Red Sox Interested In Japanese Star With 101 MPH Fastball To Bolster Rotation

Boston could double up on the Japanese market this winter

Scott Neville | Dec 12, 2022

Red Sox Interested In Japanese Star With 101 MPH Fastball To Bolster Rotation /

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox already signed the top-earning Japanese player on the market, and might not be done shopping in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

While many were focused on linking Japanese ace Kodai Senga to the Red Sox, it appears that there is another NPB pitcher the team has interest in adding to the organization.

MLB Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco listed the Red Sox among three suitors in the mix for 28-year-old right-hander Shintaro Fujinami. Franco noted that the Arizona Diamondbacks appear to be the favorite and that the San Francisco Giants are in the mix as well.

Fujinami's most notable asset is his fastball, which has reached 101 mph. The only other NPB player to hit that mileage was Shohei Ohtani -- who happened to be a high school rival of his (back then they were held in a similar regard). Fujinami also throws a slider and splitter.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pound flamethrower went 3-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 65-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 66 2/3 innings across 16 starts.

While his 7.6% walk rate and only three hit batters last season are very mild, he has a history of being on the wild side.

Over the course of Fujinami's 10-year career, he's walked 10.6% of batters and plunked 55 batters in his career. While there are some seasons with some inflated numbers -- 82 walks in 2015, 70 in 2016 -- that narrative appears to be overblown.

Last season's walk rate for Fujinami was exactly league average for a Major League Baseball player and his career rate is slightly below.

High walk-rate players are scary investments, but Fujinami does have high potential, elite stuff and a sustainable frame for success. He might thrive more in a bullpen role, but his stuff appears to be capable of playing well at the MLB level.

The righty does not project well in the Red Sox's Opening Day rotation, but he'd be an intriguing arm to add.

Fujinami has until Jan. 15 to sign with an MLB team.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Interested In Swinging Big Deal For Promising Marlins All-Star

Published Dec 12, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu