There existed a time when Shintaro Fujinami was known as one of the best young pitchers in the Nippon Professional Baseball. He was expected to become a part of the great next-gen pitchers in Japan. Moreover, there were also questions being raised as to which of the player was a preferable one, Fujinami or Shohei Ohtani.
But now, the current scenario is something different. Although Ohtani lived managed and lived up to his promise and became a two-way sensation with the Angels, Fujinami, on the other hand, entered at a crossroads this year. He had been struggling since the last few years, his command having vanished. He had a rough 2017 campaign as he put up a 4.12 ERA and a 1.661 WhiP, posting out 41 batters in 59 innings. Moreover, Fujinami was still known as the hardest throwers in the game but did not have an idea where the ball was heading.
His 2018’s performance is somewhat better than compared to his performance in 2017. Fujinami has been brutal in what was being considered as a possible make or break year. In 44 innings, Fujinami has shown a 6.34 ERA and a 1.886 WHiP, posting out 43 batters. Such a meltdown has resulted in a speculation that it might be in the best of interest if Fujinami was to be traded from the team Hanshin Tigers, which is indeed shocking. The media, fans and even Fujinami’s manager seem to have turned against the player, making his command issues even worse. His teammates on their part are trying to encourage the fans, hoping that a positive reaction from them would help get Fujinami back on track.
Perhaps, trading Fujinami from the Tigers is what he needs. Or maybe, a ticket to the bullpen where Fujinami was to be traded from the team Hanshin Tigers can work out on his mechanics and appear getting back his control might make a difference.
