As the Rays prepare for the 2024 campaign, there have been plenty of new faces in Port Charlotte. That includes Naoyuki Uwasawa, who was signed to a minor league deal in the winter, which included an invite to spring training.
While Uwasawa has never pitched in an inning in the majors, he has already put together an impressive resume. He was a three-time All-Star in Nippon Professional Baseball. The talented right-hander also pitched in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.
Despite his prior success, Uwasawa is in unfamiliar territory. However, he has impressed the Rays’ pitching coach, Kyle Snyder.
“ I thought it was wonderful. I told him I was really excited to see him for the first time facing hitters,” Snyder told MLB.com’s Adam Berry. “ I know he was excited as well and kind of got some nerves out of the way after the first couple pitches and settled in nicely. Certainly fun to watch.”
During his 30-pitch session on Saturday, Uwasawa gave the Rays a preview of what to expect. The 30-year-old recorded multiple swings and misses while topping out at 91 miles per hour, slightly higher than his average last year.
The Rays are hoping that continues as they look to make a deep playoff run. In Uwasawa, they have a pitcher with plenty of experience who has had success in the past.
In his nine years in the NPB, Uwasawa recorded a 3.19 ERA in over 1,000 innings of work. During the 2023 campaign, he had one of his best seasons, posting a 2.96 ERA. His only issue was getting players to swing and miss.
Last year, the Nippon Ham Fighters product posted a strikeout percentage of 17.8. That is slightly down from his percentage of 19.7 the year before, according to MLB Trade Rumors. While he has shown that he can be successful and pitch to contact. He hopes the Rays help him take his game to the next level.
“I’m excited to join the Rays organization and grateful for the opportunity to begin a career in Major League Baseball,” Uwasawa said in a press release when he signed with the team. “I decided to play for the Rays because the success and rich history of pitching development has intrigued me.”
While Uwasawa drew interest from various teams, he saw the Rays as the team that could maximize his skills. He is one of the many new faces trying to crack a rotation that looks very different than just a year ago.
Those changes include Tyler Glasnow, who was traded to the Dodgers. While Uwasawa won’t be asked to replace his production, they hope he can be part of the equation. Over the last few years, he has proven he can get our professional hitters.
Although spring training is far from over, Uwasawa has already made his presence known. If he can continue to build on his success, he could earn a spot on the opening-day roster and be key to the Rays success.
