Shintaro Fujinami (29), who was considered the best pitcher after surpassing Shohei Otani (29, LA Angels) in high school, is belatedly heading to the Major League (MLB).
Bob Nightingale of USA Today Sports reported on the 13th (Korean time) that Fujinami has agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million (approximately 4 billion won) contract with Oakland and the Athletics. The fact of the contract between Fujinami and Auckland was announced on the 12th, but the specific size of the contract was not revealed until the day after. The Auckland club is expected to officially announce the contract as soon as Fujinami’s medical test is over.
Fujinami was considered the best ace of his time in high school. When he was in middle school, he recorded the highest speed of 142 km per hour, and by the time he graduated from middle school, he reached 1m94cm tall. He went on to the prestigious Osaka Toin High School in baseball and played an active role as an ace. His career record at Koshien reached a 1.07 earned run average and 90 strikeouts in 76 innings. In 2012, he was named the 온라인카지노. Most Valuable Player of the Youth National Team by the International Baseball Federation.
He was by far the biggest player in the 2012 draft. In the first round, a total of four teams nominated him, and the Hanshin Tigers, selected through a lottery, signed him with a contract fee of 100 million yen, an annual salary of 15 million yen, and an incentive of 50 million yen.
However, after his pro debut, Ohtani was far ahead. Fujinami went 57-54 with 11 holds and an earned run average of 3.41 in 189 professional games. Although he won 14 games in 2015, he hasn’t had a very standout season since. He pitched in only 16 games last year as well, going 3-5 with an earned run average of 3.38.
He also entered the MLB 5 years later than Ohtani. Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Angels after competing in 2018 with interest from numerous clubs. He won Rookie of the Year in his first year, and even won MVP (Most Valuable Player) in 2021. Unlike Otani, Fujinami heads to Auckland, a small market. The size of his contract is also small, so it is practically a ‘challenge’.
If Fujinami adapts to the big leagues, we can expect a head-to-head matchup with Ohtani. The Oakland and Angels are in the same American League West division. Ohtani gets FA (free agent) status for the last time this year.