Graveyard Baseball: One year later: Progress report on the 2018 Seibu Lions draft class

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The 2018 Saitama Seibu Lions draft class is only one year into professional baseball, but it doesn't hurt to look at how things are going. For now, this is just a short term review.

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Reminder that none of these grades are in stone as it's only been two years.

First round: P Wataru Matsumoto (Nittai University, Tokyo)

The Lions were the only team to take a college player in opening part of the first round for the draft. All 11 other teams had opposition to their picks while the Lions scooped one of the top pitchers available for the short term. After a month in ni-gun, Matsumoto already made some flashes at the ichi-gun with a 7-4 record in 85.1 innings while having a 4.54 ERA.

While there are a share of wild pitches, he has shown solid command through year one. The Lions think he can be the team's ace.  Grade: B+

Hindsight: The Tigers took Koji Chikamoto, Hawks took Hiroshi Kaino, several high school prospects still have intrigue and upside, but the Lions took a safe path here.

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Second round: P Yutaro Watanabe (Urawa Gakuin HS, Saitama)

Watanabe only saw two games in ni-gun where the sample size in relief isn't big enough to discuss. He was viewed as a fallback first round option had the Lions lost on Matsumoto's rights. Plenty of time to grow ahead with the team hoping he takes a step forward.  Grade: None

Hindsight: None (Lions were drafting at the end of this round)

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Third round: IF Kakeru Yamanobe (Mitsubishi Motors Okazaki, Aichi)

Yamanobe was hoping to continue the trend of a position player being taken in the third round in an even-numbered year as compared to his senpai (Hideto Asamura, Shogo Akiyama, Yuji Kaneko, Shuta Tonosaki, Sosuke Genda). This shakaijin failed to make an early impact in his first professional year with only one base hit in nine games.

On a positive note, he did well in ni-gun with 29 stolen bases in 87 games as a regular. He saw time at 3B and 2B, but could also go at SS if necessary. The Lions believe his bat still needs work, but he had several scouting comparisons to Genda with defense and speed. His window to make an impact is shorter than the rest, but he'll get a pass in year one. Grade: C

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Fourth round: P Kaito Awatsu (Higashi Nihon Kokusai, Fukushima)

Awatsu was a college pitcher who was inspired to pitch in a similar manner to Tetsuya Shiozaki, who is currently working in the Lions front office. He was a regular reliever in ni-gun with a 4.56 ERA in 32 games. Awatsu made his ichi-gun debut in a game I attended against the Yomiuri Giants in garbage time, allowing two runs in two innings. It was his only career ichi-gun action up to this point. He'll be hoping for a better 2020. Grade: C

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Fifth Round: C Shoya Makino (Yugakkankoto HS, Ishikawa)

Makino got his feet wet in ni-gun and stayed there, recording a low slashline in 47 games. It's possible the Lions see him as a future catcher after Tomoya Mori or even a backup.  Grade: None

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Sixth Round: P Ryosuke Moriwaki (Sega Sammy, Tokyo)

Moriwaki saw ichi-gun time in the first half of the 2019 as a reliever, but he couldn't hold his position as a 7th inning setup man. In an up and down year, he is most remembered for starting a bean war with the Orix Buffaloes as he hit a few batters. This includes a bases-loaded HBP which drew an Orix coach to make contact with him. Grade: C

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Seventh round: IF Ryusei Sato (Fuji University, Iwate)

Sato was the only rookie to make the Opening Day roster and was at the ichi-gun for most of the season. He spent his first year on the bench, playing mostly 3B as a defensive replacement, but excelled when given the chance. Sato even had a few timely hits in his young career. If he can be the heir to Takeya Nakamura on the infield, the Lions may have picked up a steal. Grade: B

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Ikusei 1: P Aoi Tono (Nikkei University, Fukuoka)

Tono saw eight ni-gun games recording a 7.85 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. He lived up to the billing of an ikusei pick early on. This is still a work in progress. Grade: C

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Ikusei 2: P Jiyu Okubo (Hokkai HS, Hokkaido)

Okubo was picked for his size and possible upside regarding a high school pitcher. He played in only two ni-gun games and recorded only five innings. He's still a raw prospect in the short term. Grade: None

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Ikusei 3: C Daichi Nakaguma (Tokuyama University, Yamaguchi)

Nakaguma was a surprise ikusei pick as the Lions took three players in this round of the draft. In an injury riddled 2019, he only appeared in 12 ni-gun games where then-coach Takanori Hoshi needed to be registered as an ikusei for emergency catching depth. Nakaguma still has time to grow. Grade: None

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Overall:

Obviously this class is too early to call in any direction, but the first year impact of Sato and Matsumoto can't be ignored. If three starters or ichi-gun regulars can be found in this group, it's a successful class. Grade: None

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Twitter poll results:

これまでに #埼玉西武ライオンズ 2018ドラフトクラスをどのように評価していますか？

What's your 2018 #seibulions draft grade? #NPBeng

ご共有をお願いします @64Uni_Lions @Cape_Lions #松本航 #渡邉勇太朗 #山野辺翔 #粟津凱士 #牧野翔矢 #森脇亮介 #佐藤龍世 #東野葵 #大窪士夢 #中熊大智
— Graveyard Baseball (@GraveyardBall) December 11, 2019