Shintaro Fujinami was included on Samurai Japan's roster for next week's games against Europe probably because the Hanshin Tigers can give the ball to Randy Messenger, coming off an excellent 2014, or stalwart Atsushi Nomi on opening day. Fujinami is probably the biggest name on the Japan pitching staff, a group made up of good players, though none who might be considered the ace of his club's staff, or in line for the opening day start.
So Fujinami will be left to mow down the European lineup for a few innings on either Tuesday or Wednesday, while his teammates will continue their preparations for the season at home against the Hiroshima Carp. The Tigers right-hander got in a last bit of work before national duty on Friday against the Seibu Lions, where during a decent outing he turned heads by unfurling three consecutive fastballs clocked at 157 kph during the seventh inning.
It's early March, so it's still too soon to get overly excited about anything just yet, but it was at least a glimpse of what the 20-year-old right-hander can do. Fujinami has the talent to be successful and the tools to dominate hitters. The question now is whether or not this is the year he brings the two in concert with each other and lifts himself into the upper-tier of NPB pitchers, where he'll rub shoulders with the likes of Chihiro Kaneko, Kenta Maeda, or even fellow 20-year-old Shohei Otani.