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Foster Griffin went to Japan three years ago not because he envisioned it would get him back to the major leagues eventually, but because at the time it was the only place that offered him a chance to be a starting pitcher.
Having bounced back and forth between Triple-A, Kansas City and Toronto while making seven MLB appearances in relief from 2020-22, the left-hander saw an appealing opportunity with the Yomiuri Giants. And once he got the blessing from his then-pregnant wife, he made the move across the Pacific and hoped for the best.
Three highly successful years later, Griffin found himself Tuesday talking about his latest opportunity: Becoming a member of the Nationals’ 2026 rotation after signing a one-year, $5.5 million contract. It’s an opportunity he couldn’t have realistically foreseen when he first left for Japan.
“It’s tough so far to wrap my head around it, to be honest with you,” he said in a Zoom session with reporters. “You hear about some guys going to Japan and coming back and getting deals. But to be honest with you, that was never at the front of my mind when I left. I just wanted to go out there and re-establish myself as a starter. I kind of feel like I got this second chance at baseball in my career, by getting the opportunity to go to Japan.”
In their quest to add some much needed experience to an otherwise young rotation, the Nationals turned their sights to Tokyo. Not for a native Japanese pitcher, but for an American-born, former first round pick who indeed resurrected his career in unexpected fashion.
In three seasons with Yomiuri, Griffin went 18-10 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.033 WHIP and more strikeouts (318) than innings pitched (315 2/3). He peaked this past season, going 6-1 with a 1.52 ERA and 0.966 WHIP in 17 starts, earning a selection to the NPB Central League All-Star team as one of the best pitchers in the country.
How did Griffin turn things around? He expanded his repertoire, adding a splitter to get the kinds of weak contact and swings and misses so many Japanese pitchers regularly induce. He added a sweeper to serve as a counterbalance to his two-seam fastball, making him more effective against tough left-handed batters who don’t strike out. And he became a real student of the game, studying scouting reports, figuring out how best to navigate a full lineup the way top starting pitchers must do to be successful.
“I learned how to be a starter again,” he said.
And after three successful seasons, Griffin decided it was time to make another go of it in the big leagues, hoping this stint will feature fewer setbacks than his first one did.
A first round pick in 2014 out of Orlando, he was finally called up by the Royals to make his MLB debut on July 27, 2020, his 25th birthday. Pitching in relief of Mike Montgomery, he retired the side in his first inning, then retired two of the three batters he faced after returning to the mound for a second frame when disaster struck.
“I was throwing really well, and then I felt something in my elbow in that second inning that I went out there,” he said. “As soon as you get there, the world comes crashing down a little bit. But I had to just say ‘it is what it is’ and move forward. That’s really all I could do.”
Despite earning the win in relief, Griffin had torn his ulnar collateral ligament and needed Tommy John surgery. He wasn’t fully healthy again until the 2022 season, one that saw him make five more relief appearances in two stints with the Royals before getting traded to the Blue Jays, who gave him an opportunity to pitch once in late-September before cutting him loose two months later.
Those travails led to Griffin’s move to Japan, where he rediscovered himself. And now, three years later, he jumped at the Nationals’ offer, which included not only a guaranteed salary that makes him the second highest paid starter on the staff behind rehabbing veteran Trevor Williams, but it appears a guaranteed spot in the Opening Day rotation. He’ll also re-enter free agency next winter despite his lack of prior MLB service time.
Griffin couldn’t have predicted how it would all play out, but he’s sure glad he took the chance and went to Japan when he did.
“At first it was one year. And then one year turned into three years. It was an unbelievable experience,” he said. “I’m really excited to see what I’ve done over there, the changes I’ve made and how I’ve developed as a pitcher, how that will translate back to the big league level.”
* The Nationals have finalized their coaching staff, adding one more previously unreported name to manager Blake Butera’s staff: assistant hitting coach Shawn O’Malley.
O’Malley, 37, spent the last six seasons as a hitting coach in Seattle’s farm system, most recently at Triple-A Tacoma. He played parts of three seasons in the majors with the Angels (2014) and Mariners (2015-16).
Butera’s 12-man staff includes only four coaches who played in the majors: O’Malley, assistant pitching coach Sean Doolittle, first base/outfield/baserunning coach Corey Ray and catching coach Bobby Wilson. Five others have prior MLB coaching experience: bench coach Michael Johns, field coordinator Tyler Smarslok, hitting coach Matt Borgschulte, pitching coach Simon Mathews and bullpen catcher/development coach Grant Anders. The final three staff members (plus Butera) have never played nor coached in the majors before: third base/infield coach Victor Estevez, assistant hitting coach Andrew Aydt and assistant pitching/bullpen coach Dustin Glant.
