The Nationals signed Japanese left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara to a two-year deal on January 24, right before his posting period expired. Ogasawara, a former NPB All-Star, comes over to the U.S. after a good career in Japan, one that saw him walk few batters and command the zone well.
A Look at Ogasawara
New Nationals left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara comes over to the U.S. after a successful career with Chunichi of the NPB. The former Dragons pitcher owned a sub-4.00 ERA in four straight seasons (2021-24) and showed good feel for command and ability to hit his spots.
Ogasawara didn’t walk many batters with the Dragons; his 1.4 BB/9 in 2024 was a career best, although he largely sat in the 2.0-3.0 BB/9 range in 2021-23. However, one note is that Ogasawara didn’t strike out many batters in 2024. He only picked up 82 over 144.1 IP (5.1 K/9), a number significantly lower than his career norms.
Two seasons ago, the new National struck out 144 over 148.2 IP.
The 27-year-old left-hander doesn’t have a hard fastball, as it sat in the 90-91 MPH range NPB. However, it is a pitch with good carry, which can play in the Majors when commanded well.
Aside from the fastball, Ogasawara also has a changeup (~80 MPH) with run and low-70s curveball, the latter of which showed good depth and can be used in a variety of different ways, whether it be down to induce whiffs or slightly up to either get a ground ball or shock a batter.
The left-hander also worked with Driveline Baseball this offseason on pitch grips for a slider to add to his arsenal.
Per the Nationals, the team signed Shinnosuke Ogasawara to a two-year deal on the 24th, the last day of his posting period. Reliever Joe La Sorsa was DFA’d in a corresponding move.
Analysis
It’s yet another pitching pickup for the Nationals, a team that’s focused heavily on building the back-end of their rotation. Washington signed ex-White Sox Michael Soroka in December, then re-signed Trevor Williams just before the start of 2025 after a strong, injury-shortened campaign.
Now, Ogasawara profiles, at best, as a #4 or #5 starter, more likely the latter. He’s not a power pitcher by any means but does have interesting stuff, was an innings-eater in Japan — his career-high was 160.2 IP in 2023 — and does provide more organizational depth to a team that needs it.
Josiah Gray likely won’t be available for all of 2025 after UCL reconstruction surgery. Right now, MacKenzie Gore is surrounded by Williams, DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, Jake Irvin, as well as Ogasawara and Irvin.
As noted in our season recap in November, Irvin had a rough second half after strong numbers in the first.
In other team-related news, the Nationals named their non-roster invitee list on January 23. Several former first-round picks are among the notable names headed to big league camp.