Shintaro Fujinami

Fujinami is looking to make the jump to MLB after posting a 3.41 ERA across 10 seasons in Japan. Whether or not he'll successfully do so is an open question. Fujinami was once one of Japan's top prospects, rivaling Shohei Ohtani as an amateur. He has good stuff, including a fastball that can touch triple digits, but he's had his fair share of struggles in recent seasons. From 2017 through 2021, the only time he posted an ERA below 4.00 was when he threw just 4.1 innings in 2019. Control is his primary problem, as his career 10.6 BB% indicates. He managed to cut that figure to 7.5% last season, helping him to a much better 3.38 ERA, but that came in just 16 starts as he also spent time in the minors, as he'd done in each of the previous five seasons. A player who's been unable to lock himself into a permanent role in Japan is unlikely to have all that much appeal on this side of the Pacific, though he was able to secure a one-year deal with the A's in January. Fujinami should open the season in Oakland's rotation, and he should receive a slight boost with about half his starts set to come at the pitcher-friendly Coliseum. Read Past Outlooks