The latest C’s Chat is with 2024 Vancouver Canadians pitcher Rafael Ohashi.
Ohashi joined the Blue Jays as a free agent signing from Brazil on July 2, 2019, out of CT Yakut Academy for $10,000 when he was known as Rafael Viana.
In an Instagram post translated into English at the time of his signing with the Blue Jays, Ohashi thanked Armando Yoshida “who taught me how to play baseball, to Zé Horiguchi who taught me a lot about how to prepare myself psychologically and to a great coach and a friend, Mario Kikuchi who helped me every step up to the contract.”
Half Japanese and half Brazilian, Ohashi told TBNWeekly.com his father got him involved in baseball in Sao Paolo where the Japanese people introduced baseball to the kids.
After playing third base and catcher, Ohashi became a pitcher and went on to represent the Brazilian National Team as a 14-year-old. He was also named to the Brazilian roster for the 2021 World Baseball Classic qualifier.
The pandemic delayed Ohashi’s professional debut until May 9, 2021, when he struck out four over three perfect innings at Tampa. Baseball America had this to say about Ohashi’s outing.
“Working against Tampa, which had scored 77 runs in its previous five games, and pitching with an automated strike zone that so far has led to skyrocketing walk totals in the league, Ohashi spun three perfect innings with four strikeouts. His fastball sat in the low 90s, and was accentuated by the roughly 7.5 feet of extension in his delivery. He paired the heater with a curveball and a splitter. Ohashi impressed Blue Jays officials with a combination of skills and makeup—he emerged from the pandemic in excellent shape—and the team rewarded him with a stateside debut.”
Ohashi was assigned to the Florida Complex League in August and recorded his first professional win against the FCL Phillies on August 25 in which he struck out six and walked two batters while not surrendering a hit over three shutout innings. He racked up seven strikeouts over 3-2/3 innings in a return engagement with Dunedin at Tampa on September 7.
In 2022, Ohashi was back with the Dunedin Blue Jays and had a season debut to remember by striking out 10 batters and walking two over four no-hit innings against Bradenton on April 10. In his next home start on April 24, he struck out seven while allowing just one run over 4-2/3 innings against Fort Myers. His most dominant stretch came in late May and early June. Ohashi won back-to-back starts on May 22 and May 28 with five innings of two-run ball and seven strikeouts at Daytona before blanking St. Lucie over five frames while striking out six. He won another start against Lakeland on June 11 with an unearned run allowed over five entradas in which he struck out five batters. Ohashi was then placed on the injured list on June 24 and did not pitch again until September. He finished the year with a 3-2 record, a 2.96 earned run average and a strikeout/walk total of 54-15 over 45-2/3 innings.
The 2023 season saw Ohashi complete a third tour of duty with Dunedin and it was a season full of ups and downs. He won his first start of the season with five goose eggs of two-hit ball against Tampa on April 11. After five innings of one-run ball at Palm Beach on April 18, Ohashi posted five more zeros of one-hit ball and struck out five against Bradenton on April 25. After a rough patch in the middle of May, he had a better month of June with a 2.70 ERA which included a five-inning, one-run victory at Bradenton on June 7 and five shutout frames with four punchouts against Lakeland on June 14. There was more turbulence as the season carried on but he picked up a win at Lakeland with five innings of one-run ball on August 13. His final win of the year came on September 3 at Dayton when he yielded three runs and struck out five over five stanzas. The big positive for Ohashi was more than doubling his innings total from 2022 to 94-1/3 in which he struck out 77 batters.
Ohashi has now made his way north of the border and is the second youngest player on the C’s 2024 Opening Day roster next to lefthander Kendry Rojas. So far, Ohashi has been in the bullpen and it’s been so far, so good for the 21-year-old. His C’s debut came on April 12 when he rolled a perfect frame with one strikeout against Hillsboro at Nat Bailey Stadium. His first win in a Canadians uniform came on April 14 with a scoreless ninth and he was the beneficiary of a C’s five-run rally to walk off Hillsboro. Ohashi put together two more scoreless appearances totalling 1-2/3 innings that included a shutout stanza in an April 18 victory at Eugene. He put together his best and longest outing to date with three shutout innings in which he picked off a runner to face the minimum nine batters while striking out six versus Spokane on April 23.
C’s Plus Baseball spoke to Ohashi prior to the series finale of the opening homestand against Hillsboro. This interview has been edited for clarity.
C’s Plus Baseball – Let’s just take it back from the beginning. How did your career get started?
Rafael Ohashi – Well, thanks a lot for having me. I started when I think at 10 years old back in Brazil playing not much. Because Brazil’s not that big into baseball. But my father used to play, too. So, that’s why I got into baseball. And first time I touched the field was love at first sight. I love it so much. I was 14 when I moved to another city in Brazil. The name is Ibiúna. They have a big baseball academy there. So I went there and stayed for two years. And luckily, I got signed by the Blue Jays in a tournament. One scout saw me pitching and he liked me and he signed me in 2019 on July 2.
CPB – You said your father played the game. Was he a pitcher as well?
RO – Actually, no, he was a catcher. Since I was little, he was the one who caught my bullpens and everything. So that’s pretty cool.
CPB – Do you remember who scouted you from the Blue Jays?
RO – Oh, yeah. It was Francisco Placencia. He’s a Venezuelan scout. He’s pretty good.
CPB – Were you always a pitcher starting out or did you play the field first?
RO – At first, I was at third base and I was a catcher, but then growing up when I was, like, 12, I think, I moved to pitcher. And I was doing good and I fell in love (with it) too because it was a competition with me against the hitter. So, I stuck to that since I was 12.
CPB – How did it feel being signed by the Blue Jays? When did it become real that you were a professional ballplayer?
RO – Well, it was a blessing, for real. It became a blessing. It was a reality, like, it was my job and my first year back in Dunedin, in Florida, when I was playing. I don’t remember against who but I think it was July 4. The stadium was packed and I’d never seen that in Brazil. We do have some fans, but it’s not big. We don’t have that crowd. So, it was fantastic. Then when I noticed, it was like, ‘Oh, that’s pro ball. I’m really into that.’
CPB – Your time with Dunedin, what stands out for you when you to look back at your time there?
RO – I have two special memories. It was my first start as a pro. We played against the Yankees. I threw three perfect innings in a start. And it was a good memory because I pitched against two (future) big leaguers, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, the catcher. I remember I struck out Wells and Volpe hit a fly ball on me. So, that was a pretty good memory. Also, my second year in Dunedin in 2022, I broke my strikeout record in my first start. I pitched four innings and I struck out 10. So, it was an awesome feeling.
CPB – Is this the first time you’ve been in Canada?
RO – Canada is awesome. It’s my first time here. I mean, I never see some fans like that. The crowd here is different. Everyone’s noticed that. It’s amazing to pitch in front of everyone. And also, I never felt that cold before. That’s new for me.
CPB – You got your first experience in the cold during the first weekend of the year in Spokane. What is it like pitching in the cold weather?
RO – Well, it’s kind of rough right now coming from the bullpen. But I think I’m getting used to it. It feels good. I mean, after spending three years in Florida, I’m enjoying a little bit of the cold, I guess. For now, I’m in the bullpen, so I’m a reliever, of course. I will pitch whenever they need me And I came to attack the hitters. I gave it my best to make sure the team wins.
CPB – Do you have a preference as far as starting or relieving?
RO – I mean, growing up, of course, I was dreaming of being a starter. But like, at the pro (level), whatever it takes to make it to the bigs and have more success, I don’t care too much (about the role). I just want to have the opportunity to pitch as a pro.
CPB – Eric Pardinho, a fellow Brazilian, he’s been here (in Vancouver) the last couple of years. Did you know Eric from before?
RO – Yeah. I’ve known him since we were little. We went to the same baseball academies. So it’s been like, I guess, seven years we’ve known each other.
CPB – Did he give you any advice when you signed with the Blue Jays?
RO – Oh, yeah. Every time that I need some help, someone to talk to, I think he’s the first one that I talked to because he’s been here a lot so I feel like he knows a lot. I always talk with him, and get advice on how to pitch, of course, and how to get better every day.
CPB – The pitches you throw, what is it that you do throw?
RO – I do throw a fastball, cutter, and slider, and change-ups. And that’s it.
CPB – A four-seam fastball, I guess?
RO – Yeah, four-seam fastball.
CPB – If you had to rate your pitches right now, or rank your pitches, what do you say is your best?
RO – Well, I would say my best right now, I mean, it’s pretty good but kind of rough. The coaches told me my cutter is good but I really like my slider. I think it’s my primary pitch. I throw it a lot. And, of course, I got my fastball, and the last one’s my change-up. I mean, I don’t use it too much, but I’m trying to get better with that, to have one more weapon against the hitters.
CPB – The slider, did anyone teach you that, or was it something you picked up on your own?
RO – I mean, they tried to teach me the slider. I don’t know why, but they never get the movement I’m supposed to. So like, specifically in this off-season, I try to mess around, like a throwing program and have some different grips, and I found one that I like and I’m sticking to that. It’s not that good yet, like, as I want in metric size. But I feel comfortable throwing it, and I feel I can land (it for) strikes.
CPB – And the cutter, did somebody teach you that?
RO – Oh, no, actually, it was an accident. I was throwing fastballs. I grabbed the ball kind of weird, and when I threw a cut, I’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ I started messing around in the throwing program, too. It was doing the job.
CPB – You have this state-of-the-art Player Development Complex in Dunedin. How has that helped you as a pitcher?
RO – We have everything there. Everything we need. From practice to recovery, it helped me a lot. Also, I got injured a lot in the last couple of years. So having everything they had there in Florida helped me a lot to maintain my health last season. So I’m pretty grateful for that.
CPB – Did you have a favorite Major League team or Major League player growing up?
RO – Well, growing up, my favourite team was the Rangers, but it was specifically because of a pitcher. I used to love seeing Yu Darvish pitching. He was my favourite one growing up. And, of course, right now Shohei Ohtani but I feel like specifically for pitching, Darvish is the man. I really like the way he pitched and how he dealt with the game.
CPB – Is there anyone you you might compare yourself to?
RO – Oh, well, I would say. I don’t know, Masahiro Tanaka? My roommates and my teammates, they say I have similar mechanics to him. I do like the way he pitched when he was with the Yankees so it’s pretty cool.
CPB – What is it that you like to do away from the ballpark and kind of take your mind off the game?
RO – Oh, wow, that’s a good question. I do love fishing, at least in Brazil. That’s my to-go hobby. I go with my father every weekend.
CPB – Final question. What is your favorite uniform of the Canadians? You got the red, you got the white…
RO – Oh, that’s got to be red. It’s my favourite colour ever. When I saw the red jersey, it was amazing. I love that.
Rafael Ohashi File
- Born – October 8, 2002 in Mogi Guacu, Brazil.
- Height/Weight – 6-foot-1, 185-pounds
- Bats/Throws – Right/Right
- Uniform Numbers – Wore number 21 with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays and number 10 with the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2021. Wore numbers 10 and 20 with Dunedin in 2022. Wore number 2 with the D-Jays in 2023.
- Mound Music – “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi.
- Instagram – @rafael.ohashi
Thanks a million again to Rafael Ohashi and C’s broadcaster Tyler Zickel for the latest instalment of C’s Chat.
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