Pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (32), who was informed by DeNA that he’s not part of next season’s plans, started against the Giants on the 27th (the farm team’s final game of the season). He threw 53 pitches over 3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk before being pulled, topping out at 154 km/h. It was a rough outing from the start, as he gave up 5 hits and 4 runs in the first inning alone. On 5ch, opinions were split, with threads debating both his control problems despite decent velocity and what might come next for him (a possible move to an independent league, a tryout camp, and so on).
<Farm League: Giants vs. DeNA> ◇ 27th ◇ G-Town
DeNA starter Shintaro Fujinami (32), who was revealed to have been left out of next season’s roster plans, started in the farm team’s final game. He threw 53 pitches over 3 innings, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk before being pulled. His fastball topped out at 154 km/h.
Leading off the first inning, the Giants’ Cabbage flied out to center on the very first pitch. Fujinami then allowed back-to-back hits to Kawarada and Nakayama, putting runners on first and third with one out. Mitsuka followed with a grounder to first, and a fielder’s choice by first baseman Hibiki Kato (24) let in the game’s first run. With runners still on first and second and one out, Tima singled to left to drive in another run. After a two-out infield single by Yuasa loaded the bases, Yamase delivered a two-run single. Fujinami allowed 5 hits and 4 runs in the first inning alone.
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
Apparently they actually thought AI could fix his control problems.
The tryout camp is basically a formality these days — guys at his level don't show up for it.
Way too many casual fans in here who have no idea what Fujinami's actually capable of.
A carpenter's apprentice? (mocking the idea he's MLB-bound, as if his real next job is manual labor)
Guess it really was Fujinami's big chance, lol.
If he'd shown even a little something good, some team might've picked him up.
Fujinami: "Neo? There's ne-o such thing, lol" (wordplay: 根尾/Neo sounds like "nai yo," meaning "no way")
Nene: "No contract with you, Fujinami-san, lol" (wordplay: his first name Shintaro sounds like "shinai tarou," meaning "won't do it")
The Dragons should have Monday off, so it'll be the day after tomorrow at the earliest.
Join Nippon Life and sell the opposing team sports injury insurance before the game, maybe? (Nippon Life sponsors a well-known industrial-league team)
I figure he was holding back on velocity and prioritizing control, doing things his own way.
Kubo, the guy famous for radical mechanical overhauls?
No good — Fujinami's already refused any major overhaul of his pitching form.
He doesn't have the control to hit someone on purpose.
It was the Giants' *farm* team that just wrecked him today, you know.
Maybe what he really needs is mental health support?
Something about it makes it seem like he's not taking baseball seriously — I just can't get behind that.
If this were Saito "Panda," he'd spin it as "finding areas to work on," lol (a nod to pitcher Yuki Saito's famously upbeat post-loss quotes).
He doesn't need to throw that hard — couldn't he just work at around 130 km/h with sharp control instead?
No matter how good his control is, a right-hander who can only hit 130 km/h these days isn't going to cut it — he's getting rocked even when he tops out at 154 km/h.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Shintaro Fujinami was Hanshin’s first-round pick in the 2013 draft and drew attention as a power right-hander who won in double digits as a starter in his rookie season. He later struggled with control problems, and after leaving Hanshin he pitched for Orix, tried his hand in MLB (including with the Athletics), and eventually joined DeNA. This particular outing drew attention because it came in the farm team’s season finale, right after the club informed him he isn’t part of next season’s plans; the thread’s central debates centered on what comes next for him (independent leagues, tryout camps, industrial-league baseball, etc.) and the roots of his control issues. That said, no source in the article confirms that he himself has ever stated any “MLB ambitions” — those comments are pure speculation. Likewise, the talk of “fixing his control with AI” is just joking speculation, not anything confirmed as an official measure adopted by the club, which is easy to misread. The tryout camp is a system meant for players hoping to continue their careers to pitch themselves to front-office staff from other teams, but in recent years participation and success rates have been limited, leading some to call it a mere formality.
※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisokuho+) thread “[Baseball] DeNA outcast Fujinami Shintaro pulled after 3 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs — tops out at 154 km/h in farm-team finale.”
