New Texas Rangers pitcher Kohei Arihara needs to get a grip in first spring training
Thursday marked a day of firsts for Kohei Arihara, one of the Texas Rangers’ key offseason acquisitions.
The right-hander threw his first official bullpen session of his first spring training, though he has been throwing in Arizona since an early arrival from Japan some 10 days ago.
He also participated in his first Zoom call with Rangers reporters, a memory he’s sure to cherish.
The good news for the Rangers is that Arihara has been tackling the No. 1 obstacle to his success in the U.S. The bad news for the Rangers is that Arihara still hasn’t completed the tackle.
Some tackiness would help. (Not that kind of tackiness.)
The MLB baseball is one slippery son of a gun compared to the tackier ball that is easier to grip in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Rangers gave him some MLB balls in December after he passed his physical in Arlington, and he has been playing catch with them ever since.
Arihara has a spot on the Opening Day roster sewn up. Spring training will give him six more weeks of practice to get a grip on the new ball.
“I don’t know if there’s really a key to adjusting, but it’s just getting used to it,” Arihara said via translator Hiro Fujiwara. “I’ve played more catch than before in the past seasons. But it’s also different playing catch here in Arizona than in Japan because Arizona is a lot more dry. So it does feel different, but it’s just getting used to it, getting used to slipperiness.”
Arihara said that his split-fingered fastball hasn’t been right with MLB ball, and neither has his fastball. The Rangers believe that the split could become a weapon in the major leagues, where hitters continue to strike out at alarming rates.
Arihara isn’t the first pitcher from Japan to encounter difficulties with the ball. They all do.
The MLB baseball is heavier and slightly larger in circumference. The seams are higher and the covering is smoother even though both balls are made with cowhide.
MLB pitchers have been caught trying to add grip to the ball while the pitch, via pine tar or other methods. Balls are rubbed down with a mud compound before every game and inspected by umpires.
For safety reasons, hitters and pitchers like to have extra grip.
“He’s mentioned it, especially on the split-finger, it’s a little more slick than what he’s used to,” manager Chris Woodward said. “So, he’s going to have to make an adjustment there without crossing lines and being illegal, sticky stuff since I know that’s a big issue right now.
“He’s got to find a way to make sure ... based on our ball specifications, he knows how his ball moves with our ball. It is going to be an adjustment for him, obviously. In bullpens and stuff like that he’s going to have to make sure he’s paying attention to how the ball moves.”
If the ball is the primary issue, the increased workload runs a strong second.
MLB teams play 18 more games than NPB teams, and there are fewer off days. Pitchers usually pitch once a week in Japan but regularly pitch every fifth day in the majors.
Arihara said that he has made multiple starts in the same week before but not regularly. He expects to feel fatigue toward the end of the season.
While the Rangers can’t do much about the ball, they can do something about Arihara’s workload. They signed him to eat innings, especially after throwing 48 2/3 more than the MLB leader (Lance Lynn, 84) last season, but they aren’t going to put him in harm’s way.
With the potential carousel of starters the Rangers are expected to run through the rotation, they can easily create rest for Arihara.
“We’re going to give him extra days at times,” Woodward said. “We’ve got to watch his body, see how his stuff is coming out, how his arm feels, all those things. But, yes, I do foresee him pitching quite a bit of innings, and that’s a reason we signed him.”
The ball and innings might be issues, but Arihara is determined to do whatever it takes to make a successful transition to the majors.
“One dream that I had was to play in MLB,” he said. “But what’s more important is to perform in MLB. So, I need to make sure not to get injured, keep playing at the top level I can, and perform well.”
