Since Tomo Ohka in 2005, the Washington Nationals have not had a Japanese player on the MLB club. Well, that is until today because the Nats are calling up Japanese southpaw Shinnosuke Ogasawara.
The Nationals signed Ogasawara to a 2-year $3.5 million deal back in January. It was an interesting move for an organization that has not dove very deep into the Japanese market at all. Ogasawara is more of a soft tosser than a Yoshinobu Yamamoto type ace, but it was still interesting.
However, Ogasawara really struggled in Spring Training while competing for a roster spot.