. His favorite stop?
“The stadium,” Fujinami said, referring to the aged Coliseum. Joked Forst: “We’re in real good shape, then.”
Fujinami named Shohei Ohtani and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki as hitters he’s most eager to face in MLB. He said learning English to communicate with teammates is a priority, with his opening remarks — in which he thanked his parents, the Tigers, the A’s and his fans and agents — as a start.
“I promise that I’ll do my best to show you my appreciation through my performance,” Fujinami said. “I’m very excited to play (for the) Oakland A’s and pitch in the best league in the world. Go, Oakland A’s.”