What to expect from Foster Griffin in his first start with the Washington Nationals

The first free agent signing Paul Toboni made was a bit of a mysterious one. He gave LHP Foster Griffin a 1-year $5.5 million deal after three excellent years in Japan. Griffin will get his first opportunity to test himself against big league competition tonight, in an exhibition game against Venezuela. 

Foster Griffin was a first round pick for the Royals back in 2014. However, things did not work out for the southpaw in the Royals organization. He did make his way to the big leagues after a long trek through the minors, but never established himself as a regular. Wanting to continue as a starter, Griffin went to Japan following the 2022 season.

In his three years pitching in NPB, Griffin was dominant. He posted a 2.57 ERA in 315.2 innings over in Japan. Griffin had his best season in 2025, posting a 1.52 ERA, but injuries limited him to just 89 innings. When he was healthy, Griffin used his deep pitch mix and command to dominate NPB hitters.

The biggest question mark for Griffin is whether his softer arsenal will translate to the MLB. His fastball averaged just over 90 MPH last season, which is why he could only get a relatively modest one-year deal despite elite production. As a lefty, it is easier to survive with less velocity, but it is a question mark.

Griffin made up for his lack of power with an extremely deep mix of pitches. He threw seven different pitch types last season. Griffin was able to have a different pitch mix against righties and lefties. Against righties, he leaned more on his cutter and changeup to go with the fastball. He also mixed in his sweeper, as well as a splitter and occasional curve. Griffin’s sweeper was his go to secondary against lefties. He also used a sinker to get ground balls. In Japan, Griffin learned to mix up his pitches beautifully.

That is what we will see from him tonight against Venezuela. I actually think he will rely even more on his secondary pitches in the MLB. Nats pitchers are moving away from fastballs in general, and Griffin’s deep bag of pitches gives him plenty of non-fastball options. Griffin threw his 4-seamer about 40% of the time in Japan, and I expect that to go down even more in the big leagues.

Like a lot of guys that go to Japan, Griffin really learned to pitch over in the NPB. He talked about his evolution in an interview before he signed. It was pretty cool hearing him talk about his time in Japan. Griffin described it as a second chance at baseball. He also went into detail about some of the new pitches he learned. Like many pitchers who go to Japan, Griffin picked up a splitter. He also found a sweeper grip that worked for him over there.

Don’t get it twisted, Foster Griffin is not going to come back to the MLB looking like an ace. However, his new found craftsmanship gives him a chance to be a solid back of the rotation starter. If anything, Griffin will be tough on hitters because they don’t have the book on him yet. Hopefully, Griffin can take advantage of that and get off to a hot start. If that happens, the Nats could potentially move him at the deadline.

Griffin has been held back so far this spring, but he is finally getting a chance to show what he’s got tonight. All we have seen from Griffin is videos from live BP sessions. It is not much to go off of, but he seemed to really befuddle CJ Abrams in the one video we have of him throwing.

Venezuela will be a major first test for Griffin. They have a lot of star power in their lineup. The Venezuelans feature the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Salvador Perez, Eugenio Suarez and Jackson Chourio among others. This lineup is as good as any he will see in the MLB. 

I will be watching to see what his pitch mix looks like and if he is able to find a tick or two of velocity. Griffin was asked to go deep into games over in Japan. Maybe, he could tick up to 91-92 if he does not have to conserve himself as much. Every tick matters for pitchers, especially when you don’t have a ton of velocity.

Overall, Griffin is an interesting story and someone I am curious to watch. He is very likely to be in the rotation, so I want to see what the lefty has got. Griffin made a few big league appearances in 2020 and 2022. However, with his new pitches, Griffin is a different guy now. I really do not know what to expect.

Entering the season, Griffin is the wild card of the rotation. There is a chance his stuff does not translate to North America. However, the track record of pitchers who dominate in the NPB coming to the MLB is pretty strong. 

While both are soft-tossing lefties, Nats fans should not confuse Griffin for Shinnosuke Ogasawara. Griffin was much more productive in Japan, with far more swing and miss in his game. The Nats will be counting on Griffin to be a solid starter, and it is an intriguing gamble to take. I am excited to see what he has got tonight against a tough lineup.