Shintaro Fujinami is finally returning to his earlier form

After years of struggling, Shintaro Fujinami is finally showing the form that once made him one of the more exciting prospects in Japan.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, Shintaro Fujinami was considered one of the top pitching prospects in Japan. There was a debate as to whether or not he or Shohei Ohtani was the better pitching prospect; while there was no doubt as to Ohtani’s bat, the two young hurlers were expected to ascend to the same stratosphere.

Ohtani became everything that he was expected to be – the Japanese Babe Ruth, a player who had the fastest pitch in league history and won the Home Run Derby. He could do it all on the field, a five tool prospect in the field and on the mound. It was not a surprise when he came stateside and immediately changed the game before injuries began to derail his career.

Fujinami? Well, he followed a different path. After his impressive 2015 season, he began to scuffle, eventually losing his command in 2017. He was no longer the same pitcher, barely able to locate the plate. The command would return in the minors, but once he was back in the Japanese major leagues, he was lost.

The nadir for Fujinami came last season. He made just one appearance with the Hanshin Tigers major league squad, spending the rest of the season in the minors. Although he allowed just one run on four hits in his 4.1 innings, he issued six walks and hit two other batters. It was fair to wonder if he was done, a victim of the yips like so many pitchers before him.

But this year has been a resurrection. Fujinami had dominated in the minors, allowing just five hits and seven walks in 15 scoreless innings, striking out 15 batters. That success led to a return to the Tigers major league squad, where he has continued his surprising return.

The resurrection may have come to its completion on Wednesday. Although he was let down by his defense resulting in a loss, Fujinami looked like his vintage self. He allowed just four hits and a walk over eight innings, striking out seven. Of his 113 pitches, 73 were strikes. This is the pitcher he had been back when the debate between he and Ohtani was legitimate.

Shintaro Fujinami finally looks like his old self. At just 26 years old, there is still plenty of time for a positive ending to his career, and maybe a return to his former stature as a major league prospect.