Minor League Baseball

Seattle Mariners Manager Talks About Potential of Reliever Shintaro Fujinami

Dan Wilson talked about the former Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star, who the Mariners signed to a minor league deal in January.
Teren Kowatsch|
Oakland Athletics pitcher Shintaro Fujinami throws during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 8, 2023, at Tropicana Field.
Oakland Athletics pitcher Shintaro Fujinami throws during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 8, 2023, at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners main priority in the offseason was to add to an infield that had three positions in need of improvement. But the Mariners bullpen also needs to be sort out before opening day arrives on March 27.

Seattle signed several relievers to minor league deals and traded for other pitchers throughout the offseason. Many of those players are a part of the spring training roster and will have a chance to pitch their way onto the major league bullpen. Among the free agent acquisitions is one of the most polarizing pitchers in the league.

The Mariners signed right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami to a minor league contract on Jan. 30. Seattle is the fourth franchise Fujinami has been with since coming over from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball in 2023.

Fujinami has an incredibly strong arm with a fastball that touches 100 miles an hour. But he's struggled to display consistent control in his time in the major leagues. The Oakland Athletics originally signed him as a starting pitcher and converted him to a reliever after several disappointing starts. Fujinami has stayed in that role since.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson was asked about Fujinami in a news conference that was posted to the team's YouTube channel on Feb. 13.

"I've not seen him throw off the mound yet, so also looking forward to that," Wilson said in the news conference. "We've got some new faces in here, and that's one certainly that comes with triple digits on the fastball. So it's exciting to see what that could become. ... The whole pitching staff does such a great job of what they do in terms of dominating the strikezone. It's exciting to how the different philosophy or a different way of looking at things can really change a player. And it's exciting to see where that may go with him. When you come in here with 100-plus, it's really exciting."

In 64 appearances (seven starts) in 2023, Fujinami posted a 7.18 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 79 innings pitched. The Athletics traded him to the Baltimore Orioles on July 19, 2023. Fujinami showed flashes of potential with the Orioles and had a 4.85 ERA and allowed just a .193 opposing batting average compared to an 8.57 ERA and a .269 batting average with Oakland. Fujinami signed with the New York Mets on Feb. 14, 2024, but failed to make a major league appearance with the team.

Seattle has done a good job in recent seasons of coaching relievers. Collin Snider and Austin Voth both had career-best seasons for the Mariners in 2024.

If Seattle's pitching coaches can help Fujinami develop command and control, he could be a valuable piece of the team's bullpen in 2025.

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Teren Kowatsch
TEREN KOWATSCH

Teren Kowatsch is a staff writer for ''Minor League Baseball on SI'' and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He has been a writer for “On SI’’ for two years and is a graduate of the University of Idaho. You can follow him on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch

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