Lions announce players not returning for 2022

 

One of the hardest things to the end of any NPB season is saying farewell to many players as they're cleared out to make way for the new draft picks. 

The Lions announced their second wave of players who won't be offered a contract for 2022. This includes P Shunta Nakatsuka, C Hitoto Komazuki, P Hiromasa Saito, P Sho Ito, P Kaito Awatsu, IF Ryusei Tsunashima, P Mitsuo Yoshikawa and ikusei C Daichi Nakaguma. 

Earlier, the Lions announced P Daiki Enokida, P Ryuya Ogawa as well as ikusei pitchers Shinsaburo Tawata and Jiyu Okubo would not be returning. 

Nakatsuka was a second round draft pick in 2016. In his ichi-gun debut, he recorded two outs, but walked the next three batters without throwing a strike and was taken out unable to finish a game. He spent the entire 2021 season in ni-gun. 

Ito was a third round draft pick in 2017 out of the Shikoku Island League. He was used as a spot starter, but could never keep his role at the ichi-gun level. The Lions are expected to bring him back under an ikusei contract after he had Tommy John surgery.

Mitsuo Yoshikawa is remembered for mostly being a Fighters pitcher and the Lions brought him in under a low risk contract. He saw five appearances at the ichi-gun level in 2021 with no signs of promise. 

Saito was the Lions first round pick of 2017, yet despite recording a win as a long reliever, he couldn't keep his job at the ichi-gun as he'd be destroyed when pitching. At best, he could eat some innings, but failed to play an ichi-gun game in 2021. 

Awatsu saw one ichi-gun appearance in 2019 under mop up duty, but couldn't earn more as he stayed in ni-gun for the rest of his career. He was a fourth round draft pick in 2018. 

Komazuki was originally drafted as an outfielder in 2011, but made the switch to catcher after the 2015 season. He was an emergency third catcher at the ichi-gun gun level and recorded only one base hit in 2019. The Lions plan to keep him around the organization as a non-player. 

Nakaguma was an ikusei pick in 2018 and his initial three years of control gave expired. The Lions are likely to give him another ikusei contract in 2022. 

Enokida came to the Lions in 2018 as part of a trade with the Hanshin Tigers for Yosuke Okamoto and had his best career season as a rotation starter. This magic couldn't last in 2019 and his role kept diminishing as time went on. 

Ogawa came from the Chunichi Dragons in a midseason trade for 2018 as he became a situational reliever. However, his ichi-gun time plummeted down to five games in 2021. 

Tawata was once the wins leader in NPB for 2018 and remembered as a first round draft pick of the Lions I'm 2015. He had been on an ikusei contract since 2020 as health had been a problem. 

Okubo was an ikusei draft pick in 2018. His departure announcement was part of the first wave of senryokugai. 

In addition to Ito and Nakaguma, the Lions are expecting bring back Saito and Awatsu on ikusei contracts in 2022. 

We wish the best for these departing players in their next endeavors. 

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2021 NPB Draft: A summary of each Lions pick

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The Saitama Seibu Lions and all 11 other NPB teams took part in the NPB Draft on October 17. Everyone felt they got better, removing some deadweight while picking up some fresh blood in the process. Here is a summary of each Lions draft pick:

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P Chihiro Sumida (隅田 知一郎)

College: Nippon Nishi Kogyo (Fukuoka)

High School: Nagasaki Hasami (Nagasaki)

Date of Birth: August 20, 1999

Height: 177 cm (5' 9")

Weight: 76 kg (168 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

Sumida can top out at 150 km/h (93 mph) with a versatile arsenal of pitches including a cutter, slider, two-seamer, changeup and fork. He was the consensus best player available and the Lions won his rights in a four way drawing. 

Team quote: "The selling point is that there are various types of pitches as well as his fastball. He's pitcher who can be part of the starting rotation."

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P Shunsuke Sato (佐藤 隼輔)

College: Tsukuba (Ibaraki)

High School: Sendai (Miyagi)

Date of Birth: January 3, 2000

Height: 182 cm (6' 0")

Weight: 83 kg (183 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

Sato has a max velocity of 152 km/h (94 mph) with the repertoire of a fastball, slider and changeup. He had one of the fastest pitches for a left-handed pitcher and was thought to be a fallback first round option, but fell to the early second round. Sato should be a rotation candidate.

Team quote: "Live left arm. He can be a starting player in the future."

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C Yuto Koga (古賀 悠斗)

College: Chuo (Tokyo)

High School: Fukuoka Ohori (Fukuoka)

Date of Birth: September 10, 1999

Height: 174 cm (5' 9")

Weight: 85 kg (187 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Right

Koga has a pop speed of 1.9 seconds and can hit for both power and average. After playing as an infielder, he secured the catcher position in his sophomore year. With Masatoshi Okada as a pending free agent, he can compete for a backup role with Sena Tsuge.

Team quote: "A strong-shoulder catcher with hitting power. He can be a regular catcher in the future."

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P Shinnosuke Hada (羽田 慎之介)

High School: Hachioji Gakuen (Tokyo)

Date of Birth: December 25, 2003

Height: 191 cm (6' 3")

Weight: 85 kg (187 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

Hada can top out at 149 km/h (93 mph) while able to throw a cutter, slider, curve, changeup and splitter. In his junior season, he caught notice of scouts with 39 strikeouts in 34 innings. An injury limited his senior year where he was a reliever. Born in Saitama prefecture, Hada also played for the Lions junior team in middle school. 

A 3/4 arm slot, Hada has drawn comparisons to Masaki Oyokawa of the Hanshin Tigers. Hada is a raw pitcher who lacks control, as his walk rate was also high. 

Team quote: "A large left arm full of ability from Lions Junior team. He's a player with potential and growth potential."

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P Masaya Kuroda (黒田 将矢)

High School: Hachinohe Kogyo (Aomori)

Date of Birth: January 24, 2004

Height: 188 cm (6' 2")

Weight: 78 kg (172 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Right

Kuroda's top velocity is 149 km/h (93 mph) as he can throw a slider, curve and fork. He was a two-way player in high school where he also played outfield and was batting 5th in the lineup. As the school's ace, he carried his team to the Aomori prefectural finals before coming up just short of qualifying for summer Koshien. The Lions think he can develop into a hard throwing reliever. 

Team quote: "His main weapon is his angled fastball and fork that can be thrown downward from a taller pitcher. He can be a pitcher who can strike out batters in time."

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IF Seigo Nakayama (中山 誠吾)

College: Hakuoh (Tochigi)

High School: Seirantaito (Tochigi)

Date of Birth: May 9, 1999

Height: 190 cm (6' 3")

Weight: 99 kg (218 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Nakayama is an athletically gifted infielder who can play 1B, SS and 3B. He was the cleanup hitter since his sophomore year at Hakuoh University and had a strong autumn 2020 season for his senior year. Nakayama can be an infielder with power potential. 

Team quote: "An infielder with a large build. His aggressive hitting was attractive."

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Ikusei

C Takeru Furuichi (古市 尊)

Independent League Team: Tokushima Indigo Socks (Tokushima)

High School: Takamatsu Minami (Kagawa)

Date of Birth: June 15, 2002

Height: 178 cm (5' 10")

Weight: 70 kg (154 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Right

Furuichi has a pop speed of 1.8 seconds and can also play outfield. He has physical tools to succeed at the next level, but specializes in base running. The Lions liked his throwing arm in particular. 

Team quote: "Outstanding shoulders and young age being attractive. We hope he can make an effort and level up as a catcher first."

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IF Natsuo Takizawa (滝澤 夏央)

High School: Sekine Gakuen (Niigata)

Date of Birth: August 13, 2003

Height: 167 cm (5' 6")

Weight: 64 kg (141 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Takizawa is a two-way player, but the Lions see him as an infielder who mostly played shortstop and also second base. He specializes in speed and defensive range and also hit for average by his senior year. 

Team quote: "He has a sense of speed in everything. He can become a defensive specialist." 

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P Shinya Sugai (菅井 信也)

High School: Yamamoto Gakuen (Yamagata)

Date of Birth: June 28, 2003

Height: 182 cm (6' 0")

Weight:  75 kg (165 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Left/Left

Sugai can hit 143 km/h (89 mph) with an arsenal of a slider, curve and changeup. He drew attention from scouts during a game in the Yamagata prefectural tournament where he had 10 consecutive strikeouts ad 17 total for the game. A tall and lanky pitcher, the Lions think his breaking balls and off speed pitches can draw whiffs. 

Team quote: "Impressive left arm. We liked him because he can strike out hitters with a slider. He needs to build his body first and work hard to be a starter in the future."

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OF Keishin Kawamura (川村 啓真)

College: Kokugakuin (Tokyo)

High School: Nihon Bunri (Niigata)

Date of Birth: September 6, 1999

Height: 173 cm (5' 8")

Weight: 83 kg (183 lbs)

Throws/Bats: Right/Left

Kawamura was the second hitter in the lineup an is a light hitting outfielder. He had a high batting average in his senior year and won multiple awards for his accomplishments. Kawamura will need to bulk up if he wants to make it to the ichi-gun. 

Team quote: "A power hitter with a well-balanced average."

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In closing

The Lions addressed their left-handed pitching depth while also taking several flyers in the ikusei round. Hitting is a short term concern, but they have faith in their recent draft picks to develop. 

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Lions land Sumida as first round pick in 2021 draft

 The Saitama Seibu Lions ended up with the top consensus player in the 2021 NPB draft with winning the draft rights to LHP Chihiro Sumida on Monday night. 

In a four team draw, the Lions, Carp, Giants and Swallows all contested the rights to Sumida. Lions Managing Director Mitsuo Iida drew the winning ticket when putting his hand in the box first. His name was trending all over Twitter afterwards. Coming into the draft, the Lions didn't decide their representative until the the day itself. 

With this win, it's the first time the Lions have won a draft lottery on their initial pick since 2010. They previously lost on drawings in 2017, 2018 and 2020. 

Sumida comes from Nishi-Nippon Kogyo (Institute of Technology) out of Fukuoka. On paper, he can play into the rotation immediately with the Lions lacking left-handed arms. 

"I've been happy since Seibu nominated me," Sumida said in a press conference "From now on, I'm glad that I can jump into the world of professional baseball, become the left arm representing Japan, and carry the Hinomaru on my back. I'll do my best."

With Fukuoka inspirations, Sumida hopes to resemble a career like Tsuyoshi Wada or Shota Imanaga as a left handed pitcher. 

Iida representing the Lions during the drawing drew just as much attention as Sumida himself. Relatively unknown in the baseball operations department, Iida worked his way up Seibu Holdings through Seibu Railway where he was once a station master in Ikebukuro. He's been working with the Lions since 2015 and held his current title since 2019. 

Normally, he accompanies the team and does work behind the scenes. One time, he gained attention during the pennant Hawaii trip in 2019 and was part of a staged magic show. 

Here are all the draft picks for the Lions in 2021: 

Main Draft: 

1. LHP Chihiro Sumida (Nippon Nishi Kogyo University, Fukuoka)

2. LHP Shunsuke Sato (Tsukuba University, Ibaraki)

3. C Yuto Koga (Chuo University, Tokyo)

4. LHP Shinnosuke Hada (Hachioji Gakuen High School, Tokyo)

5. RHP Masaya Kuroda (Hachinohe Kogyo High School, Aomori)

6. IF Seigo Nakayama (Hakuoh University, Tochigi)

Ikusei Draft:

1. C Takeru Furuichi (Tokushima Indigo Socks, Tokushima)

2. IF Natsuo Takizawa (Sekine Gakuen High School, Niigata)

3. LHP Shinya Sugai (Yamamoto Gakuen High School, Yamagata)

4. OF Kenshin Kawamura (Kokugakuin University, Tokyo)

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We will have a more detailed report after further research.

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Lions announce Sumida as draft pick nomination

 The Saitama Seibu Lions announced LHP Chihiro Sumida will be their first round draft pick nomination for the 2021 NPB Draft. They became the first team to announce their draft pick. 

Sumida is a top pitching prospect out of Nishi-Nippon Kogyo University in Fukuoka. His draft rights will likely be contested. 

Lions General Manager Hisanobu "Nabe-Q" Watanabe had full confidence in this pick, saying it was a unanimous decision by their staff. 

"Sumida has high potential and can play the game well," said Nabe-Q. "He has firm control."

The Lions rotation has lacked left-handed pitchers with a veteran in Tetsuya Utsumi, who is 39 years old, while Shota Hamaya is only in his second year. If they were to win Sumida's draft rights, he could be inserted into the starting rotation right away. 

Recently, the Lions staff saw Sumida's last game in Izuka, Fukuoka and he confirmed why they liked him. This is the first time the Lions have made their draft pick public since wanting Roki Sasaki in 2019. The last time they won a drawing for their initial first round nomination, it was in 2010 when Nabe-Q had the winning ticket for Tatsuya Oishi. Nabe-Q won a backup drawing for Tatsushi Masuda in 2012 while Hatsuhiko Tsuji won a fallback draw for Tetsu Miyagawa in 2019. 

The Lions have some of the worst pitching ERA and run scoring offenses in the league. They feel Sumida is the best talent available. 

"There is no left-handed pitcher in the starting rotation," said Nabe-Q. "I think that if he throws normally with his ability, he will be a force."

The NPB Draft will take place on Monday, October 11.