San Diego Padres: Kazuhisa Makita heading back to Japan

After spending two years in the San Diego Padres organization, reliever Kazuhisa Makita is heading back to Japan.

During his seven years in Nippon Professional Baseball, Kazuhisa Makita was a solid pitcher, regardless of his role. After spending his rookie season as the Seibu Lions closer, he moved into the rotation on a full time basis, putting together four solid years as a starter. Finally, he moved back into the bullpen as a setup man, fulfilling any role that the Lions needed him to be in.

That overall body of success led the San Diego Padres to ink Makita to a two year deal worth $3.8 million after the 2017 campaign. Unfortunately, the sinkerballing submariner was unable to find that same level of success stateside, posting a 5.40 ERA and a 1.257 WHiP, striking out 37 batters with just 12 walks in 35 innings. While his peripherals were solid, Makita was done in by the long ball, as he allowed seven homers.

After spending the entire 2019 campaign in the minors, Makita is heading back to Japan. He signed a contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles, where he will likely reprise his role as a setup man once more.

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Although he struggled in the majors, Makita had a solid showing in the minors last season. Over his 70.1 innings spanning 40 games, he posted a 3.33 ERA and a 1.109 WHiP, striking out 67 batters with just 11 walks. However, that performance was not enough to earn another look at the major league level.

Chances are, this puts an end to Makita’s time stateside. At 35 years old, his career is starting to wind down, Regardless of how well he pitches in Japan in the coming year, teams may not be interested in a 36 year old with a spotty track record in the majors.

However, Makita does have the opportunity to add to his impressive resume across the Pacific. In his seven years in Japan, he posted a 53-49 record, along with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.173 WHiP, as he split time between the rotation and bullpen. In his 921.1 innings, he struck out 514 batters while issuing just 206 walks.

Kazuhisa Makita may not have worked out with the San Diego Padres, but he can still be an effective pitcher. That will just have to happen in Japan going forward.