Padres’ Tatsuya Nogami signing brings an unusual development gamble from Japan

The Padres spent $300,000 on a pitcher whose next adjustment includes the baseball itself. That’s at least where they should start after negotiations. Tatsuya Nogami, a 20-year-old right-hander from Japan, gives San Diego something a little more interesting than another routine minor league addition. He gives the organization a chance to prove it can find pitching talent outside the usual pipelines and develop a jump into the major leagues.

We can appreciate the imagination. Nogami signed his minor league contract on October 15 with a $300,000 bonus. He comes from Osaka Sangyo University’s semi-hardball program, bypassing Nippon Professional Baseball entirely.

Semi-hardball, or junkoshiki, uses a rubber-covered ball with a hard core. Nogami’s route means the Padres are evaluating a pitcher whose experience comes with a different ball and a very different competitive environment.

Padres’ Tatsuya Nogami gamble puts pitching development in focus

Nogami struck out 54 hitters in 25 1/3 innings during his most recent spring season, allowing one earned run. Solid numbers. But the competition gives us a reason to keep our feet on the floor.

Professional hitters will supply a much tougher review. Japanese reporting has him reaching 96 mph on his fastball. But his ceiling is rather unknown.

We need to see what Nogami carries through outings stateside, how his pitches behave with a regulation baseball and whether he can locate them against hitters who punish mistakes.

Finding an overlooked pitcher earns the scouting department some credit. Giving him a workable plan comes next. A reported repertoire featuring a fastball, splitter and several breaking pitches offers options; the Padres will have to determine which ones deserve the most attention.

It’s nice that the organization is making these kinds of bets. Their farm system is ranked last in baseball. Bringing in some outside help and attaching it to a productive pitching system could work. The signing announcement is the easy part. The value comes from the instruction, adjustments and patience that follow.

Nogami has earned an opportunity. The Padres have bought themselves an intriguing development assignment. Now we get to see whether their work can make his unusual path lead somewhere.

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