Inside The Rangers

Texas Rangers Sign Intriguing International Free Agent Pitcher from Japan

The Texas Rangers have added an intriguing Japanese arm to their minor league system.
Jacob Moss|
Oct 10, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the Texas Rangers logo on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers in game three of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Oct 10, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the Texas Rangers logo on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers in game three of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are dipping into the talent rich Japanese market with the signing of international free agent right-handed pitcher Masahiro Fukuda.

Per MLB reporter Francys Romero, the 23-year-old most recently played in the Japanese independent leagues, and possesses a diverse arsenal that features a low to mid-90s fastball, and a devastating slider that sits upwards of 3000 RPMs.

While the specifics of the deal are not yet known, Fukuda's official MLB.com player profile has the contract listed as a minor-league deal, and states that Texas has assigned him to their Dominican Summer League affiliate.

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This marks the second time in the last couple of months that Texas has dipped into the ever growing Asian talent pool, as the team also signed highly coveted Korean high schooler Seong Jung-Kim back in May.

Fukuda is admittedly a much lower profile addition than Seong, but he does posses some very tantalizing upside should he be able to navigate the minor leagues.

Texas also has a long history of success with hurlers who originate from the Land of the Rising Sun, with names like Yu Darvish and Kohei Uehara spending time with the team in the 2010s.

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The Rangers were also reportedly very interested in signing current Los Angeles Dodgers star Roki Sasaki last offseason, but were ultimately unable to land him.

Only time will tell how successful Fukuda's tenure in Texas will end up being, but there's very few organizations who have a better track record of getting the most out of Japanese pitching than the Rangers.

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For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.

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Jacob Moss
JACOB MOSS

Georgia native and avid Atlanta sports fan who has lived in the Charlotte area for the past eight years. Got started writing about sports for my middle school paper and haven’t stopped since. Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and proud 49er. Passionate sports writer who has covered everything from high school soccer to the NFL for several prominent outlets including the Charlotte Observer, ESPN, and the Carolina Panthers. Also covered the South Carolina Gamecocks football program as the lead beat writer for Last Word on College Football, and was a contributing writer for several other notable online publications such as Yardbarker. Lives and breathes sports and will watch whatever is on or in season. Favorite teams include the Braves, Hawks, Falcons, and Georgia Bulldogs. Massive Jordan Speith and Rory McIlroy fan on the PGA Tour

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