Shintaro Fujinami Impresses At A's Camp
2 years agoOakland Athletics right-hander Shintaro Fujinami was impressive in his first side session at spring training on Thursday. The 28-year-old Japanese sensation drew rave reviews and threw all six of his pitches -- four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, slider, splitter and curveball -- during a bullpen session of around 40 pitches. "The big splitter was nasty," catcher Shea Langeliers said. "It's going to take some catching to get used to that one. It's really good. It dives down." Fujinami's fastball was topping out at 97 mph with movement. The A's will use the next several weeks as a barometer for what type of workload Fujinami might be able to handle during the season. In Japan, he pitched every sixth day, but it remains to be seen if the A's will roll with a six-man rotation in 2023. There's a lot to like about him, but he's had his share of control issues in the past.
Source: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
Source: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos