2019 NPB Power Rankings: September Edition

"First the Worst, Second the Best, Third one wins with the treasure chest".  That was the common quote among any kids under the age of 12 when in a race and in this month's edition of NPB Power Rankings, the first statement lives true.

Disclaimer Note: The Third place line would be altered if anyone wanted to be snarky to being "Third the Nerd with the Ballet Dress" and more. 

With the final month of the regular season in NPB about to begin, it's crunch time for many teams on the bubble, but there is also one pennant race that has some interest. Here is how the Power Rankings look to begin September:

Reminder that power rankings are not reflective of the standings and factor in other things.  

1. [^] (2) Yomiuri Giants: (68-51-2, 15-11-1 in August)

The Giants can put the Central League pennant on cruise control after fighting off a close challenge from both the Baystars and Carp. At one point, only two games separated third place from first place, but the stranglehold they have on the league is likely locked down. Hayato Sakamoto continues a career season while Tomoyuki Sugano has looked better lately. Amazingly, the future Hall of Famer Shinnosuke Abe has been solid as a part time player.

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2. [^] (6) Saitama Seibu Lions: (66-55-1, 17-10 in August)

In a twist of events, the Lions move up to the highest Pacific League spot after being just behind the Softbank Hawks in percentage points. Tomoya Mori and Shuta Tonosaki hit the benchmark and career-highs of at least 20 HRs while this offense can still tear it up.

Starting pitching has been the elephant in the room, but the main bullpen pieces could be established by season's end. Katsunori Hirai's work could come back to bite this team, but the middle relief depth looks better than before. No one saw this Lions team competing for a pennant this late in the year as they put themselves in the conversation.

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3. [^] (4) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks: (64-53-4, 12-12 in August)

Yuki Yanagita has returned, but the pitching has been streaky for the month. Most importantly, the younger players have continued to develop while the veterans still make their mark. Yurisbel Gracial has picked up the slack nicely, but second base has remained a hole. They're still expected to win a pennant, let alone be the top team in the league, but they weren't great in August.

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4. [v] (3) Yokohama DeNA Baystars: (64-57-3, 14-13 in August)

The Baystars looked like they could win the Central League pennant, but the Giants pulled away and they're just preparing for their first stage opponent in the Climax Series. A backbreaking series in Jingu Stadium with blown leads by the bullpen is what holds them back from contending. They're inconsistent when having wins streaks followed by losing streaks. Better hope Haruhiro Hamaguchi's injury isn't serious either.

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5. [^] (10) Orix Buffaloes: (55-59-5, 14-9 in August)

The Orix Buffaloes take advantage of a decent August by being out of the Pacific League basement. This is officially their best season since 2014 and the pitching is there to make noise. Offense is still a glaring hole, but if the defense and pitching do their job, they have a chance to break their A-class drought.

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6. [=] Hiroshima Carp: (62-60-3, 13-14 in August)

Kosuke Tanaka goes down with an injury and for this year, it's a good thing with a raw Kaito Kozono stepping in to take over. Kris Johnson has regained form when the team needs it the most. Offensively the talent is still there to compete even with Xavier Batista being caught for taking an illegal substance.

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T7. [=] Chiba Lotte Marines: (59-61-3, 14-13-1 in August)

The Marines have issues trying to get above .500 once they reach it. Their most encouraging news is Mike Bolsinger and Ayumu Ishikawa rebounding from bad first halves. Even Yuji Nishino has looked like a decent starter, but the bullpen appears to be vulnerable while the offense is home run dependent. Recent signing Leonys Martin could be a keeper for 2020, but if they want A-class, they need to be above .500 somewhere.

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T7. [^] (9) Rakuten Eagles: (60-58-4, 13-12-2 in August)

The Eagles prevent any further bleeding from last month and retain their A-class spot, but the ups and downs of their pitching staff have shown. Takahiro Norimoto is not one hundred percent while the offense is streaky. Their biggest flaw right now is at catcher, where Motohiro Shima has been a shell of his former self and others have stepped in taking his place. They have trouble throwing out runners. It's a tossup whether they finish in A-class or not, but it's a better season than where they were last year.

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9. [v] (8) Hanshin Tigers: (56-60-6, 12-12-1 in August) 

The legendary Takashi Toritani has indirectly been told to retire while the team has gone through the growing pains of a first year skipper. Recent import signing Yangervis Solarte has only been a flash in the pan as it's possible he's the new fall guy for the Tigers front office and media. Offense is not there to be an A-class team while the former first round draft pick Yusuke Oyama leads the team in home runs with just 12. They have relief pitching, but starters are up and down.

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10. [^] (12) Chunichi Dragons: (54-64-2, 11-12-2 in August)

The Dragons failed to make a run and now they're likely to stay in B-class for the 7th straight year. Their bullpen and majority of their pitching staff remains a liability while the offense is average at best. The lack of developed players has forced them to depend on imports with Joely Rodriguez and Enny Romero serving their purpose. It's possible Shuhei Takahashi's injury ended their chance at A-class this year. 

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11. [=] Tokyo Yakult Swallows: (49-73-2, 12-15 in August)

The Swallows can only cling to some individual accomplishments out of Tetsuto Yamada and Munetaka Murakami. Hiroki Yamada has also been a nice steal among the scraps from the offseason, but this team as a whole lacks defense and pitching to do anything. From a managerial standpoint, Junji Ogawa may be ready to pass the reins over to Shinya Miyamoto or someone else that is lined up to be his successor.

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12. [v] (1) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters: (56-62-5, 5-20 in August)

After looking like a contender through July, the Fighters have fallen flat in August and the month in the basement of the Pacific League. Offense has been the factor as to why this team is ice cold, but it doesn't help when a few short starters get lie up too. Nothing went right for the Fighters, but they're only three games out of A-class. The right winning streak could put them back in, but this stretch of losses will be pointed at by pundits for as to why this team came up short.

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Conclusion:
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The NPB postseason is likely decided on who gets in, but the seeding is still important. Others have done a decent job at playing spoiler on some matchups. In the Pacific League, every team is alive for the final month with plenty of meaningful baseball everywhere. This should be a good finish to the regular season before the Climax Series.

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2019 Seibu Lions Series Digest: Neal's performance leads to a sweep

The Saitama Seibu Lions swept the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in three irregular locations up in Hokkaido. As a result, they sit two games behind the Softbank Hawks while being in second place of the Pacific League. The Lions also have a 4.5 game cushion over the Chiba Lotte Marines and Rakuten Eagles, who are tied for third place.

Here is what happened:

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Game 1: Zach Neal vs. Brian Rodriguez in Kushiro

Neal successfully went six innings while Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura, Takumi Kuriyama nad Tomoya Mori did the damage on offense.  With the game being close at 3-2, the Lions broke it open in the 7th when a timely hit from Kuriyama plated two more runs. This was Neal's seventh straight win when it comes to decisions and the Lions have won all nine games he has started since June 20. 

Lions 8, Fighters 2

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Game 2: Daiki Enokida vs. Toru Murata in Kushiro

Both sides scored plenty of runs, but nothing stood out more when Okawari-kun hit two home runs, including a three-run HR in the 4th. Enokida couldn't last four innings and Sho Ito had trouble cleaning up his mess while in relief. Shogo Noda minimized the damage in the 6th inning and the Lions benefited from an error in the 6th to pull away. 

Tomoya Mori hit a solo HR in the top of the 8th while the game was raining. With Kushiro's stadium not having lights, the game was called by the umpires immediately after the home run due to the darkness in the sky as the Lions took the series.

Lions 10, Fighters 8 (8 innings) 

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Game 3: Keisuke Honda vs. Toshiro Sugiura in Obihiro

Honda went 6+ innings with teh offense being minimal. Okawari-kun had a timely hit with the bases loaded in the 3rd while Mori hit a solo HR in the 5th for all the offense they needed. A slight jam forced Ryuya Ogawa to retire two batter in the 7th before Katsunori Hirai made quick work to get four outs including the 8th inning.

Hotaka Yamakawa also provided insurance with as solo HR in the 9th. This was Honda's first win in a month while also recording six strikeouts. 

Lions 5, Fighters 2 

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This was a great series given the Lions struggling in Sapporo Dome. Unless the Fighters go on a big run in September, it was their last games of 2019 in Hokkaido and the success in irregular locations has worked on the road while not so good at home.

With a holiday coming up, the Weekly Digest will not have time to cover the Softbank Hawks series as I will be on vacation, but it's good to see the team is not lying down and took care of business against an ice cold Fighters team. There is a lot of work to be done if they want a pennant, but no one saw this team competing for one this late in the year. That alone is an accomplishment given what the Lions lost.

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Sayonara caps off strong homstand

The Saitama Seibu Lions went 4-2 on the homestand after a road series with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. With series wins over the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Rakuten Eagles, the Lions stay in second place and built a small cushion over the rest of the Pacific League in their place while also being only 3.5 games behind the Hawks for the Pennant.

Here is what happened:

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Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

Zach Neal put in another quality start to earn his 7th win of the year while the Lions outslugged the Fighters in the second game of sloppy pitching. Daiki Enokida limped to a 5-inning outing to win, but looked shaky as a result. Hotaka Yamakawa had two-HR game while Tomoya Mori also dominated.

The Lions failed to sweep the Fighters when giving up solo HRs and Keisuke Honda had no runs support. Multiple chances were blown in what what was a winnable third game.

Game 1: Lions 4, Fighters 2

Game 2: Lions 11, Fighters 6

Game 3: Fighters 5, Lions 3

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Rakuten Eagles

Tatsuya Imai struggled and couldn't go five innings in a high scoring affair. The Lions saw two different three-run leads disappear, but Shogo Noda took two frames and kept the Eagles off the board. Fumikazu Kimura hit a HR and prevented any momentum with an outfield assist to throw out Hideto Asamura. 

Takeya "Okawari-kun had a sayonara hit with two outs in the 10th inning in a game where Kona Takahashi pitched well. Unfortunately, Katsunori Hirai prevented Takahashi from winning when he gave up a three-run HR in the 8th inning, but the game stayed tied.

No sweep happened once again as the Eagles bats took their anger out on Ken Togame. 

Game 1: Lions 8, Eagles 6

Game 2: Lions 6, Eagles 5 (10 innings)

Game 3: Eagles 14, Lions 2

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Overall, this was a solid week, but every time that Hirai is pitching is now a scare. Kazuyoshi Ono has depended on him to get innings left and right. The 6th and 7th innings in relief feels like a roulette wheel, where Ryuya Ogawa, Kaima Taira and others are part of a committee and the staff prefers matchups.

Offensively, the complaints are minimal, but it is odd how Yamakawa remains cold while Okawari-kun is on fire. What hurts is also Fumikazu Kimura buying time as the starting RF. In my opinion, he should be a part time player while someone younger needs playing time, but the Lions are also in a serious race.

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Yamakawa's HR snatches victory

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 3-3 against the Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. They are in second place in the Pacific League with a slim lead over the Rakuten Eagles.

Here is what happened this week with a wrap around series:

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Orix Buffaloes: 

The Lions went with a split start in Tuesday's opener as Hiromasa Saito and Yasuo Sano took majority of the load. It was a game of hitting batters and several ejections took palce as a result. Ryosuke Moriwaki hit a batter and the first base coach of Orix was thrown out by the umpires. Shuta Tonosaki's first inning HR was all the team needed in a laugher result.

For game two, the Lions overcame a 5-0 first inning deficit and Hotaka Yamakawa's two-run HR propeled them to a stolen victory. Taisuke Yamaoka and Daiki Enokida couldn't hold a lead for the night. Lastly, the Lions were destroyed ii Game 3 when Keisuke Honda allowed seven runs in the second inning alone. Mop up relievers gave up more runs, but the Lions padded their offensive stats in a 20-8 blowout loss.

Game 1: Lions 11, Buffaloes 4

Game 2: Lions 7, Buffaloes 6

Game 3; Buffaloes 20, Lions 8

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Softbank Hawks:

Kodai Senga was lit up for nine runs by the Lions bats and Kona Takahashi went seven innings to give most of the bullpen a rest. The Lions even jumped out to a 13-0 lead with home runs from Takumi Kuriyama and Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura to pad a lead they never had to look back.

For game two, Ken Togame dug a 3-0 hole, including a solo HR allowed to a rookie, but the Lions fought back and took the lead at 4-3 in the 5th inning with two bases-loaded walks. Unfortunately, an error on Okawari-kun hurt Katsunori Hirai in the 7th and two runs were given up through doubles. Offense stalled with Hotaka Yamakawa botching multiple chances.

Things were similar in the third game where the Lions failed on their chances en route to a series loss, the third being in Kyocera Dome. Wataru Matsumoto went six innings with only two runs allowed in a losing effort.

Game 1: Lions 13, Hawks 8

Game 2: Hawks 5, Lions 4

Game 3: Hawks 2, Lions 1

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This week could have been worse. That being said, there is no room to breathe with the Fighters and Eagles on tap next. We'll see where this goes, but the team is just in limbo and going sideways, which is better than being backwards.

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Kuriyama's 100th HR propels sweep in Chiba

The Saitama Seibu Lions went 4-2 against the Rakuten Eagles and Chiba Lotte Marines in an irregular week. They currently sit in second place of the Pacific League and are 1.5 games ahead of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. 

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Rakuten Eagles

Tatsuya Imai was lit up in Game 1 as the Lions had no chance with Yasuo Sano coming in relief. Once Sano gave up several base hits, this was a laugher as Hayato Yuge went seven shutout innings.

In Game 2, Daiki Enokida and Takahiro Norimoto were both vulnerable, but neither gave up more than three runs and couldn't last six innings. With the game tied going to a no-decision, it was an improbable infield single from Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura with the bases loaded for the go-ahead run. Takumi Kuriyama also added a HR to keep the game close.

The last outing in Omiya had no pitching as Wataru Matsumoto could only go four innings. Our old friend Hideto Asamura had several key RBIs and the Eagles should have won in nine innings, but Fumikazu Kimura hit two HRs including one in the 10th to extend it. Kyle Martin walked multiple batters which led to his downfall and the Lions conceded four runs without a base hit to lose the series.

Game 1: Eagles 10, Lions 0

Game 2: Lions 4, Eagles 3

Game 3: Eagles 11, Lions 7 (11 innings) 

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Chiba Lotte Marines

The Lions went across Kanto with Kona Takahashi in the first game. Kota Futaki was lit up as the Lions had a home run derby off his pitches while Ryusei Sato, Shuta Tonosaki and Sosuke Genda had home runs. Timely hits from Okawari-kun were also a factor, but Sato hit his first career HR in this one. Takahashi allowed several runners, but only had three runs on the board earning his first win since June.

For the second game, Ken Togame looked like he would have a difficult outing, but the Marines continued to strand runners and only score twice from it. The Lions came back after the third time through the order penalty hit Atsuki Taneichi with Tomoya Mori having a timely hit and Fumikazu Kimura tying the game in the 7th on a HR.

Kuriyama reached his 100th career HR in the 8th off the Marines bullpen which proved to be the game winner. Ryuya Ogawa escaped a jam while Katsuori Hirai and Tatsushi Masuda both got through the game in relief to take the series.

Zach Neal came in for the third game and gave up an early HR to Leonys Martin, but the Lions responded in the later innings with taking advantage of a timely error on the Marines. Tonosaki and Hotaka Yamakawa each had a two-run HR to put the icing on the cake. It also helped that Yuji Kaneko returned from his injury,

Game 1: Lions 8, Marines 3

Game 2: Lions 4, Marines 2

Game 3: Lions 9, Marines 2

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It was an ugly front end, but a redeeming back end in Chiba. To pull away from the Marines while gaining ground on the Fighters as well as the rest of the Pacific League. There is still no breathing room, but it's encouraging that Kaneko is back at the ichi-gun from his injury of being hit by a pitch. There is still a long journey to go, but the sweep in Chiba could go a long way. 

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2019 NPB Trip report: Osaka / Kansai and more

The final portion of my first trip to Japan involved a brief stop. Why settle for one day when other commitments shorten the time? One Stadium is worth the time. 

Day 10: One day stand in Kansai

After taking a short bullet train trip from Nagoya, the hostel I checked into let me come early, giving me an extra three hours than projected to see Osaka. I ended up taking a long walk around the Dotonburi River and heavy tourist areas. 

The Dotonburi of course is where the statue of Colonel Sanders took a dive after the Hanshin Tigers celebrated a pennant in 1985. Supposedly this has lead to a "curse". It was something to just reflect and see this river up close know that people jump the bridges to celebrate things beyond baseball.

By going on foot rather than taking a train, I ran into an Osaka grocery chain called Tamade and like Nagoya, it's an underrated experience going through a regular grocery store to see how people buy supplies. Even seeing an American Flag inside was a nice touch. I bought some Kewpie at a good price (60% lower in Japan than what the costs are in the USA) as well as some Coca Cola.

Couldn't resist going to Kyocera Dome and checking out their shop. They had a solid selection of items from all 12 NPB teams if needed. Bought some souvenirs for an Orix fan I knew.

The time came for Koshien Stadium where it was hard to get a clean photo of their sign, given the highway blocks the view from the train station. There was also a high school museum given the ties to the national baseball tournament, but time wasn't on my side and I chose to not enter since it wasn't worth rushing through it.

Leo happened to be in the vicinity

Walking into Koshien Stadium felt very narrow. It's tough to see the whole building in a limited time while also trying to get to my seat. Couldn't come in as early due to some circumstances, but was able to cross this place off.

As for the game itself, it was rather anti climatic from a Lions standpoint. They had early chances and didn't score enough while the Tigers wining run came on a bases-loaded hit by pitch. 

Despite the loss, it was something to cross off Koshien Stadium let alone see my team play there. Quite a few high school stars made a name for themselves in this building from Kona Takahashi, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Masahiro Tanaka and Tomoya Mori as well as many more I can't mention. 

It was also great to finally meet @thehanshintiger. The photo above was featured in an online version of a Japanese newspaper publication. Trevor also put the article up in English about foreigners coming, but less English available. 

I also made a cameo in their Vodcast, which can be seen here

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Day 11: Departure

This was the final shot I took before leaving Osaka for the airport in the Nishinari Ward. Wish I didn't have an early morning flight so I could have experienced more, but I left on a conservative note to get out on time. 

A notable thing about this experience was seeing a difference in culture between Japanese and Chinese on the flights. I flew on JAL out of Hawaii to arrive in Narita, while using Air China to go back from Osaka to Los Angeles. It's pretty clear how polite and formal everyone on the JAL flight was in comparison. 

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Final reflections:

With a few random things I spotted and saw, here were a few travel quirks and other things I noticed around this trip: 

Hospitality was amazing

There's always a hit and miss when running into strangers. Unsure what you're going to get, I felt things were friendly given my limited language knowledge. From the two strangers who helped find my first crash site to a store clerk helping me read a few signs, it was something. It was comfortable being around the area even without speaking much of the language. 

Behind the scenes, this trip was extremely stressful because my plan A fell through about two weeks prior to my flight leaving. My plan B contacts were on standby and had to book or reserve places while in Kanto. 

Everything else was done on the fly outside of the games themselves. While I always had ideas on what to see, I finally put it out there and saw the surface while also going off the beaten path for different sites. I encourage anyone to study the train maps in advanced before going on them rather than just depending on your phone GPS.  

I also want to take this time to thank all the bilingual followers who helped me around on Twitter if I couldn't read a sign or even not knowing a certain food. Had plenty of great conversations in-person and online. 

Google Maps can be your friend, but also confusing

When walking to a place, I would often be led to the vicinity of where I wanted to be. As a word of advice, make sure you have a picture of where you want to go whether it's a small restaurant or a well-known site. It was easy for me to miss a spot or take a wrong turn on the street, but I never trusted the "turn left" or "turn right" instructions, just looked at my site and followed the direction from there.  

There is plenty of food options beyond sushi and sashimi

The most common food among my peers has always been thought of as sushi or something cold. I personally didn't grow up with this and didn't try any, but I've researched lots of food over the years and even made my own. The only cold things I had were onigiri, soba noodles, Hiyashi chuka and several drinks. Specifically having Hiyashi Chuka was refreshing in the humid heat, now I can finally see why something like that works.  

They don't call it the "Land of the Rising sun" for nothing

The sun was up at 4:00 a.m. when in Kanto? Yes! Was able to maximize my time going to places and seeing sights as a result of waking up early. I had never experienced such an early sunrise before thanks to being on the West Coast and the most western portion of central time zone most of my life. 

Jet Lag was minimal, sleeping on the flights and timing it worked to perfection

It's possible my body was used to watching games live even from the States as such a crooked hour that I didn't feel as much when I arrived. There was only an extended nap when coming back, but nothing hit me once I came back to work with the night shifts I'm used to.  

It felt like being in a Pokemon game, without playing Pokemon GO

Shopping through a few stories had a similar elevator music soundtrack like the Pokemon Gameboy games I grew up with. Seeing the shops have 1F or 2F to indicate the floors only enhanced this in my head. Best yet, using my JR train pass to get through the gates and showing them to the guards in uniform resembled the video game too. Real life! 

Other times it felt like being in anime, when surrounded by school students

Schools have their breaks, but the summer break for students in Japan is much shorter and I saw several students of all ages taking the trains in the morning. Seeing some of the school uniforms resemble anime characters made me think of various shows and other songs popped in my head as a result. 

Being in West Tokyo, it made me want to rewatch Whisper of the Heart and sing Country Roads, or "Concrete Roads".  

When going through Tokyo, you went through baptism of fire

This is generally a punch in the mouth for any first-time traveller seeing so many people in a train station. With everyone going in their own directions, it felt like chaos and could be uncomfortable for anyone who is claustrophobic. I was ready for it, but as the trip went on, everything got easier. It felt like there were no crowds in Nagoya or Osaka because of experiencing Kanto first. 

The most happy non-baseball scene for me was being on a train after a game

After spending the whole day hearing nothing on trains and everyone in silent mode, it was great to just unwind and hear a chatty train on the way back. Not sure how many tourists get that experience if they're just in the city, though I've heard being on a train after a concert is something. Regardless, I loved how people were just unwinding with their friends and family around them with lots of noise. 

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Miscellaneous baseball activities

Last April. I went to Arkansas and was able to see Kazuhisa Makita while he was on the Amarillo Sod Poodles. He has spent most of the 2019 season in the farm level, but going to AA helped in my favor with the schedule. 

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Also took a trip to Arlington to see the Oakland A's facing the Texas Rangers. Photo taken with Wei-Chung Wang, the first A's player out of Taiwan. The former NPB commissioner just happened to be in DFW and was honored during a break.

Honored to host former Ambassador from Japan, Ryozo Kato. He’s also a former Commissioner of Baseball in Japan.

He gave me these chop sticks. They are made from wood from broken baseball bats. pic.twitter.com/HOeaNP8k53

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 3, 2019

Overall, 2019 has been a fun year with making trip, which doesn't even mention the NHL games I saw outside of baseball. I hope to revisit Japan again sometime in the future. 

I must also take this time to announce this site and Twitter have mostly been a solo operations since the end of 2018. Wes Mills, founder and original starter of this blog, has taken a hiatus after being the in gradate school, an internship and work in the radio business. Let's hope he can return someday for this co-operation. 

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Summer Koshien 2019: Schools with a Seibu Lions connection

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The 2019 Summer Koshien tournament will begin on August 6. Unlike how the 2018 tournament had its 100th edition and a field of 56 schools, this year's version will only have 49 with two coming from Tokyo and Hokkaido. All 45 other prefectures will have one representative as each school had to earn their bid to the tournament in an all-out prefecture tournament of their own.

In a twisted spoiler alert: Osaka Toin did not make this year's tournament, meaning we will have a new champion for 2019. Even with one of the most famous baseball high schools in the nation not participating, the Lions still have several players and other personnel connected to a high school in this year's edition.


Here are all the schools connected to the Saitama Seibu Lions, as shown on the visual map:

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Maebashi Ikuei (Gunma): P Kona Takahashi (5th appearance overall, 4th consecutive)

Kona Takahashi is remembered as a high school legend for taking a then-first year school as a Junior to a Koshien championship in 2013. It appears that Maebashi Ikuei is now the powerhouse of Gunma as they've continued to make appearances in Summer Koshien.

With the Lions, Takahashi was a first round pick in 2014 unopposed and threw a shutout in his first season back in 2015. He has seen rotation time, but struggles with control and remains up and down. This year, he made the All-Star game for the Pacific League and is a regular rotation starter, but has remained inconsistent.

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Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi): P Tatsuya Imai (15th appearance overall, 9th consecutive)

Imai helped Sakushin Gakuin win the tournament in 2016 and was drafted by the Lions in the first round unopposed. Playing on a loaded team, majority of Sakushin Gakuin players will become Shakaijin or go to University, but Imai was taken straight out of high school. The only other current NPB player out of this high school is Kazunari Ishii of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

With the Lions, Imai missed the entire 2017 season by failing to play an ichi-gun game after the team shut him down due to injury. Last year, he made up for lost time and showed promise. This year, he has flashes and is still only 21 years old. The Lions hope he can be the team's future ace, but he is making progress to at least be a front end starter.

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Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama): OF "Aito" Takeda and IF/OF Manaya Nishikawa (7th appearance overall, 5th consecutive)

Hanasaki Tokuharu has been a recent powerhouse out of Northern Saitama prefecture and has had several players drafted as a result. Aito was part of a team that made a decent run in 2015 before being drafted by the Lions in the fourth round. Nishikawa won the Koshien tournament in 2017 and the Lions drafted him in the second round.

Kenya Wakatsuki of the Orix Buffaloes is the only notable NPB starter currently at the ichi-gun level, but many prospects have potential including Koya Takahashi (Carp), Yuki Nomura (Fighters) and Tatsuya Shimizu (Dragons).

Nishikawa has yet to play an ichi-gun game for the Lions, but they've used him at multiple positions at the ni-gun level trying to figure out his future role. On paper, he has the tools to hit and they can utilize his speed. Aito saw ichi-gun time as early as 2017, but recorded his first career base hit in 2019 and sees occasional time as a replacement or spell outfielder.

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Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi): Coach Takanori Hoshi (28th appearance overall, 3rd consecutive)

Sendai Ikuei is a huge powerhouse of the region and has produced several professional ball players. Among recent prospects, Kosuke Baba (Tigers) and Taiga Hirasawa (Marines) are notable first round draft picks that could continue this legacy.

Takanori Hoshi spent majority of his career as a backup catcher on the Yomiuri Giants behind future Hall of Famer Shinnosuke Abe. He was traded to the Lions in the middle of 2011 and served as a backup/reserve catcher. After retiring as a player in 2016, he has served as an ikusei coach to work with ni-gun catchers. Recently, the Lions had to sign him to an ikusei contract with the shortage of farm catchers due to injury. He has appeared in a handful of games, but is mostly there as a mentor.

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Koku Gakuin Kugayama (West Tokyo): Battery coach Kosaku Akimoto (3rd appearance overall, first in 28 years)

As a player, Akimoto was with the Lions as a dropout of college and was part on outsider draft, a system from 1965-1992. He didn't appear in any ichi-gun game, but made an appearance as a farm prospect in San Jose, California as part of the San Jose Bees and because of how the minor leagues operate, his nickname was "Rattoo". He saw time as a backup catcher and coach for the Yokohama Baystars from 1990-2000 and won a Japan Series in 1998.

Koku Gakuin Kugayama has only one player currently in NPB. IF Shin Matsuda was a 7th round shakaijin draft pick of the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2018. Their most famous player is Tadahito Iguchi, currently serving as the Marines manager.

Since his playing days ended, Akimoto has been in the Lions organization  as a battery coach since 2011 at the ni-gun level. He earned a promotion to ichi-gun in 2017.

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Shizuoka (Shizuoka): OF Shohei Suzuki (25th appearance overall, first in 4 years)

Shizuoka High School is a traditional powerhouse of the area given its number of appearances. Among current NPB players, Hirotoshi Masui (Orix Buffaloes) is the most accomplished while Kengo Horiuchi is a prospect for the Rakuten Eagles. Past players who had lengthy careers include the late Yoshihito Oda, Kazuharu Yamazaki, Motoyuki Akahori, Toshikazu Hattori and Yasunari Takagi.

Suzuki was a fourth round draft pick of the Lions in 2016 and made his ichi-gun debut earlier this year as a pinch runner. He has seen time in left field and is viewed as a future starting outfielder when Shogo Akiyama leaves the team.

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Naruto (Tokushima): Tetsuya Shiozaki (13th appearance overall, second consecutive)

Shiozaki never made it to Koshien, but did make a name for himself as a shakaijin amateur. During the 1988 Summer Olympics in Korea, baseball was a demonstration sport ans Shiozaki participated in it, earning a silver medal. As a demonstration sport, this didn't count towards the country's overall medal count.

With the Lions, he was mostly a reliever and saw the very back end of the Golden Era in the early 1990s. His playing career ended in 2004 and began serving with the Lions as a coach in 2007. After leaving in 2010, he returned in 2014 as mostly a ni-gun coach and manager. Today he is a front office assistant to General Manager Hisanobu "Nabe-Q" Watanabe.

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Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui): P Tetsuya Utsumi (9th appearance overall, second consecutive)

Utsumi was originally a special priority draft pick of the Yomiuri Giants in 2003, where players could be secured before the draft with money (Kibowaku). He was a shakaijin when selected.  

Tsuruga Kehi had several notable NPB talents from Masataka Yoshida (Orix Buffaloes) and Ryoma Nishikawa (Carp) as well as younger players Soichiro Yamazaki (Buffaloes) and Shota Hiranuma (Fighters).  

For the Lions, Utsumi has been a large disappointment after he was selected from the Giants as the free agent compensation for the loss of Ginjiro Sumitani. As a veteran, he still has yet to play an ichi-gun game after several setback injuries. His career has been remembered by being a long household name of the Giants by being a regular starter in their rotation.  

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Ritsumeikan Uji (Kyoto): OF Yuji Kaneko (3rd appearance overall, first in 37 years)

Ritsumeikan is a school system with several elevator schools of the same name from Middle school all the way to University. Yuji Kaneko went through this process during his time in Kyoto playing University ball there as well. This school has produced several soccer players.  

Kaneko was drafted in the third round of 2012 by the Lions and originally played on the infield at shortstop mostly as a spell player. He always had speed to keep himself at the ichi-gun, but found a new strength in 2016 when the Lions inserted him as the starting right fielder. He has been a decent slap hitter, but his speed on the base paths is what makes him stand out. Kaneko has stolen at least 25 bags in the last four years.

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Akashi Shogyo (Hyogo): P Wataru Matsumoto (2nd appearance overall, 2nd consecutive)

Wataru Matsumoto is the only NPB representative from this high school, but it's possible that Akashi Shogyo is a new powerhouse? They have made two Spring Koshien appearances and made the most of them, reaching the "Elite 8" stage in 2016 and the "Final Four" in 2019.

Last fall, Matsumoto was taken by the Lions in the first round of the NPB Draft with no opposition out of University. He was the only original first round nomination to not go to a drawing. With Matsumoto being a first round pick, they're hoping he can be a future and has shown promise in his short time at the ichi-gun level. 

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Kaisei (Nagasaki): IF Kyohei Nagae (18th appearance overall, first in 5 years)

Nagae had Summer Koshien experience in 2011 as a senior and was the team's captain and pitcher. His school was bounced by Juri Hara's (Swallows) school in the first round. The Lions drafted him in the fourth round of the 2011 NPB Draft straight out of high school. Taiga Egoshi (Hanshin Tigers) and Toshiya Nakamura (Marines) are also products from this high school. Among past players,. Katsuo Hirata had a long career with the Hanshin Tigers, now serving as a coach for them. 

At the NPB level, Nagae has mostly seen time as a defensive replacement and has shown he can't hit. With his inability to hit his weight, his role is limited at the ichi-gun level, but can play good defense at SS and 3B in a pinch. 

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Okinawa Shogaku (Okinawa): P Kaito Yoza (8th appearance overall, first in 5 years)

Kaito Yoza, an Okinawan out of Okinawa Shogaku (Okisho) was drafted by the Lions out of a University in Gifu prefecture back in 2017. A submarine pitcher, he has spent his whole professional career recovering from an injury and has not played a game at any level from ni-gun to ichi-gun. He was given an ikusei contract before the 2019 NPB season.  

Okisho has produced multiple NPB players from Nao Higashihama (Hawks), Shota Ishimine (Marines) and Hiroki Minei (Baystars) as well as ikusei Hawks player Richard Sunagawa. Their most famous player of the past is Yasunaga Mikishi, who currently serves as a first base coach for the Rakuten Eagles.  

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Injuries pile up in losses

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This week in Saitama Seibu Lions baseball, the team only went 3-3 against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes. The Lions are currently behind the Rakuten Eagles for A-class based on percentage points as a result.

For this recap, it won't be game-by-game due to computer difficulties and technical errors, but there will be some thoughts on each series. 

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Softbank Hawks

Tatsuya Imai and Kona Takahashi performed well enough to win, but only the former ended up getting a victory with run support coming too late for the latter. A clutch hit by Hotaka Yamakawa in the bottom of the 8th secured a series win.

However, the third game featured a struggling Wataru Matsumoto where both sides scored at least 10 runs. Hirotaka Koishi couldn't keep the Hawks off the board after having a 9-5 lead and it evaporated with a HR by Seiji Uebayashi and another by Alfredo Despaigne off Ryosuke Moriwaki. It was the first time the Lions scored at least 10 runs and didn't win since 2005.

Yuji Kaneko was hit by a pitch on the leg which took him out. Sosuke Genda also got hurt during this series and didn't start every game in Osaka against Orix as a result.

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Orix Buffaloes

Kazuyoshi Ono opted to have a spot starter in Yasuo Sano and it backfired. Both sides scored a lot of runs in the first game and Tomoya Mori had two HRs, including a grand slam, but a raw Kaima Taira couldn't hold the lead as Orix took the opener.

Shinsaburo Tawata had another poor outing which resulted in Koishi eating up some innings, but Zach Neal battled through another long outing to force a no-decision. A game-winning hit by Shogo Akiyama in the 7th inning decided the third game as Kyle Martin took two innings in relief.

With Genda being limited, Haruka Yamada started at SS while Shohei Suzuki also saw ichi-gun time. The Lions also deactivated Hitoto Komazuki and Kaneko for Aito Takeda besides make room for Yamada.

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At 3-3, this week could have been worse, but having the wins sandwich a three-game losing streak doesn't always help. It will be interesting to see how the team handles no Genda and Kaneko for a length of time. What is a concern is how Keisuke Honda did not pitch this week while Ken Togame might have been a better option than a split start of Sano/Taira.

Of course Katsunori Hirai pitching is always the biggest concern given how many innings he's reached, but that's another topic for another day.

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2019 NPB Power Rankings: August Edition

The 2019 NPB season is nearly 100 games through for each team and suddenly, there is an interesting race after what was thought to be some easy pennant titles already locked up. We have a new No. 1 ranked team making their first appearance at the top.

Others have shifted up and down after interleague play, but each team has given a storyline to follow. Here is how the power rankings look after games through July 31:

Reminder: Power Rankings are not decided by win and loss record, that's what standings are for. 

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1. [^] (10) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (51-42-4, 16-6 in July)

The experiments and progressive style of baseball is finally paying off for the Fighters, who had to readjust after losing Naoyuki Uwasawa for the reason. They've been very tight with their starting pitchers and while not using a true one inning opener, they're getting the best out of their arms. 

Bryan Rodriguez is having an outstanding second year while Ryo Akiyoshi has refound his form as a closer since being traded from the Swallows. Bats are timely with hits and this looks like a contending team to be an answer to the Softbank Hawks. 
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2. [=] Yomiuri Giants (53-40-1, 13-10 in July)

The Giants stay on top of the Central League and still have control of it. Their core offensive players are still performing and it doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon. Shun Yamaguchi should be in the Sawamura conversation while Hayato Sakamoto is an MVP candidate. Tomoyuki Sugano has also performed better in what is a down year by his standards.

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3. [^] (4) Yokohama DeNA Baystars (50-44-3, 15-8-1 in July)

The Baystars have climbed the mountain after starting the season in dead last. Their starting pitching has lived up to hype while the hitting has also improved. It doesn't hurt that Toshiro Miyazaki has been on fire offensively while Neftali Soto continues to hit home runs. Quietly. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo still has fewer than 20. Their pickup of Hikaru Ito has also been a plus (despite being hurt) and a steal from the Orix Buffaloes. Also, a big welcome back to Haruhiro Hamaguchi, who spent a lot of this year injured. Rami-chan's Baystars look to be the best answer to the Giants in the Central. 

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4. [v] (1) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (52-42-4, 11-12 in July) 

A mediocre July has put the Hawks in a position similar to 2016, where the Fighters are right behind them. Even with all the struggles and questionable hitting, the Hawks are competing with younger players in Kotaro Otake, Rei Takahashi and Jumpei Takahashi as part of their pitching staff. This team won't go away, but the injuries have taken its toll with Yuki Yanagita out for awhile and Kenta Imamiya just returning. 

Yurisbel Gracial should be an MVP candidate in the Pacific League, as he has picked up the slack offensively. The organization's depth is why there is no reason to panic despite a questionable month.

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5. [^] (6) Hiroshima Carp (49-46-3, 11-12 in July)

The Carp began this month with an awful losing streak, but they've appeared to have rebounded and put themselves in third place in the Central League. Seiya Suzuki continues to carry this offense while Kosuke Tanaka has weighed them down. There is plenty of depth and baseball left for this team to compete, but which one will show up? The ones who were cold in interleague or the red hot team from May? 

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6. [v] (5) Saitama Seibu Lions (48-45-1, 11-11 in July)

Not a great month for the Lions, but they're also not dead by winning just enough to stay in the hunt. Pitching isn't there to last, but the offense is arguably the most balanced in NPB with plenty of speed and power for any pitcher's nightmare. Even with Hotaka Yamakawa going backwards, Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura has picked it up lately. Pitching needs to improve in order to be taken seriously. 

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7. [^] (8) Chiba Lotte Marines (45-47-2, 11-12 in July)

It was another month for the Marines to not fall backwards, but also not take run forward. It doesn't help when a Core-4 pitcher in Ayumu Ishikawa gets relegated to the bullpen and Shogo Nakamura is having a slow year, but others are picking up the slack from the former captain Daichi Suzuki to Takashi Ogino staying healthy. 

Mike Bolsinger has looked better too, but the Marines need star power if they want postseason baseball. So far, it's been Brandon Laird while the pitching is not what it was last year. They're only one string of wins away from a playoff spot, so anything can happen.  

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8. [^] (9) Hanshin Tigers (44-48-5, 9-12-1 in June)

The Tigers move up by default with other teams faltering. Their defense is the big liability holding them back while the rotation has its ups and downs. Bullpen is a strength on paper, but even then, they had to make a shuffle with their roster as Rafael Dolis was demoted.

They're hoping to find some lightning in a bottle with Yangervis Solarte as their recent import signing. We'll see how this plays out as he had a decent first week with the ichi-gun.

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9. [v] (4) Rakuten Eagles (47-46-2, 8-14 in July)

The Eagles take a fall after playing well majority of the year. Pitching has taken a step backwards even with Takahiro Norimoto back from his injury. Hitting was colder, but the bullpen appears to be a strength going forward as they can hang with anyone. 

Their starting pitching depth has been exposed through this month as several guys came up and down. However, their biggest hole is at catcher with Motohiro Shima looking past his prime and Ayatsugu Yamashita being unimpressive. 

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10. [v] (7) Orix Buffaloes (41-50-5, 10-12 in July)

Just when you think Orix turned the corner and had momentum in their favor after interleague play, they give it all right back. Since Interleague play, Orix is 10-14 and they built nothing on last month's success. This appears to be another season of wasted starting pitching unless they turn it around offensively. 

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11. [^] (12) Tokyo Yakult Swallows (37-58-2, 9-12 in July)


The Swallows reached the magic number of being at least 20 games under .500.  They're getting decent outings out of former Hawks pitcher Hiroki Yamada, but this season is already a lost cause with both sides of the game being awful when it matters most. This month had a cold Tetsuto Yamada after he was killing it earlier. Only one team emerged to be worse than the Swallows. 

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12. [v] (11) Chunichi Dragons (43-52, 10-13 in July)

The Dragons looked like they were on Cloud 9 to start the month with an eight-game winning streak, but it was followed by an eight-game losing streak right after, cancelling out any progress they made. At one point, they were even tied for second place with the Baystars. The loss of Shuhei Takahashi to injury has to hurt, but there are other issues too.

If only the Dragons bullpen could even be adequate, we might be talking about a playoff team, but the relief options are unreliable. One thing they're good for? Beating the Hanshin Tigers, where they have a 10-5 record against them. It's possible that could be a difference maker between A-class and B-class for the Tigers.

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Conclusion:

This is a very interesting race in both leagues, with the Pacific League having 2.5 games separate third place from first place. In the Central, it's possible the Yomiuri Giants will not run away yet, as two teams have played better since the start of July. Only the Swallows are "dead", but the Dragons could be joining them in misery soon. We'll see how this plays out.

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