Sunday, February 25, 2024

Imanaga won't need to be a star with Cubs

 

Shota Imanaga signed with the Chicago Cubs in January as one of many players coming over from NPB to MLB. 

Despite having a high fanfare of projections in the heights of $100 million, he only received a contract with $53 million guaranteed. 

Due to the excellent timing, the Cubs were able to introduce him to the public at Cubs Convention, a weekend event for fans and the team to connect. 

"I am very happy to be here and a Cub. I want to thank the Cubs organization and I'm excited to pitch at Wrigley Field," Imanaga said through interpreter Shingo Murata. "I'm looking forward to being with coaches and teammates. Go Cubs go!"

Known as a "Throwing Philosopher," Imanaga said he earned this nickname through his studious habits beyond the physical practice in his pitching. 

Imanaga said Seiya Suzuki did not influence his decision to pick the Cubs when he entered the posting window. It was the Cubs themselves who approached and wanted him the most. 

"One of the things that resonated with me is [when the Cubs said they] believe in my potential and do what I do best," Imanaga said. "At the same time, I realize there's a lot of room for me to grow and I look forward to talking with my coaches and teammates to reach that potential when I can. "

Jed Hoyer, Cubs President of Baseball Operations, said it was an "extensive" process in scouting Imanaga. Both he and General Manager Carter Hawkins did plenty of homework when watching film and reading information. Hoyer even attended a game in September to watch him pitch.

"We're very excited to bring Shota on board," Hoyer said. "He's been a great teammate. He is very curious and he has his reputation of being a cerebral pitcher. He's very curious, as he wants to continue to get better and that sounds like a perfect match for the Cubs."

Hoyer added it was a bonus how Imanaga has already embraces the city of Chicago and talked about the great history of Wrigley Field. 

Imanaga's four-year $53 million contract is rather soft. The Cubs can pickup a fifth year option for 2028 after the 2025 or 2026 seasons and if they refuse, Imanaga can opt out as early as 2025. 

If Chicago picks up the team option, he will make a combined $80 million through 2028.  The Yokohama DeNA Baystars also received a $9.8 million posting fee. 

Imanaga said pitching in the 2023 WBC was an inspiration on how much he can improve his pitching and be even better than he already was in Japan with the Baystars. 

He started the final game against USA taking the first two innings before it was a team bullpen relay for Shohei Ohtani to close it out. 

His biggest transition to MLB will be pitching every fifth game as opposed to once a week in Japan. Imanaga said he would keep an open mind for advice to the changes ahead from a technical standpoint to the larger baseball he's holding. Other things in transition include a pitch clock besides hitters who are more power oriented.

While wearing No. 18 is a common tradition in Japan for pitchers as the team ace, Imanaga said in his press conference he wanted to be like Ben Zobrist, who was an important player during their 2016 World Series championship team. 

For the Cubs, they're coming off a season where they competed a year ahead of schedule. A September collapse by their bullpen and rotation prevented the postseason, but a finish at 83-79 is still higher than where most baseball experts had them going into 2023. 

Imanaga projects to be a No. 4 or No. 5 starter behind Justin Steele, James Taillon and Kyle Hendricks. On the back side, Imanaga will be with Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks. They lost Marcus Stroman in free agency to the New York Yankees. 

The Cubs will need to shore up their bullpen and it could be a struggle coming into 2024 with several uncertain names. However, the back of their rotation will also need to develop from within. 

Overall, it has been a slow offseason with Imanaga being their big signing, though they retained Cody Bellinger, who was coming off a comeback season in 2023. 

Seiya Suzuki also finished the 2023 season strong after injuries and adjustments hurt him in 2022.  There was a gaffe in September, which helped the Arizona Diamondbacks take the final postseason spot, but the Cubs have shown they're in it to compete. 

Aside from Imanaga, their biggest pickup was new Manager Craig Counsell, who they plucked away from the Milwaukee Brewers and within the division. David Ross, his predecessor, likely took the Cubs as far as he could. 

The division is easily up for the grabs when the St. Louis Cardinals came off a down season and the others haven't proven they can hang around for 162 games, but Imanaga's role could get them over that hump into the postseason.

He doesn't need to be an ace, but a pitcher to eat innings. As long as he keeps his rotation job and even goes deeper into games the Cubs will take that, especially how he's being paid like a No. 5 starter. 

There is plenty of reason for optimism for both the Cubs and their willingness to go into Japan for players. Hoyer spoke about the last seasons of having Suzuki help them in approaching Imanaga.  

"I think the whole organization has learned a lot from having Seiya from these two years and what things we can do better," Hoyer said. "I think Shota really benefits from us having two years of that experience. Our hope has always been that we want to be a destination for Japanese players. We go above and beyond to make sure that transition goes smoothly."

Previously, the Cubs signed Yu Darvish after the 2017 World Series. Other names include some being infamous for the wrong reasons like Kosuke Fukudome as well as Kyuji Fujikawa and the twilight of Koji Uehara. 

"We probably made some mistakes along the way and improved some things with Seiya, but our hope is that it becomes Seiya and Shota and many more. There are a lot of great players in the NPB and we hope the city of Chicago and Wrigley field and the Cubs will be a destination."

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Sunday, February 4, 2024

Yamamoto will need to handle spotlight

 


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Yoshinobu Yamamoto joins the Los Angeles Dodgers with sky high expectations. Not only from his success in Japan, but by having the highest guaranteed contract in AAV and years for a pitcher. 

His goal was very obvious in wanting to win games. Yamamoto was overwhelmed by the teams who gave him an offer and wanted his services, but he had a simple priority.

"It was very important for me for a team that wants to win and not only now but in the future as well," Yamamoto said through his interpreter Mako Allbee. "I really felt that through this whole process, The Dodgers provided that opportunity the most. "

Several teams including the New York Yankees and New York Mets had interest, but he Dodgers matched the fiscal offer by the latter and their prestige won him over.

Yamamoto downplayed Ohtani's presence when signing, saying he would've picked them regardless for their winning abilities. 

"Through my talks with the front office, it was really clear that they wanted to win," Yamamoto said. But on top of that, the fact that Shohei was doing that (by taking less money up front) also signaled that it wasn't just the front office, but it was the players that bought into this winning atmosphere as well, so that really resonated with me.

I really felt the front office people were committed in the same direction."

Despite earning a large contract, the work has just begun to live up to it. The Dodgers are a team who had a great offense and fizzled out of the postseason last October because their pitching depth was depleted. 

Walker Buehler is coming off his second Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2023 season. 

Julio Urias remains a free agent and will likely be unsigned by the team after the legal trouble he's gone through.

They did add James Paxton and Tyler Glasnow by signing and trade, respectively, but their expectations don't come close to Yamamoto. 

Longtime pitcher Clayton Kershaw is coming off an injury and won't return until July at the earliest. Shohei Ohtani will obviously not pitch in 2024 coming off a hybrid procedure to his elbow instead of Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes spoke about Yamamoto being special both on and off the field with his work ethic. 

"There's a different level of intent and focus with each and every throw he makes leading up to that night's game," Gomes said. "Once on the mound, he features multiple weapons to navigate a lineup effectively. In addition to that, it is a truly special command that not only allows him to go deep into games, but when needed, he can feature swing-and-miss stuff that is elite."

Gomes described Yamamoto as "meticulous" for his routines in workout, recovery and diet to stay active.

In knowing something about MLB, Yamamoto got a taste of it in 2019 when attending a Dodgers playoff game as well as one in Oakland on a California trip. By coincidence, Kenta Maeda was pitching for the Dodgers.

Yamamoto's 12-year, $325 million contract through 2035 has no deferred payments compared to Ohtani. There are two opt-out options in his contract and they can kick in earlier or later depending on if he has Tommy John surgery or misses a significant amount of time with an elbow injury

If Yamamoto has Tommy John surgery or misses 134 consecutive service days from 2024-2029 due to an elbow issue, he can opt out after the 2031 and 2033 seasons. 

In the event Yamamoto is healthy through his first six years, he can opt out after the 2029 and 2031 seasons.

For the injury scenario, the Dodgers could gain a $10 million conditional option for 2036. 

Yamamoto will be asked to carry the Dodgers rotation with little to no grace period. He is only making $5 million in 2024, yet the expectations will always remain high. 

'There is that sense of relief of saying 'I'm finally here when I finally made it,' but obviously this is where it all starts and I still got to put in the work from here on out to continue to strive to get better," Yamamoto said. 

In reality, Yamamoto has barely been on a huge radar compared to others in NPB. While it's true he's won the Sawamura Award three times and had several accolades as an ace for the Orix Buffaloes, the pressure has been minimal.

Despite their recent on-field success, Orix is one of the least popular teams in Japan and plays second fiddle to the Hanshin Tigers in the Kansai market. 

Most of the media and fans of this area will be loud and critical of the Tigers like they're an East Coast team in an intense manner. 

The Orix Buffaloes on the other hand don't have attendance even close to Hanshin in percentage. At Kyocera Dome, it's very easy to walk up and buy a ticket on Gameday with an electronic kiosk available. 

In perspective, Yamamoto's humble beginnings started in the draft, where he was a fourth-round selection out of high school. 

"Looking back at my high school self, you'd probably be very surprised at where I am now," Yamamoto said. "But I really feel like I have been doing the same thing since I entered NPB at 18 years old. But I think I was also blessed and very lucky to be surrounded by the right people to support me to where I am now."

His career up to this point has led to an ability to rise up and. be anonymous in Japan aside from the baseball fanatics due to playing for Orix. 

Yamamoto gave up multiple runs in his only stateside appearance during the WBC win against Mexico while in Miami. He couldn't get the shutdown inning, yet he was bailed out by Japan's offense in the 9th inning, capped off by a sayonara hit by Munetaka Murakami. 

These first few months will be uncharted waters, which he downplayed how anyone coming to MLB from Japan will need to adjust to the culture changes and the schedule of pitching every five days as opposed to once a week. 

Southern California's media market doesn't have the same intensity as New York or Boston, but there's still plenty of people who will be loud if there is struggling. 

The rotation spotlight will be on Yamamoto as he comes to Chavez Ravine. How does he handle this pressure from humble beginnings? Time will tell.

"From today moving forward, I promise to all the fans of LA that I will focus my everything to become a better player and to become a world champion," Yamamoto said. "As a member of the Dodgers, I'll stop simply admiring the players I looked up to, but rather strive to become the player that others want to become." 

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Sunday, January 28, 2024

Matsui's wait to MLB is rewarded

 


Yuki Matsui took the long way to MLB. 

Instead of early domination and a posting, he had to wait for nine years of service time to reach international free agent rights. It's the same path Kodai Senga was forced to reach given he was on a team that never posted a player.

Matsui, 28, wanted to play in MLB several years ago with hopes of being posted, but he didn't let the waiting time hamper him. He said he needed to improve his skills to be ready for the jump across the Pacific Ocean. 

"It wasn't really much of a wait for me to come here, Matsui said through interpreter Shinjo in a video press conference. "I mentioned [to the team] that in wanted to pitch [in MLB] back in 2019, but I really had to get ready and I had to hone my draft in order to be a player to be wanted by these big league teams. Throughout these years, I was working on my craft and building my body. It wasn't a long wait for me as I was just focusing on baseball everyday."

He officially signed with the San Diego Padres in December, being one of four Japanese players making the switch from NPB to MLB.

What helped the process in picking the Padres? None other than having Samurai Japan teammate Yu Darvish being there.

"Darvish is a pretty big presence for me," Matsui said  "It will be a big plus being able to play baseball [with him] and live close to him."

His contract with the Padres is rather fair for the market as a relief pitcher. 

On the surface, it's five years for the cost of $28 million. However, there are plenty of incentives and even an opt out and team option available.

If Matsui does not have Tommy John or an elbow injury that causes more than 130 consecutive days on the injured list from 2024-2025, he has the right to opt out after three years and making a combined $14.5 million.

In the event a major elbow injury happens, Matsui's $7 million 2028 salary becomes a conditional team option with potential to become a player option.

There's also an incentive based kicker where he can increase his salary each year depending on games finished, which creates the motivation to become the team's closer.

Matsui humbly brought up how he hadn't pitched a single MLB game yet and didn't expect to close games immediately. He even spoke with players who came from MLB to NPB on needing to relearn things in baseball in this transition. 

Despite winning a World Baseball Classic championship with Samurai Japan, Matsui expressed disappointment in himself as he didn't perform on the biggest stage in favor of other pitchers and didn't appear in the semi finals or finals against Mexico nor the USA. 

"Beyond the great experience with that awesome team to win the WBC, for myself I wasn't able to perform as I wanted to, Matsui said. "I turned that into motivation. I'm motivated to go to the States and put on my best."

Matsui was originally a first round draft pick by the Rakuten Eagles in 2013 and he made the transition to closer in 2015 out of necessity due to the team having thin bullpen depth. This call by then-manager Dave Okubo worked wonders as he thrived in the 9th inning. 

Matsui became the youngest player who have 200 saves in NPB with a career ERA of 2.40 and 1.11 WHIP. 

The Padres situation is a strange transition. Last offseason, they proved to be one of the bigger spenders going all-in and signing massive contracts with Xander Bogaerts in free agency and large extensions to Manny Machado and Yu Darvish. They even had Juan Soto acquired by trade during 2022. 

The 2023 Season flopped with unclutch hitting and wasting a Cy Young season from Blake Snell. 

Their run differential reflected they should've been better, but they barely finished above .500 at 82-80 with most of those wins coming too late. 

Manager Bob Melvin left the team for the San Francisco Giants, but the larger issue is within the ownership structure. It was revealed the Padres had to take a loan to cover expenses finishing the 2023 season due to the Regional Sports Network (RSN) deal at Bally Sports collapsing in the middle of the year. Their TV rights being dropped hurt their revenue and the payroll shedding is reflective of this going into 2024.

Padres owner passed away in November, making the structure going forward uncertain. 

San Diego is in an odd middle ground where they can't rebuild when Bogaerts and Machado exist on the roster, yet they don't look good on paper to take that step and be a contender. 

For Matsui, the bullpen position is open as 2023 closer Josh Hader signed a free agent deal with the Houston Astros. 

Former Softbank Hawks reliever Robert Suarez has been with the Padres since 2022 and could be an option as is Tom Cosgrove. 

Among other competition, the Padres also signed Woo-suk Go from the KBO's LG Twins via the posting system, who also has closing experience. 

The expectations for this team are in the middle, but the opportunity for Matsui to thrive in the bullpen and be a main reliever from setup to even closer role is there.

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Saturday, January 27, 2024

One season later: Progress Report on 2022 Seibu Lions Draft Class

 

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We conclude our Seibu Lions draft series dating back to 2014 with a brief look at the 2022 Draft Class.

Like the last few, this is a progress report and the jury is still out on all these picks. 

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First round: Takuya Hiruma (Waseda University, Tokyo)

Hiruma was thought to be the best pure hitter in this class and the Lions earned his rights unopposed, even as expected at least one or two teams to contest this. For his rookie season, he had flashes while earning his first call up closer to the start of summer. 

He has plenty of room to grow, but has the traits of a five-tool player.

Grade: A-

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Second Round: Yudai Furukawa (Saiki Kakujo, Oita)

Furukawa was viewed as an athlete who needed to bulk up since coming out of high school. He spent the 2023 season training as he gained five kilograms. 

Furukawa only appeared in one ni-gun game as he trained mostly with the third team unit. 

If things project right, he could be a starting outfielder in a few years.

Grade: B+

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Third round: Kaito Noda (Kyushu Kokusai, Fukuoka)

Noda was a two-way player taken as a catcher out of high school. A U18 Samurai Japan member, Noda showed good footwork as a catcher to draw attention of the scouts. He appeared in 15 ni-gun games for 2023 and hopes to build off of it.

A long term project, he could become a starting catcher in a few years. 

Grade: B

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Fourth Round: Minato Aoyama (Asia University, Tokyo)

Aoyama was given a significant amount of playing time for a rookie. Manager Kazuo Matsui had him make his ichi-gun debut in a save situation on Opening Day in 2023, where he couldn't close. 

He lost his closer role despite earning high leverage situations through camp and ended the year in medium and low leverage. 

In 39 games, he recorded a 2.96 ERA in 45.2 of innings of work. The jury is still out, it's a matter of if he can learn from his rookie season going forward. 

Grade: B-

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Fifth round: Haruto Yamada (Ohmi, Shiga)

Yamada was a 2021 Koshien tournament darling who took his school to the semifinals. For 2023, he only recorded three ni-gun games and hopes to develop his body and pitches entering 2024.

It's possible the Lions see him as a future relief pitcher. 

Grade: C+

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Sixth round: Ryosuke Kodama (Osaka Gas, Osaka)

Kodama was forced to play very early into the 2023 season with Sosuke Genda injured at shortstop. A shakaijin, Kodama showed his defense is solid, but his bat was lacking to be an everyday ichi-gun player.

At worst, the Lions found a defensive replacement, which is good for the sixth round. 

Grade: B-

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Ikusei Round 1: Kazuki Nomura (Ishikawa Million Stars, Ishikawa)

Nomura stayed with the third team for the 2023 season in an underwhelming first year. He appeared in only four ni-gun games.

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Ikusei Round 2: Montell Higuma (Tokushima Indigo Socks, Tokushima)

Higuma saw 21 ni-gun games for 2023 and would be closer to earning a promotion compared to some players. 

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Ikusei Round 3: Daiki Miura (Chukyo University, Aichi)

Miura pitched in 13 ni-gun games with minimal impact. 

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Ikusei Round 4: Ryosuke Koresawa (Hosei University, Tokyo)

Koresawa was a career backup catcher in the Tokyo Big6.  He appeared in 26 ni-gun games for 2023. He has an uphill battle given the catcher position on the Lions. 

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Overall: B

It's too early to make any calls on these players after one season. But like most drafts, it will hinge on Hiruma, the first round pick who has very high expectations to become a starting outfielder.

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Other drafts in series:








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Friday, January 26, 2024

Two seasons later: Progress Report on 2021 Lions draft

 


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As we move to more recent draft classes, none of these grades are written in stone with the exception of two players who are no longer with the Saitama Seibu Lions.

Much of this is based on potential given many of these players are not even 25 years old. 

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First round: Chihiro Sumida (Nippon Nishi Kogyo, Fukuoka)

After much anticipation, the Lions won the draft rights to Chihiro Sumida with three other teams. They even had Mitsuo Iida, a managing director take the drawing. 

Sumida has a rough rookie season after a strong debut. However, he rebounded nicely in 2023 and can still project to be an ace of the rotation. He barely came up short of 10 wins, but nearly having one strikeout per inning gives the team hope for optimism. 

Grade: A

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Second round: Shunsuke Sato (Tsukuba University, Ibaraki)

If the Lions lost on the rights for Sumida, they would have likely nominated Sato as their fallback option. Instead, he went unclaimed in the first round and the Lions were able to snag him in Round 2. 

After getting a taste of ichi-gun action in 2022, he was a reliable setup reliever for 2023 and could easily become a closer in the future. He had the makeup of a potential first round pick, but the Lions getting him is bonus.

Grade: A-

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Third round: Yuto Koga (Chuo University, Tokyo)

Koga was seen as an insurance pick with the potential loss of Tomoya Mori in free agency. Once Mori left the team after 2022, Koga won the starting catcher position and showed great pop speed in his defense.

With Ginjiro Sumitani back with the Lions, he can only continue to elevate his game learning from one of the best.

Grade: B+ 

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Fourth round: Shinnosuke Hada (Hachioji Gakuen, Tokyo)

Hada was drafted for his potential to throw hard combined with a versatile arsenal of pitches. 

In two of years of ni-gun baseball, he has seen extended time in starts and long relief. It's possible he could be ready in 1-2 years as an ichi-gun pitcher. 

Grade: B+

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Fifth round: Masaya Kuroda (Hachinohe Kogyo, Aomori)

Like Hada, Kuroda was also drafted out of high school for his hard throwing abilities and has seen more outings in ni-gun as a starter. He enters his age 20 season in 2024 with the hopes of being a rotation candidate two years from now. 

Grade: B

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Sixth round: Seigo Nakayama (Hakuoh University, Tochigi)

Nakayama made his debut in May of 2022, but has a brutal error where he failed to catch a ball thrown by pitcher Katsunori Hirai. This led to a game losing two runs later that inning and he never recovered from it, going 0-3 in this outing.

With an ineffective ni-gun season having an OPS under .600, the Lions viewed him as expendable and put him on senryokugai after two seasons. 

Grade: F

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Ikusei Round 1: Takeru Furuichi (Tokushima Indigo Socks, Tokushima)

Furuichi earned a promotion to the 70-man roster in 2023 and appeared in 29 ichi-gun games as a reserve catcher. He recorded a paltry eight hits in 50 at bats, but earning a promotion in an age 21 season is always a plus.

Grade: C+

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Ikusei Round 2: Natsuo Takizawa (Sekine Gakuen, Niigata)

Takizawa was the first ikusei to earn a promotion from this class from the middle of 2022. One of the shorter players on the team who can still grow, Takizawa created an early spark as a base runner and the Lions won multiple games during his first week at the ichi-gun level. 

After appearing in 48 ichi-gun games in 2022, he regressed in 2023 with only 16 appearances at the top level.

Grade: B

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Ikusei Round 3: Shinya Sugai (Yamamoto Gakuen, Yamagata)

Sugai was drafted for being a finesse pitcher with good breaking balls, specifically his slider.

In 2023, he made 15 ni-gun starts with a 4-2 record and a 3.12 ERA in 66.1 innings of work. It's possible he could earn a promotion down the line.

Grade: Satisfactory

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Ikusei Round 4: Keishin Kawamura (Kokugakuin University, Tokyo)

Kawamura only appeared in 31 ni-gun games for 2022, but the strangest bizarre moment came in June after he requested his release for personal reasons. 

It was revealed later that month he and his family were the beneficiaries of improper benefits (bribery) which led to his brother being arrested. Kawamura returned any benefits and wasn't arrested, but he felt his damage was already done and chose to move forward in his career. 

Grade: Incomplete

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Overall: A

It's possible the first three players in this class could remain as ichi-gun regular for a long time if they keep this up. 

Even the ikusei and high school draft picks still have potential to do some damage down the road. If anyone else becomes an ichi-gun player, it could be one of the greatest classes in a long time to have quantity and quality. 

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Other drafts in series:







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Thursday, January 25, 2024

Three Seasons later: Grading the 2020 Seibu Lions Draft class

 


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The Saitama Seibu Lions came off a pennant title, prompting to a last priority with the draft, or at least in positioning. Two players were considered the consensus best, so how did they go about it?

Here's a progress report now that we're currently three seasons into this 2020 class.

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First round: Kento Watanabe (Toin University, Kanagawa)

The Lions lost a four-way drawing for P Takahashi Hayakawa, who was thought to be the best pitcher in the class. They had no say in this with manager Hatsuhiko Tsuji being the last to put his hand in the box, therefore having no control over which ticket he'd have. 

They settled for Watanabe with the hopes he could be the heir to Hotaka Yamakawa on the infield as a slugger. 

Through three seasons, Watanabe has been a disappointment and as he enters his age 26 season, it's a make or break year determining what he is. He doesn't appear to be the power hitter nor make enough contact to be an everyday hitter. 

Grade: D

Hindsight: Hanshin Tigers landed Teruaki Sato in a four-way drawing. Orix took Shunpeita Yamashita as a backup unopposed. Fighters took Hiromi Itoh. Dragons took Hiroto Takahashi, Carp took Ryoki Kurebayashi, Baystars took Taisei Irie

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Second round: Takeru Sasaki (NTT East, Tokyo)

The Lions took a shakaijin pitcher with hopes he could contribute sooner than later. After a slow rookie season, he had promise as an innings eater in 2022 with some medium leverage outings.  

He continued to see action in 2023, but an elbow injury forced him to have Tommy John surgery. Sasaki is currently under an ikusei tier contract as he recovers. 

Grade: C

Hindsight: None (Lions drafted at the end of this round). Baystars took Shugo Maki

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Third round: Takayoshi Yamamura (Tokaidai Sagami, Kanagawa)

Yamamura was drafted with the projection of a possible leadoff hitter for the future. 

He made his ichi-gun debut in 2023 with an injury to Sosuke Genda, but is still an unfinished project. He enters his age 22 season this year and could make strides if he beats out his competition.

Grade: B

Hindsight: Carp took Haruki Ohmichi

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Fourth round: Gakuto Wakabayashi (Komazawa University, Tokyo)

Wakabayashi looked like a promising player in his rookie 2021 season. However, an injury sidelined him and he wasn't able to repeat the early success. Time is starting to run out on if he can be a star they thought he had the potential to be.

He has yet to play even 50 ichi-gun games in a regular season.

Grade: C-

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Fifth round: Ren Omagari (Fukuoka University, Fukuoka)

Omagari came from rubber ball when drafted where the Lions saw a project. He's made a handful of appearances in low leverage, but has yet to really breakout or earn regular ichi-gun time. Like the other college players, time is running out.

Grade: D

Hindsight: Tigers took Shoki Murakami

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Sixth round: "Brandon" Taiga Tysinger (Hokkaido Nogyo Okhotsk, Hokkaido)

Like Wakabayashi, Tysinger had early promise in 2021 and came in as an injury replacement. He failed to capitalize and has been a ni-gun regular ever since with no ichi-gun appearances in 2022 or 2023. 

The Lions dropped Brandon to ikusei status at the conclusion of the 2023 season. With this uphill battle, it's not looking good.

Grade: D

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Seventh Round: Yuta Nakamigawa (Osaka Toin, Osaka)

At first reaction, Nakamigawa's roots with Osaka Toin brought excitement to Lions fans to continue the pipeline with this school. 

However, Nakamigawa was dropped to ikusei status after the 2023 season. He only appeared in 11 ni-gun games and participated in more third team games with independent clubs and university squads last season.

Unfortunately, his odds of earning his way back are slim as he was the last player taken in the main draft. 

Grade: D

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Ikusei Round 1: Yuto Akagami (Tohoku Koeki University, Yamagata)

Akagami earned a promotion to the 70-man roster in 2022, but an elbow injury required a surgery and he failed to make his ichi-gun debut. 

Having spent most of 2023 recovering, he only appeared in one ni-gun game and was dropped back down to ikusei status for 2024. 

Grade: Incomplete

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Ikusei Round 2: Shinya Hasegawa (Tsuruga Kehi, Fukui)

Hasegawa's career started on a rough note when incorrectly using social media leading to a suspension, but he earned a promotion to the 70-man roster in 2022. For an ikusei, he's received a decent amount of playing time and had four home runs in 2023, one of them being a walkoff against the Chunichi Dragons. He could still develop into something at age 22 

Grade: C+

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Ikusei Round 3: Joseph Ken Miyamoto (Nagoya Gakuin University, Aichi)

Miyamoto is an outfielder with Ghanaian descent with a Japanese mother. He was from a lower tier baseball university team. 

In three seasons, he has been a ni-gun player for a handful of games and the Lions had to renew his ikusei contract last offseason. His chances of being called up are thin.

Grade: Incomplete

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Ikusei Round 4: Taishi Mameda (Urasa Jitsugyo Gakuen, Saitama)

Mameda was taken for his fastball and it didn't hurt he has local ties to Saitama Prefecture. 

For 2023, Mameda earned a promotion in July and even saw a decent amount of ichi-gun action for the second half. He even earned a save in 16 games with a 0.59 ERA. If things go right, he could be a useful middle reliever. 

Grade: B+

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Ikusei Round 5: Yoshinobu Mizukami (Shikoku Gakuin University, Kagawa)

Named after former Yomiuri Giants player Yoshinobu Takahashi, Mizukami was born during the former's rookie season.

Mizukami was the first ikusei from this class to earn a promotion during the 2021 season as a bright spot on a last place Lions team. He was able to build off of this and become an All Star and Rookie of the year for 2022 breaking plenty of glass ceilings for an ikusei. In a season where the Lions barely made A-class, Mizukami pitching in the 7th inning as a reliable setup man played a role in this.

His pitching regressed in 2023 with lower velocity and fewer innings, but finished the year on the ichi-gun hoping to be ready for 2024. 

Even if his career is a flash in the pan, the Lions already found success with Mizukami.

Grade: A-

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Overall: D+

This Lions class has a downward trend for their college players with a few out of high school who still have upside. It's possible Mameda and Mizukami could salvage a below average group, but only time will tell how these players age. 

It already hurts Watanabe is on pace to be a bust.

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2019

2021

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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Four seasons later: Grading the 2019 Seibu Lions Draft

 


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First round: P Tetsu Miyagawa (Toshiba, Kanagawa)

The Lions attempted to go for Roki Sasaki with three other teams, but they zero control over the drawing as any representative would be the last to put their hand in the box. 

As Tadahito Iguchi drew the winning ticket for the Chiba Lotte Marines, the Lions had to settle for plan B which Miyagawa's rights were contested with the Yomiuri Giants. 

On the field, Miyagawa struggled to keep an ichi-gun job from location and more. He took a lot of low to medium leverage innings in 2020, but couldn't thrive off of it. His best year was in 2022 when the Lions had a loaded bullpen to take them into A-class.

In 2023, the Lions tried to use him as a spot starter where he had only one good outing. He was traded to the Yakult Swallows shortly after the Active Player Draft for Hiyu Motoyama. 

With the Lions not finding a role for him as he enters his Age 29 season, it was best to cut their losses and move forward.  It wouldn't be surprising if the Lions designated him as the second of two players required in the 2023 Active Player Draft. This is the price they pay for losing out on Sasaki's rights. 

Grade: D-

Hindsight: Hiroshima Carp took Masato Morishita unopposed. Orix took Hiroya Miyagi as their third choice. Rakuten took Hiroto Kobukata as their second choice. 

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Second round: P Shota Hamaya (Mitsubishi Hitachi, Kanagawa)

Drafting at the end, the Lions took a shakaijin with the hopes Hamaya could help right away. 

He got a taste of action in 2020 and 2021 as a reliever and spot starter, but failed to take the next step. Hamaya has been buried in ni-gun for the last two seasons, one of which where he came off surgery. 

Grade: F

Hindsight: Lions were the last pick of this round and couldn't take anyone, but Orix ended up with Kotaro Kurebayashi. 

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Third round: P Koki Matsuoka (Saitama Musashi Heat Bears, Saitama)

The Lions reached into the independent BC League for their third round pick.  Matsuoka saw a taste of ichi-gun action in 2020 and 2021 in mop up duty, but couldn't earn more time. 

At the conclusion of the 2022 season, he was selected by the Fighters in the inaugural Active Player Draft and failed to play an ichi-gun game in 2023. After staying in ni-gun for the entire year, he's currently under an ikusei contract with the Fighters. 

Grade: F

Hindsight: Marines took Akito Takabe

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Fourth Round: IF Ryota Kawano (Kyushu Gakuin, Kumamoto)

Kawano has only played five ichi-gun games in 2022. He has one sacrifice fly and one base hit to his name.

With only 41 ni-gun games in 2023, time could be running out with the Lions taking a infielder in the most recent draft. 

Grade: D

Hindsight: Lions were drafting at the end of this round.  Swallows took Hiroki Ohnishi. 

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Fifth Round: C Sena Tsuge (Honda Suzuki, Mie)

The Lions again went the shakaijin route and has Tsuge lined up with the possibility of losing Tomoya Mori in the future.  

Tsuge is a solid backup catcher when you value his defense. However, he lost the starting job to someone younger. 

Grade: C+

Hindsight: Dragons took Yuki Okabayashi

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Sixth round: P Hiroki Inoue (Nichidaisan, Tokyo)

Inoue was thought to have upside for his fastball and high velocity. He earned four games at ichi-gun in 2021, but never made an appearance since. 

Poor performance in 24 ni-gun games for 2023 has dropped him to Ikusei status.

Grade: D-

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P Towa Uema (Tokushima Indigo Socks, Tokushima) 

Uema made his debut in 2021 as a necessity due to no foreign pitchers on the roster at the start of the season. He earned one win and appeared in five games total with spot starts included.

However, Uema has surgery on his elbow after the season and has remained an ikusei pitcher since 2022. The Lions were forced to senryokugai him after 2023, but he is still an ikusei entering 2024. 

Grade: D


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IF/OF Junichiro Kishi (Tokushima Indigo Socks, Tokushima)

With the team having a lack of depth in the outfield, Kishi was a starting outfielder in 2021 with 100 games and 80 of them being starts, earning his own ouenka song. 

However, his bat is not enough to be an everyday player and he was used in rotation for 2022-2023. He's decent enough as depth, but given he was much older coming in out of the Shikoku Island League, there is no upside.

Grade: C

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P Toshihiro Idei (Kanagawa University, Kanagawa) 

Drafted for his athleticism, Idei never earned a promotion to the 70-man roster and was given a fourth year for a chance at redemption in 2023. The Lions officially put him on senryokugai one last time and he remains with the team as a farm staff member for batting practice and scorekeeping. 

Grade: Incomplete

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Overall: F

This is a class you don't want to look at. The Lions came in last place for 2021, a first since 1979, their inaugural season in Tokorozawa moving from Fukuoka. Much of it had to do with this class failing to support with their shakaijin draft picks. Even Miyagawa faltered in games and stayed in ni-gun that year, where they finished in last by one game. 

When Kishi and Tsuge are the best players in this group, it's awful. 


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