Yuki Matsui proving to be a dependable bullpen piece
Lefty enters year two with San Diego
Yuki Matsui signed with the Padres in 2024 and proved to be an effective and dependable arm out of the bullpen in his first season. He appeared in 64 games and finished with a 3.73 ERA. This was not a surprise to the leadership in San Diego because Matsui had just completed his 10th season in the Nippon Professional Baseball league and finished with a 1.57 ERA with 39 saves for the Tohuku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
There was some talk amongst the Friar Faithful when Matsui signed his deal that he is the closer-in-waiting if current closer Robert Suarez opts out of his contract at the end of 2025 to become a free agent. Matsui showed in his rookie season that he can pitch effectively in MLB and have success.
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According to Baseball Savant, Matsui throws five pitches. Four-seam fastball, slider, split finger, sweeper and a curve ball. Each of those pitches is listed in order of his usage trends. While his split finger is third in the repertoire, it can be a devastating strikeout pitch.
On top of a solid first year performance, Matsui endeared himself to Padres fans immediately upon joining the team at his introductory press conference when he delivered his comments in English and Spanish.
With his first year of MLB experience under his belt, Matsui entered this Spring Training looking to improve upon his performance from last season. He showed some growth against the Angels in his last appearance.
Matsui grabbed a check swing ground ball off the bat of Los Angeles Angels batter Cole Fontenelle, turned toward second, collected himself, and made a strong throw to second baseman Eguy Rosario. Rosario stepped on the bag and made the throw to first baseman Trenton Brooks to complete a double play in a game that was tied at zero in the fifth inning. It was a critical play to eliminate a baserunner who reached via a leadoff walk, and prevent the Los Angeles offense from starting a rally.
Padres broadcaster Tony Gwynn Jr. was impressed by the play and commented on Matsui’s growth from a year ago.
“Great job by Yuki taking his time,” Gwynn Jr. said. “This ball came to him… Feel like last year he might have panicked. He took his time, made a great throw to Eguy, who’s able to turn two.”
The play was included in the 18 pitches Matsui threw in the inning with 12 of those being strikes. Combine those numbers with 14 pitches and nine strikes from his outing against the Sacramento Athletics and seven pitches with six strikes against the Seattle Mariners and he has thrown 39 pitches with 27 strikes this spring. He did allow a solo home run in his first outing, which is why he holds a 3.00 ERA after three Cactus League appearances.
Matsui has been consistent during his time with the Padres. If he can combine consistency with a solid Spring Training, it should mean another good year for him out of the bullpen.
