Although Japanese pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa was recently posted, he has some intriguing pitch characteristics; however, the Phillies should ultimately look elsewhere for their rotation.
The Japanese pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa, who recently posted at the same time as fellow national Shōta Imanaga, is not a player the Philadelphia Phillies should sign.
Mark Feinsand of MLB Network reports that the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball posted Uwasawa on November 27. On November 28, his 45-day window for signings opened. Major League teams have until January 11 to sign the pitcher and bring him to the United States.
Right-hander Uwasawa, 29, has been a member of the Nippon-Ham Fighters since he made his professional debut in 2013 at the age of 19. Uwasawa has thrown 1,367 1/3 innings in 225 games during his career, recording a 3.42 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.
He was named an All-Star in 2023 after going 9-9 in 170 innings over 24 starts with a 2.96 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Even though those numbers appear impressive, it’s generally believed that his lower strikeout rates will make him less appealing to MLB front offices.
Uwasawa recorded a 17.8% strikeout percentage in the previous season. That’s 124 strikeouts in his 170 innings pitched against 696 batters. His strikeout percentage over a career is 19.1%. He’s losing ground there, as the average strikeout rate for all MLB starting pitchers in the previous season was 22.1%. And that’s not even taking into account the changes Japanese pitchers have to make when they move up to the Major Leagues in terms of the ball and hitters.
Genius at pitching and stuff+ Uwasawa’s pitches do have some intriguing shape characteristics, as Eno Sarris of The Athletic notes. His fastball spins at 2,650 RPM with an induced vertical break of 19 inches. Sarris said Uwasawa would rank in the top five to ten percent of the Majors based on those metrics.
