Washington Nationals Working With New Pitcher To Change Routine During Off Days
The battle for the final spot in the Washington Nationals rotation is something that could be the most intriguing competition that takes place this spring.
With MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams already penciled in as members of the unit, that leaves DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, Cade Cavalli and other players like Shinnosuke Ogasawara to clash for the fifth spot.
Since Herz and Parker were used in the rotation last season, they are seen as the two leading candidates in the race. However, upon the historic signing of Ogasawara, the Nationals revealed they view him as a starting pitcher and will give him every opportunity to win the job.
So far, so good for the Japanese international.
He got the ball to start the second spring training game, and while he only pitched one inning, he looked solid doing so by working quickly through the New York Mets lineup that featured members from last year's NLCS roster.
Ogasawara induced a lot of early-count swings, only getting damaged by a double after the first two batters flied and lined out to begin the frame. He got out of the inning by producing a groundout.
It was a good showing for the left-hander in his first experience against Major League hitters in a game setting, and following that performance where he's going to have some time off ahead of his next appearance, both parties are at work to prepare him for the next time he takes the mound.
Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reported that Ogasawara will meet with the team to figure out what he can improve on, including his goal of generating more foul tips instead of giving up the hard contact like there was in his first outing.
They also are trying to figure out how to approach his off days.
"He does a lot in between his starts, so we're going to have to kind of shrink it to make sure that he's ready to pitch on that fifth day," manager Dave Martinez said.
Camerato notes that Ogasawara threw 50 pitches before facing live hitters during a throwing session. After he was pulled from the game this past Sunday, he then went into the bullpen to throw more.
Not to mention he used to run a 10K after making a start in Japan.
In Nippon Professional Baseball, teams primarily use a six-man rotation compared to the five-man group that is used in Major League Baseball. So that setup allowed Ogasawara to operate in that manner, and it even probably helped him perform by staying sharp with the amount of throwing he did.
But he'll need to dial that back in the United States, something he understands and is willing to adjust to, even if that means the distance of his runs have to be shorter.
" ... he has been really good. He's willing to work on changing his routine," Martinez added.
It will be a work in progress adjusting to life in the MLB, but Ogasawara has the right mindset as he battles for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
