The Nationals made Shinnosuke Ogasawara their first ever signing directly from Asia
The Nationals have made left handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara their first ever signing directly from Asia. The Nationals signed him to a two-year deal. For years, I have been frustrated with the teams seeming lack of interest in the Japanese market, but today they finally made a splash.
While the 27 year old may not be a Roki Sasaki level talent, he is a big league caliber arm. He is a former NPB all-star, and posted a 3.12 ERA in 144.1 innings last season. The early expectation is that Ogasawara will serve as a long man out of the bullpen. The Nationals DFA’d Joe La Sorsa to create space on the 40 man roster.
Ogasawara does not have overpowering stuff, sitting in the low 90’s, with mediocre strikeout numbers. However, he has plus command, walking only 1.4 batters per nine innings last season. He is the prototypical crafty left hander who keeps hitters off balance. Between Ogosawara, Michael Soroka, and Trevor Williams, the Nats have a lot of arms that can pitch in a variety of roles.
The most exciting thing about this signing for me is not Ogosawara the player, but what this represents. Japan is a market that is churning out talent, especially on the pitching side. With this signing, the Nationals are signaling that they will not ignore the Asian market anymore. Building relationships is key for future deals with Japanese players.
The Nationals have not had an Asian player since Chin-Ming Wang, and have not had a Japanese player since 2005. Hopefully, this is just the start, and the Nats can become a true player in the Japanese market.