Ogasawara impresses Nats in ‘methodical’ 40-pitch session

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Shinnosuke Ogasawara’s locker was bustling Friday morning when the left-hander from Japan reported for his first day at Nationals camp. Teammates and coaches excitedly introduced themselves, a steady flow of welcomes circled through before the workout.

Ogasawara had arrived to Florida on Wednesday night. Despite the travel, he was eager to hit the mound and start getting acclimated with his new club.

“Since I was 12 years old, I was watching Major League Baseball on the TV,” Ogasawara said via interpreter Jumpei Ohashi. “Since then, I’ve been looking forward to today.”

Ogasawara, 27, is the first free agent the Nationals signed directly from Asia. He also is the first Nationals player born in Japan. Ogasawara was posted in December by the Chunichi Dragons, his team for nine years. He signed a two-year deal with the Nats in January.

“First of all, I thought that it was very impressive that he flew all day yesterday and arrived late at night and still wanted to throw this bullpen today,” said pitching coach Jim Hickey. “But I was impressed overall with the repertoire, with the number of pitches and the shapes of the pitches, and the way that he went about his business. He's obviously very organized and disciplined.”

Ogasawara was ready to pick up where he left off last season, when he pitched 144 1/3 innings. The Nationals’ staff found a middle ground for Day 1. They decided on 40 pitches with a break after the first 20. (In comparison, the other pitchers threw between the mid-20s and 30.)

“We had a brief discussion, and he gave me the number, and I said, ‘Well, how about we start with half of that and we'll have that conversation later on?’” Hickey said. “Because you can't disrupt the routine that he's had his whole entire life, but … it is a different animal here with the scheduling and the five-man rotations and things that we have to discuss further going forward.”

Ogasawara threw to starting catcher Keibert Ruiz as front office, coaching staff, media and even iconic former Major Leaguer Daisuke Matsuzaka (who is now in the media) looked in at the bullpen.

“Very methodical,” Hickey said. “A lot of guys would typically throw a number of fastballs just to get themselves going, but [Ogasawara] threw two fastballs and he went right to the curveball. I asked him about it afterward, and he had a very good reason for it and all that. So it's thought out.”

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Preparing for adjustments in the Majors, Ogasawara practiced with a Major League ball ahead of camp. He believes the toughest change will be the pitch timer, which he hasn’t used yet.

“He was antsy today to get out there. He told some of the guys he felt like he was a rookie. But he threw the ball well,” said manager Dave Martinez. “We just want to make sure that he gets his work in, that he’s comfortable doing everything that we ask him to do. It’ll take a little bit of time, but what I love about him [is] he’s got a lot of energy, he really does, so he’s going to fit right in.”

The Nats lauded Ogasawara for the deception of his pitches. He considers the curveball his favorite pitch, and he likes the combination of his fastball and changeup.

“He’s not a guy that knocks your eyes out with the radar gun or that type of thing, but this guy can pitch, and I think that he's going to be an important part for us,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “But I think he's also going to teach some of these other guys that, I know you throw 95, 97, 98 miles an hour, but pitching is an art. I think this guy is an artist as a pitcher, and I think that has to rub off with some of the other guys.”

Ogasawara is 40 pitches into trying to lock in a spot on the Nationals’ 2025 Opening Day starting rotation.

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“He wanted to get down here as soon as he possibly could and he didn’t want to miss any time, and he did that,” Martinez said. “He just wants to fit in and he wants to be one of the guys, and we appreciate that.”