The Nationals announced on Friday that they’ve optioned left-handers Shinnosuke Ogasawara and DJ Herz to Triple-A Rochester. Infielder Nasim Nunez and catcher Drew Millas were also sent down. As Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, this essentially finalizes Mitchell Parker as the season-opening fifth starter.
Manager Dave Martinez said early in camp that MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams, Michael Soroka and Jake Irvin had rotation spots secure. The final job was up for grabs among Parker, Herz and Ogasawara. The former seemed to be the favorite going into camp, as he’d pitched to a 4.29 ERA in 29 starts as a rookie. Herz and Ogasawara probably had to pitch very well this spring to jump him on the depth chart.
That didn’t happen. Parker had the steadiest Spring Training performance. He allowed five runs with eight strikeouts and four walks across 12 1/3 innings. While that’s not exactly a dominant showing, Herz and Ogasawara both struggled. Herz gave up nine runs in 9 2/3 frames. He issued nine walks and only managed four strikeouts. Ogasawara was tagged for 19 runs (15 earned) over 12 innings. The Japanese southpaw recorded 10 strikeouts and walked eight.
Ogasawara signed a two-year, $3.5MM free agent deal over the winter. Unlike many NPB/KBO signees, he did not get a contractual clause that prohibits the team from sending him to the minors. He’ll begin his U.S. career in Triple-A after posting a 3.12 ERA with a modest 13.6% strikeout rate in his final NPB season. Herz made his big league debut last season. He struck out nearly 28% of opponents with a solid 4.16 ERA in 19 starts. He hasn’t consistently thrown strikes in the minors, though, and he clearly has not looked sharp this spring.
Mistake to option herz
He had the best season of any nats starter last yr
“Doesnt throw strikes in minors”? 12.8 k/9 !
They are interrupting his development & progress by sending him down. That rotation is garbage & the tm is going nowhere , how the f do you send down a solid arm like his ?
Lots of love so far in these comments for Herz. He had a crappy Spring when he knew and said he embraced that there would be a competition. He claims a slow start and feeling a dead arm is usual for him in Spring, but it was bad. Reduced velo, getting shelled, not recovering well.
He needs to be back in the minors. He’s only 24. If he gets back on track, he’ll be back up sooner or later.
Incidentally, Herz was initially projected to be a reliever when the Nats acquired him. Everything the Nats have gotten out him so far has been gravy, with more likely to come.
Cubs fan here, and I thought it was a horrible move to trade Herz for a few months of Candelerio at a time when we were only fringe contenders.
I don’t follow the Nats much, but I know that DJ Herz usually develops into Randy Johnson in my OOTP sims, 4.16 ERA as a 23 year old, 10.8 K/9 without a lot of velo. Odd move to me.
Oh no, with DJ Herz Waylaid, who’s going to be on the 1s and 2s. Especially with graduation and bat mitzvah season rounding into view. Wonder is Skrilkex free?
This team is crap either way. It doesn’t matter who starter no 5 is. Starters 1-4 also suck.
Bummer. Least they still have the Prez race and rotating hot dogs? Nats pk can be fun
This is a hugely ignorant comment. You will eat your words.
Or eat them rotating dogs- yum
Herz was a fantasy favorite for me down the line last year, and to me he earned a spot over bleh and meh Soroka and Williams already. I don’t think either of those are going far, he’ll be there.
As Ogasawara, sucks he’s had a tough time adjusting. Hopefully he can get himself right in the minors, but not every Japanese pitcher does.
Ogasawara isn’t a power pitcher so he’s going to have to have pitches that induce a high groundball percentage. He’s still got time to develop against big league hitting.
I hope likes upstate New York because that’s where he’s going to be for the next six months.
HELP WANTED: Japanese-English/English-Japanese translator in the Rochester, NY, area. Must like baseball and be available every 4th or 5th day.
Parker’s Spring Training stats (4.29 ERA, 8 K, 4 BB over 12 1/3 innings) are mediocre but stable, with a lower variance in performance compared to Herz (high walks, low strikeouts) and Ogasawara (extreme runs allowed). This suggests the Nationals are prioritizing a predictable floor over a higher ceiling in the fifth rotation spot, which logically aligns with a broader, unstated goal: conserving pitching development resources for Triple-A refinement rather than risking unproven arms in MLB games early in the season.
What a surprise, the guy who had a 5.1 k/9 last year in Japan didn’t make the MLB team.
Hai!
Herz has had major control issues in the minors. He has struggled throwing strikes this spring, he needs to get back on track. His walk rate last year in the bigs was well below his minor league walk rate. An outlier season. He strikes out a ton of guys, but it’s hard to carry walk rate of over 5/9ip and be successful. Likely why the Cubs were ok letting him go even with the big K numbers.
Generalizations on Japanese pitchers aside, I wonder if the root of Ogasawara’s troubles is him not yet getting used to the difference between an NPB and a Major League baseball. The MLB ball is slicker while the NPB ball is smaller and has smaller seams, making it easier to grip and throw it where he wants. Ogasawara obviously doesn’t possess high velo, so command is key. The lack of such may have landed him in the minors. Before writing him off, it will be interesting to see if he can adjust.
I hope there’s a good translator in Rochester. Shinnosuke could be a bad gamble. He doesn’t appear to have the velocity necessary for MLB. The “crafty” side of an Asian import can only go so far. Bombed in ST. Not a good sign. Herz also disappointing in ST, after some very good outings in ’24. His lax K numbers this spring are a potential cause for alarm, but let’s hope it’s only an anomaly. He seemed loaded with potential last season. And given the still-unknown quality of a rebounding Soroka, I’d keep DJ on speed-dial. Frankly, I don’t know why a decision on Parker was even up in the air. He had a very promising ’24. Go Nats!