2026 Seibu Lions Digest: Trending up?

 

Photo credit: @Ethics_Niki

The Saitama Seibu Lions sit at 19-17-1 through May 9 and are currently an A-class team being in third place. 

They're only trailing the SoftBank Hawks on percentage points at the time of this writing. 

We're here to check in on the season with notes and observations as the first 37 games have finished.

Taiga Hirasawa is killing it

If there was a team MVP up to this point, it's Taiga Hirasawa, who has seen an amazing run since being an ichi-gun player in 2026. With a near .400 batting average and an OPS of 1.300 when runners are on base, he's been invincible.  

This season alone, he has five 3-hit (modasho) games when he only had 3 total in his NPB career from 2016-2025.  There's no flashy power, though he hit a winning three-run home run in his last game, he's done everything the team has asked of him.  Can he keep it up?

Lions have battled well through injury

When Masayuki Kuwahara went down to a calf injury when running a base, the Lions offense was expected to take a hit. Instead, the offense has been a roll once Tyler Nevin returned to the starting lineup on May 1.  Nevin sat out for the entire month of April with an injury.

Trey Wingenter has yet to appear at the ichi-gun level in 2026 as he deals with his own injury. The outfield has suddenly stepped things up as Alexander Canario, Shinya Hasegawa and Seiya Watanabe have filled in well.  Manaya Nishikawa also had a slow start but has shown positive signs going forward.

Rotation has not missed Tatsuya Imai

As Imai is struggling with the Houston Astros, Kona Takahashi took it personal no MLB team showed interest in his services.  He's been leading the way while Chihiro Sumida and Kaima Taira have also been able to take the load. 

Shinya Sugai and Sou Sato have also provided solid starts while Natsuki Takeuchi can get better. 

Bullpen going through growing pains

One of the more bold calls of the season has been using a rookie in second-round draft pick Hakua Iwaki as the closer.  While he has looked shaky at times, he already has 10 saves in 13 games.

Hiroshi Kaino is back in a setup role while there are hopes Shunsuke Sato can rebound.  Hibiki Shinohara and Masaya Kuroda have looked promising in middle relief. 

This isn't a dominant group, which had forced manager Fumiya Nishiguchi to get more out of his starting pitchers if possible.  He's milked some guys as late as the 8th inning with the lack of confidence in a few pitchers.  Can it get better? Sure.

Catcher position remains balanced

The Lions no longer have an everyday starting catcher as Yuto Koga and first round draft pick Taiga Kojima split playing time. They've also used Sena Tsuge as a spell catcher.  

This balance is proving to be good offensively as nobody is established to have themselves in there for every game.  

Early returns not coming for Lin

Coming into this season, most felt either Canario or Lin needed to be good in order to compete offensively.  Canario doesn't do anything flashy, but he hasn't been overwhelmed at times like Lin. 

Lin's playing time for now has gone down as he still admits to NPB over CPBL. 

Can this continue?

May has been a tremendous month this far, especially on offense.  It's unclear what happens ahead, but this Lions team has reason for excitement when it feels like there's always a chance to win when the offense clicks. 

We wanted to let all readers know we're heading to Japan for the month of May on a lengthy vacation. We'll remain on X for all the fun detailed updates. 

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2026 Seibu Lions: What is this team?

The 2026 NPB season kicks off on Friday, March 27 as all teams will be playing.  For the Lions, the season begins in Chiba.

But what is there to make of the Saitama Seibu Lions? We'll take a dive into the roster and check in to see where things are going.  We apologize for a long drought without a post as things became busy outside of baseball.

Surprising gains with expected departures

Aside from a very obvious posting of Tatsuya Imai to the Houston Astros, the Lions didn't lose anyone significant. 

Instead, they made domestic free agent signings for the first time in 10 years, even having to give up a player as FA compensation.

Masayuki Kuwahara is a void the Lions have needed since 2020, where the outfield has been a weak point. Primarily in hitting, the team has shown failure to hit for average as a whole. 

He was a mainstay for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars and the Lions had to give up reserve catcher Takeru Furuichi for his services. With the recent logjam at catcher, there is no regrets if Furuichi becomes a better player with another team as Yuto Koga and Taiga Kojima would block any playing time.

Kazunari Ishii of the Fighters also signed with the Lions and because he was a Type C free agent, there was no extra compensation cost. 

From the Active Player (Rule 5 equivalent) draft, the Lions took OF Tokumasa Chano who was on the Orix Buffaloes.  Shota Hiranuma was eventually selected by Orix. Can only hope Chano becomes a depth piece.  

Foreigners mostly remain the same

In a successful 2025, the Lions retained three of their import signings in RP Trey Wingenter, RP Emmanuel Ramirez and 1B Tyler Nevin. Usually having three signings hit should lead to a Climax Series berth, if not being competitive enough for one.

Unfortunately, the Lions fell off by mid season after a strong first half.  Allan Winans comes in from North America as a starting pitcher candidate whole An-Ko Lin could be a starting outfielder, previously from Taiwan's CPBL.  

Other additions away from Ikusei include Alexander Canario, who last played 87 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025. 

Pitching should remain strong

Even with Imai playing in Houston, the Lions rotation should be solid with Chihiro Sumida, Kona Takahashi (who did not receive a significant MLB offer), Yutaro Watanabe, Kaito Yoza and a rebound season from Natsuki Takeuchi.  

Bullpen wise, there are also plenty of options from Hiroshi Kaino, Haruto Yamada and a possible rebound season from Shunsuke Sato to join Wingenter as a bridge for Kaima Taira.  It wouldn't hurt if some draft picks also contributed out of the pen like Yuta Nakamura, who did find in mop up duty.  

Something to be said that Nishiguchi has made excellent pitching calls in his first season as skipper, being a former pitcher himself.  The depth and options should be there for the 2026 season. 

Among recent additions, Yamato Fuji earned a promotion to the 70-man roster from ikusei. 

What is offense?

The hitting has been an elephant in the room since 2020, a below average product (2022) to bottom of the barrel (2024).  When 2025 began, there was promise, but by the time the All Star break rolled around, the slumps couldn't end and it felt like they were back at Square One from the conclusion of 2024. 

There are players who can be good in spell or as fielders from Manaya Nishikawa, Natsuo Takizawa and Takayoshi Yamamura. However, the lack offense and especially power hitting is non-existent.  Tyler Nevin is not built to be a 30 HR player, Takeya Nakamura is old, while majority of the roster is meant to be light hitters.  

Even the veterans Shuta Tonosaki and Sosuke Genda are seeing less playing time, which makes the latter performing well at the WBC even more puzzling. Seiya Watanabe showed promise, but the Lions need Kojima, their first round pick to produce sooner than later if he's built to be an everyday hitter.  

Others like Takuya Hiruma are likely declared as busts.  

This regime has taken a different approach

The Lions reputation has remained dark for players. Many choose to find greener pastures, whether it's in money or the work culture or even unseen work conditions that often led to past free agents wanting to sign with other teams.

What's notable for this regime is being more proactive in taking flyers, signing extra ikusei and of course, both Ishii and Kuwahara as free agent signings.  

Led by Koji Hiroike, the unseen collective making the baseball decisions feels less passive than before. Both Wingenter and Nevin were signed to contract extensions in the middle of the 2025 season instead of waiting for an offseason discussion with the agents.  

The jury will be out on these draft picks, but at least in transactions the vibes feel much more aggressive in wanting to win than what we saw under Haruhiko Suzuki and Nabe-Q.  

The only constant has been giving draft picks who've failed to produce extra years with the team through ikusei.  Some given multiple years before they're truly cut and removed from any player roster.  

The final season for a legend

Takumi Kuriyama made it known this would be his final playing season.  In what should be a retirement farewell tour, the Lions all-time hits leader can hopefully go out with some good sentimental moments.  He'll likely pinch hit on occasion until his final retirement ceremony game in September. 

Something to give credit is that the Lions management didn't play him much in the last few years to let someone else get an opportunity.  

The competition and outlook

This appears to be a other uphill battle of the Lions want to be an A-class team. The SoftBank Hawks are likely to return to their dynasty ways.  Fighters are going to compete directly with them for the pennant and what was a dramatic climax series. 

The last four spots remain open with teams of uncertainty, but the Orix Buffaloes have the inside track based on proven pitching and talent alone. They're still flawed offensively.  

The Chiba Lotte Marines are going through a new manager after a disaster 2025.  Are they rebuilding or trying to go retooling? Much remains uncertain.

Lastly, the Rakuten Eagles remain a flawed organization with some veterans who are likely passed their prime.  A handful of intriguing draft picks and players, but it's a problem for them to get over any hump, as the owner calls too many shots.  

There's enough case for third place, but a lot needs to go right for the Lions to get there.  The other three teams can underachieve while the Lions offense just needs to be middle of the road.  It doesn't need to be elite like 2018-2019, but it can't be an automatic zero like 2024.  

Time will tell, but if this season has a regression like 2024, staff and heads may be rolling again like it did for Kazuo Matsui.  

Can the rookies and recent draft picks since 2023 make an impact? Will the logjam of uncertain outfielders find some everyday players instead of part time? 

Even with the pitching regression expected, can others retain their greatness from 2025?

We'll all find out in a few months. 

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Seibu Lions announce postings of Imai and Takahashi

 

The Saitama Seibu Lions As expected, the Lions planned to post RHP Kona Takahashi and it was formally announced on November 5. They also announced Tatsuya Imai will be posted on November 10.  

No posting dates have been scheduled for either player to begin the negotiating window.  

Here was the formal statement on Takahashi from GM Koji Hiroike:

"He came as a first round draft pick and has pitched well since his first year. He may not have been completely satisfied with his performance over the last two years, but we have always recognized his outings and have decided to respect that and will allow him to take on his (next challenges in MLB).  

He is a pitcher who can be trusted to pitch several innings and is solid. We wish he could keep playing for the Lions next year and beyond. However, given his precious desire to be posted, we have decided that this year is the right time for him to get that opportunity abroad."

The Lions were backed into this as Takahashi reached domestic free agency with seven full years of service time this season.

Here was the released statement from Takahashi himself: 

"I'm trying grateful to the team for supporting me and glas they respected my wishes. I'll do my best so that I can be sure this decision was the right one. This has always been a dream of mine and I'm grateful for this opportunity."

Takahashi looks to be a mid rotation starter at best for MLB. 

In bigger news with Imai, the Lions ace will also be posted as the team wrote a formal statement from Koike:

"We have decided that now is the time to take on the challenge of MLB. He has consistently expressed a strong desire to play baseball in America and we have taken the step of respecting that wish. 

We hope he will demonstrate his energy and success in America. Imai has made significant contributions to the team in recent years, So although his departure will have an impact on our roster, we will continue to focus on the development of our young players and strengthen our team structure."

Here was Imai's formal statement:

I'm grateful that my request was accepted. I'm incredibly grateful that they took a lot of time and consideration into their decision after many discussions and a long time.

Every year, I've aimed to win the league and become the best in Japan, and that feeling remains the same even though I've changed teams. I'm determined to win, and I'll do my best to pitch to help the team.

Imai, 27, was one of only four pitchers in the Pacific League with an ERA under 2.00 while being dominant as the team's ace. He's versatile enough to keep opposing players off balance with several pitches and also maintaining control. 

He came off his third consecutive season with at least 10 wins, but last year was his strongest with five complete games and three shutouts. 

So far, he will be one of the top pitchers on the market for MLB coming over from NPB.  

Lions 2026 staff announced

The Saitama Seibu Lions announced their coaching staff for 2026 at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season.  

Here is the full list and we'll more some of the changes from 2025:

Ichi-gun staff

Manager: #74 Fumiya Nishuguchi

Head coach: #91 Yusuke Torigoe

Chief pitching coach: #81 Kiyoshi Toyoda

Pitching coach: #95 Tatsuya Oishi

Battery coach: #96 Shota Nakata

Chief Fielding and Batting coach: #78 Toshihisa Nishi

Batting coach: #83 Yoshiie Tachibana

Infield defense and Base running coach: #87 Satoshi Kuroda

Outfield defense and Base running coach: #84 Masato Kumashiro

Ni-gun staff

Farm manager: #79 Tatsuya Ozeki

Chief pitching coach: #72 Yoshihiro Doi

Farm pitching coach: #98 Tomio Watanabe

Farm pitching coach: #93 Hayato Aoki

Farm pitching coach: #85 Daiki Enokida

Chief Fielding coach: #77 Ryutaro Tsuji

Fielding coach: #82 Kosuke Noda

Fielding coach: #86 Shogo Akada

Fielding coach: #88 Hiroyuki Oshima

Fielding coach: #80 Keiji Obiki

San-gun staff

Chief coach: #97 Tomoshi Aoki

Fielding coach: #76 Norio Tanabe 

Fielding coach: #94 Yuji Onizaki

Fielding coach: #89 Fumikazu Kimura

Fielding coach: #92 Masatoshi Okada

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There were no dismissals or removals from the 2025 coaching staff.  A few changes of switching Obiki to ni-gun while Kuroda takes the ichi-gun position. 

Tsuji was also promoted to a leading farm coach position meaning he'll have more responsibilities. Finally, Masatoshi Okada is on the ikusei level staff as a coach, where he retired from playing at the conclusion of 2024. 

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More players let go

When the draft concluded, the Lions let go of 3 more players with IF Daiju Nomura, P Ichiro Tamura and IF Hiyu Motoyama as senryokugai.   Excluding ikusei, this means the Lions have removed 11 players from the 70 man roster with two more outgoing with Kona Takahashi and Imai.  

The roster currently has 65 ichi-gun players at the time of this writing, factoring in foreigners who are already retained and draft picks who will be signed. 

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2025 NPB Draft: A summary of every Lions pick

 

The Saitama Seibu Lions and the other 11 NPB teams took their players at the draft on Thursday night.  

Here, we will summarize the information we can find on all draft picks by the Lions, Ikusei included. 

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Round 1: C Taiga Kojima 小島大河

College: Meiji (Tokyo)

High School: Tokaidai Sagami (Kanagawa) 

Date of Birth: October 27, 2003

Height: 178 cm (5' 10")

Weight: 83 kg (183 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Kojima was a mainstay at Meiji and the Tokyo Big 6.  His pop speed as a catcher is 1.8 seconds throwing to second base, but his bat is why the Lions took him in the first round. On paper, it's thought he can hit for both average and power to improve a weakened offense. 

With the collegiate Samurai Japan team, he was primarily the designated hitter, which could be a role if the Lions want to play Yuto Koga at catcher.  

At one point in his career, he was an infielder at 2B and SS, but has been a catcher since his sophomore season. He bills primarily as a contact hitter.  

Kojima should be playing on Day 1 if his bat lives up to the hype.  Projected as a constant .300 hitter who can also hit for pop, he has a similar skill to Tomoya Mori, who was thought to not have a position. With no doubt, he was considered the best college catcher in this class and the Lions won his rights without opposition.

Team quote: "He is a good hitter with impressive bat control."

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Round 2: P Hakua Iwaki 岩城颯空

College: Chuo (Tokyo)

High School: Toyama Shogyo (Toyama)

Date of Birth: September 17, 2003

Height: 181 cm (5' 11")

Weight: 95 kg (209 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

Iwaki is a LHP who can throw as fast as 152 km/H (94 mph). He's primarily known for his fastball, slider and cutter. Was mostly a reliever in college, he worked on becoming a starter in his senior year.  Iwaki's biggest strength is his control, having few walks. 

For 2026, he could enter the Lions bullpen, though it is fierce competition.  

Team Quote: "He is an attractive pitcher with a strong fastball to induce strikeouts. He'll be effective as both a starter and relieved."

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Round 3: OF Shun Akiyama 秋山俊

College: Chukyo (Aichi)

High School: Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi)

Date of Birth: April 20, 2003

Height: 180 cm (5' 11")

Weight: 88 kg (194 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Akiyama could be a power hitter as he was the home run leader in the 2023 Spring season while an RBI leader for the 2024 Autumn season. In addition to outfield, he can also play 3B and has won a Best IX award while being an infielder.  Akiyama was also the leading hitter for the college Samurai Japan team during the US collegiate tournament.  

He can run 50 meters in 6.1 seconds while his time to first base is about 4.2 seconds.  It's also notable he can hit opposite field to slide a ball the other way.  

Defensively, he may be a hole in the outfield, but the Lions clearly drafted him for his bat.  With how the Lions offense was, there is a chance he could crack the starting outfield or at worst be a pinch hitter. 

Team Quote: "He can hit the ball with a wide range and has good bat control with power."

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Round 4: P Keita Horikoshi 堀越啓太

College: Tohoku Fukushi (Miyagi)

High School: Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama)

Date of Birth: July 15, 2003

Height: 185 cm (6' 1")

Weight: 96 kg (212 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Right

A native of Saitama, Horikoshi had the unofficially fastest velocity at 164 km/H (102 mph). His fastest official pitch was 157 km/h (98 mph).  He also has a dropping slider and curveball, but his drawback was control issues. 

As a true power pitcher, his workload will likely be as a relief pitcher, which he mostly did throughout college.  

Team Quote: "A pitcher with a big scale who can hold batters with powerful pitches. He can be a foundation for the team in the future."

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Round 5: IF Sowa Yokota 横田蒼和

High School: Yamamura Gakuin (Saitama)

Date of Birth: October 24, 2007

Height: 180 cm (5' 11")

Weight: 87 kg (192 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

A two-way player who can pitch and play shortstop, the Lions too Yokota as an infielder. In measurements, he can run to first base in 4.4 seconds and had solid defense. His maximum pitching velocity is 140 km/h. 

Down the road, he could develop into a slugger with decent power hitting, but also stealing bases.  A possible heir to Sosuke Genda. 

Team Quote: "He's a strong player who can hit the ball far. There is hope he can be a future infielder."

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Round 6: OF Yushin Kawada 川田悠慎

Industrial League Team: Shikoku Bank (Kochi)

College: Kyoto Sangyo (Kyoto)

High School: Kochi (Kochi) 

Date of Birth: August 25, 2000

Height: 174 cm (5' 9")

Weight: 70 kg (154 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Kawada is the oldest person in this draft class as he turns 26 next year.  Very little is known of him as he couldn't make a name for himself at the high school or collegiate level, but thrived more with the Shakaijin leagues.  

This is a longshot lottery ticket for a draft pick, much like Teruki Koga was last season. In addition to the outfield, Kawada can also play 2B and SS. Ideally he makes the ichi-gun as a replacement player or pinch runner. 

Team Quote: "He is a fast utility player who can play a variety of positions."

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Ikusei Draft

Round 1: IF Yuito Arai 新井唯斗

High School: Hachioji Gakuin (Tokyo)

Date of Birth: November 11, 2007

Height: 183 cm (6' 0")

Weight: 80 kg (176 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Arai is a Tokorozawa native who has athletic abilities.  From a 50 meter dash time of 6.0 seconds and a long throw of 100 meters, he has the physical tools to be a baseball player. 

Originally an outfielder, he converted to shortstop. A very raw player who will need time to develop. 

Team quote: "He is a large infielder with a good balance of running, hitting and defense with room to grow, making him a highly anticipated player from Tokorozawa."

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Round 2: IF Takumu Imaoka 今岡拓夢

High School: Kamimura Gakuin (Kagoshima)

Date of Birth: September 5, 2007

Height: 180 cm (5' 11")

Weight: 81 kg (179 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Right

Imaoka played for Samurai Japan at the High school level as he can play shortstop. He has potential to be a power hitter down the road.  

In measurements, he can reach first base in 4.4 seconds, run a 50 meter dash in 6.3 seconds and have a long throw of 90 meters. The Lions see a powerful swing that needs time to develop.

Team quote: "He is a large and athletic shortstop."

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Round 3: P Keishin Saito 斎藤佳紳

Independent League Team: Tokushima Indigo Socks (Tokushima)

College: Tenri (Nara), dropped out

High School: Kinkidai Gakusen (Osaka) 

Date of Birth: March 16, 2003

Height: 181 cm (5' 11")

Weight: 89 kg (196 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Saito is a power pitcher who can throw up to 156 km/h (97 mph). A college dropout who went straight to the independent Shikoku island League, he was both a starter and relieved excelling with power.

He can also throw a slider, fork and curveball. Like the other ikusei, he's working for a promotion. 

Team Quote: "He is a pitcher known for his aggressive and spirited power pitching."

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Round 4: P Sota Hamaoka 浜岡蒼太

High School: Kawawa (Kanagawa) 

Date of Birth: October 10, 2007

Height: 176 cm (5' 9")

Weight: 87 kg (192 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

Hamaoka was once scouted by MLB scouts saying he has potential. His maximum velocity is 147 km/h (91 mph). In spite of going to a prestigious high school for education, he has had a baseball goal in mind. Hamaoka comes from a athletic minded family with parents and a sister involved with sports. 

When facing batters, his strength is using deception with timing.  He can also throw a slider, changeup and cutter.  

Team Quote: "Although he is a high school student, he has pitcher known for a decent fastball and curveball."

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Round 5: P Hiroto Hiraguchi 平口寛人

College: Nihon Keizai (Fukuoka)

High School: Aikodai Meiden (Aichi) 

Date of Birth: April 15, 2003

Height: 179 cm (5' 10")

Weight: 82 kg (181 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

A left-handed pitcher who lacks velocity as his max speed is 140 km/h (87 mph).  He makes up for his weakness with control and breaking balls from a cutter to a slider. In college, he was both a reliever and starter. 

Team Quote: "He is a left handed pitcher with good control which allows him to throw to both sides."

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Round 6: P Yuma Masaki 正木悠馬

College: Jochi/Sophia (Tokyo)

High School: Redmond (Washington State, USA)

Date of Birth: November 19, 2002

Height: 179 cm (5' 10")

Weight: 83 kg (183 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

His top velocity is 153 km/h (95 mph) where he drew attention in the Division III tier of college baseball.  He can throw a fastball, forkball, slider and curveball. 

Masaki's slider can draw comparisons to Tatsuya Imai and Kaima Taira.  Aside from playing in a lower league, control was an issue on the scouting reports. 

Masaki remains a classic underdog story.  He spent a portion of his childhood in the USA, including high school.  What makes this really interesting trivially, is he lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska due to his father working as a fisherman. 

Team Quote: "He is a highly promising pitcher with a style uses gravity of his entire body."

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Round 7: OF Ginto Ando 安藤銀杜

Independent Team: Tokushima Indigo Socks (Tokushima)

College: Josai (Chiba)

High School: Kyoei (Aichi) 

Date of Birth: February 4, 2003

Height: 198 cm (6' 6")

Weight: 110 kg (243 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Right

Ando has the size and frame for an athlete where he was a pitcher who could hit 152 km/h. However, his control is why teams held back and the Lions see him as a position player. 

He remains a longshot, much like all the other ikusei taken. 

Team Quote: "He has outstanding physical abilities and is a promising player who has the potential to become a central figure on the team in the future."

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Summary

The Lions took an approach which netted players who can help immediately with a bunch of lottery tickets on the backside.  Ideally the first four draft picks could make their debut in 2026 while the others develop. 

They're hoping the offense can have a spark with Kojima and Akiyama in the fold, but also had a conservative pitcher in Iwaki taken. There is upside for Horikoshi if his control can be fixed. 

We will review Lions draft classes of the past throughout this offseason. 

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Lions land Kojima in 2025 NPB Draft

 

The 2025 NPB Draft took place on Thursday night with all 12 teams making their picks for the future.

For the first round, the Saitama Seibu Lions already said they were going for C Taiga Kojima out of Meiji University and they won his rights without opposition. 

In a drama free first round for the Lions, there was plenty of other surprises with two teams wanting the Stanford infielder Rintaro Sasaki.  

Kojima is considered to be one of the best bats available in this class. However, he doesn't have a solidified position. Once an infielder, he was later a catcher.

When playing for Samurai Japan at the collegiate level, he became a DH.  The Lions offense has been a weakness and they addressed a need right away. On paper, he could start early if he impresses the staff. 

It's possible he could compete with Yuto Koga for the catcher position, even if his defense is weaker.  

As earlier stated, the Lions have lacked long term depth at catcher with veteran Ginjiro Sumitani being the only one who is serviceable.  Kojima can hope to change the narrative.

Here are all the Lions draft picks for 2025:

1. C Taiga Kojima, Meiji University, Tokyo

2. LHP Hakua Iwaki, Chuo University, Tokyo

3. OF Shun Akiyama, Chukyo University, Aichi

4. RHP Keita Horikoshi, Tohoku Fukushi University, Miyagi

5. IF/RHP Sowa Yokota, Yamamura Gakuin High School, Saitama 

6. IF Yuushin Kawada, Shikoku Ginko (bank), Kochi

Ikusei

1. IF Yuito Arai, Hachioji Gakuin High School, Tokyo

2. IF Takumu Imaoka, Kamimura Gakuin High School, Kagoshima

3. RHP Keishin Saito, Tokushima Indigo Socks (Tokushima)

4. LHP Sota Hamaoka, Kawawa High School, Kanagawa

5. LHP Hiroto Hiraguchi, Nihon Keisei University, Fukuoka

6. RHP Yuma Masaki, Sophia University, Tokyo

7. RHP Ginto Ando, Tokushima Indigo Socks (Tokushima)

We will research and study further on these picks with a future writeup.  

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Lions announce Kojima as 2025 draft nomination

 

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With two days remaining before the 2025 NPB Draft, the Saitama Seibu Lions revealed their card.

On Tuesday, it was announced by General Manager Koji Hiroike that the Lions nomination will be C Taiga Kojima out of Meiji University. 

Kojima, a Kanagawa prefecture native, is thought to be one of the best hitting players in this draft.  A left handed bat who could play infield, primarily played catcher in his most recent seasons within the Tokyo Big 6.  

Hiroike admitted the team plans to take him as a catcher, even though the Lions already have Yuto Koga as a starting catcher. There has been a lack of depth behind Koga at this position.  

Ginjiro Sumitani, 38, came back as a veteran and doesn't have many years left in him.  Others have not performed up to the task with Sena Tsuge, Takeru Furuichi and Shoya Makino only being part time. Otherwise, Haruki Tatsuyama was a sixth round draft pick out of high school last year. 

For the longest time, the Lions were linked to Masahiro Tateishi, who is one of the consensus best players in this class.  

As reported by Kaneko-san, Kojima will be the first college catcher taken in the first round since Shota Ono by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2008. The Lions previously took Tomoya Mori out of high school in 2013.   

Kaneko-san also cited the Lions have a need for a left handed bat with Manaya Nishikawa, Natsuo Takizawa and Takayoshi Yamamura leading the way. 

Draft projections indicate most teams are taking someone else, but no one else has announced their pick in a public manner except the Hiroshima Carp with Tateishi.  

It's likely this pick could be contested by one or two other teams at most. Here's the current X poll of Lions. 

The Draft will take place on October 23 in the evening. 

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Seibu Lions end 2025 on down note

 

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The 2025 Saitama Seibu Lions were officially eliminated in September, but a bad run in July sealed their fate.  Or was it other factors? 

At the end of the day, there was progress but we'll catch up with things that occurred in the last few months. 

Are the Lions back at square one?

The team looked competitive right before the All Star break hovering around .500.  However, it was a 4-16-1 July that buried the team for good.  A couple bad outings in Naha and the offense looked too similar to what we saw in 2024.

Staring pitching was elite, but it was the bullpen that kept the Lions ahead in close games when they had the lead.  They had a rare 27-22 winning record in one-run games in spite of a below average offense. 

There remains a lack of pop outside of Tyler Nevin.  Manaya Nishikawa and Seiya Watanabe were promising first half players, but they also cooled off like the rest of the team. 

The vibes are similar to the end of 2023, a flawed young group with potential building blocks having a good foreigner in Nevin, but who can hit domestically? It hasn't been enough to compete.  

But this second half of offense just leaves a bitter taste, including attending two consecutive shutout games in Chiba.  

Something positive we can mention is not being worried when Kona Takahashi will be posted in the offseason. He had a rebound season and the Lions starting pitching shouldn't be an issue. 

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Successful foreign signings weren't enough 

Tyler Nevin, Trey Wingenter and Emmanuel Ramirez are all returning for 2026 where Nevin and Wingenter were allowed to leave early at the conclusion of the final home game. 

Usually three foreign signings returning is good enough to make a competitive team right? Not the Lions.  It shows how bad the drafting and development of the position players have been since Shogo Akiyama left for the Cincinnati Reds.  There's players with flashes, but everyday starters? Not much on hitting.  The 1-0 loss in Chiba on 9/23 summed up the Lions in a nutshell, to load the bases with no outs on the 9th, only to squander it and lose being shutout.  

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Lions part ways with several 戦力外 (senryokugai)

The follow players were announced as being let go:

RHP Katsunori Hirai

RHP Yoshinobu Mizukami

RHP Ren Omagari*

RHP Hiroki Inoue*

LHP Takeru Sasaki

IF Teruki Koga

IF Kazuki Nomura*

IF Ryota Kawano*

OF Seiya Matsubara

OF Montell Higuma

OF Koichi Okumura

IF Kento Watanabe

*Denotes player was under Ikusei

Kento Watanabe was the former first round pick that has set back the team big-time. Others like Kawank, Inoue and Omagari have been under Ikusei for several years or dropped down from the roster. 

Hirai had an amazing 2019 before his arm was overshot and was a mainstay in the Lions bullpen for several years.  Mizukami was the PL rookie of the year in 2022, but struggled to keep his job with others emerging.  

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The Draft

The NPB Draft is this coming Thursday.  While there has been no public announcement at the time of this writing, the Lions have been linked to 3B Masahiro Tateishi out of Soka University. He is likely the most contested infielder in the class. The Hiroshima Carp already announced he will be their nomination earlier this month.  

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