left handed Foster GriffinThe MLB resume includes seven games and eight innings of 6.75 ERA ball with the Royals and Blue Jays in the 2020 and 2022 seasons. Looking for a change, Griffin signed with the Yomiuri Giants ahead of the 2023 season, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the 30-year-old southpaw is now looking to return to North American baseball after three successful years in Japan.
While Griffin hasn’t shown much action in a few cups of coffee in the majors, he posted a 2.10 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, and 7.1% walk rate in 51 1/3 relief innings with the Royals and Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliates in 2022. Griffin started nearly every career game before the 2022 campaign, but the move to full-time bullpen duty seemed to unlock something for Griffin after a while as a starter with inconsistent results.
Injuries have also played a role in Griffin’s career. Griffin tore his UCL in his first major league game in 2020, causing him to undergo Tommy John surgery and be out for an extended period. His good numbers in 2022 would seem to suggest he’s recovered well from surgery, but his decision to head overseas may be due to his desire to perform well again at the start.
The decision to bet on himself appears to be paying off. Griffin posted a 2.57 ERA, 25.07% strikeout rate, and 5.52% walk rate in 315 2/3 innings and 54 games with the Giants. His debut in 2023 was so impressive that the Giants gave him a two-year extension, which is notable since foreign-born players in the NPB typically only get one-year deals. Griffin’s work helped the Giants reach the playoffs in each of the past two NPB seasons.
FanSided’s Robert Murray mentioned in July that MLB teams have taken notice of Griffin’s performance in Japan, so it’s no surprise that Griffin is targeting a return to the majors with his contract with the Giants now complete. Merrill Kelly or Eric Feder is one of the latest examples of a pitcher reinventing himself in a foreign league and returning to a multi-year free agent commitment, and the same could happen despite Griffin’s poor showing in the program. The team has been looking to add starting pitching, and Griffin would be an interesting low-cost option for any club in need of rotation help.
