Akiyama could find a chance with the Padres, MLB

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Shogo Akiyama signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres on Saturday. The Saitama Seibu Lions were reported to give him an offer which he turned down. 

The Padres have lacked depth in the outfield due to health reasons as Wil Myers went to the injured list while there has been a scramble of Jose Azocar, Matt Beauty, Trent Grisham, Jurickson Profar and Trayce Thompson.

Prior to Thompson recently being called up, all other Padres healthy outfielders are hitting under .250. 

Previously, the Padres had Lions OF Brian O'Grady on the roster due to a KBO team showing interest, forcing their hand in promoting him to the MLB level. 

General Manager A.J. Preller has been known to sign players from Japan, including Pierce Johnson, Nick Martinez and Robert Suarez. He also targeted Seiya Suzuki, who eventually signed with the Chicago Cubs. 

Preller was an apprentice with the Texas Rangers under GM Jon Daniels, who was also known to sign players from both NPB and KBO. 

For Akiyama, he needs a fresh start for a team that had too many outfielders and no opportunity in Cincinnati. The front office and scouts who liked him left after one season. 

The Padres could have an opening soon if someone in the outfield becomes ineffective. It will be up to Preller if and when he gets an opportunity in San Diego. 

Akiyama will likely begin his minor league assignment in El Paso AAA where O'Grady spent a fraction of 2021. However, this outfield shuffle from San Diego should present a chance for him to play in MLB again. 

The Padres were already struck in the offseaon when Fernando Tatis Jr. Was injured in a motorcycle accident. 

While the team is current 14-7 through April 29, most critics will mention they're winning against weaker competition up to this point. 

Last year, the Padres had a second half collapse and ended up finishing under .500, nowhere close to the contention they were expected be. 

Akiyama will need to be patient for that opportunity, but it should come based on the organization needing depth and being desperate for someone in the outfield.

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2022 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Burch Smith wins debut

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went a combined 4-1 against the Chiba Lotte Marines and Rakuten Eagles in a five game homestand.

With this winning week, they made it to A-class as they sit in third place through Sunday's games. 

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Game 1: Burch Smith vs. Kazuya Ojima

"Aito" Takeda hit a three-run home run and the Lions had no trouble after that. 

Making his ichi-gun debut, Smith threw seven no-hit innings in 96 pitches with five strikeouts and only one walk in the fourth. He even picked off Shuhei Fukuda, the only base runner he allowed. 

The Lions pulled Smith and put in Kaima Taira for the eighth inning.  Tsuyoshi Sugano broke up the no-hitter in the 8th with one out, but the Lions held on for a shutout win.

Lions 4 Marines 0

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Game 2: Wataru Matsumoto vs. Minabu Mima

Both pitchers didn't allow a hit through six innings. Sugano broke up the bid from Matsumoto with the latter leaving the game in the middle of the 7th. Yoshinobu Mizukami came in with inherited runners and forced a comebacker to get out of the jam.

Hotaka Yamakawa broke up the bid from Mima in the bottom of the 7th and after a bunt moved pinch runner Shohei Suzuki into scoring position, Nien Ting Wu delivered with a gapper to send him home and break the deadlock. 

Suzuki was forced to bat in the 8th and nearly scored from home plate on an error, but had a two-RBI hit to put the game away. Taira and Tatsushi Masuda had little trouble in the bullpen as Mizukami earned his first career win.

Lions 3 Marines 0

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Game 3: Kona Takahashi vs. Takahisa Hayakawa

Kona Takahashi threw eight shutout innings with three walks and three strikeouts resulting in a gem. 

Hotaka Yamakawa hit a solo HR in the fourth inning and was hit by a pitch later with the bases loaded. 

With this shutout win, it was the first time the Lions have thrown three consecutive shutouts since 1993.

Lions 3 Eagles 0

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Game 4: Chihiro Sumida vs. Hideaki Wakui

Timely hits from Haruka Yamada and Yuji Kaneko gave the Lions a 2-0 lead they couldn't hold. 

Sumida was struggling in the fourth inning and the Lions took him out when Ryosuke Tatsumi tied the game at 2-2 with a double. With the bases loaded and Tetsu Miyagawa pitching, Hiroto Kobukata had a timely hit and the Lions never recovered. 

Ken Togame gave up multiple home runs in mop up duty to ice the game. It was the third consecutive loss for Sumida. 

Eagles 7 Lions 3

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Game 5: Dietrich Enns vs. Ryota Takinaka

The Lions cashed in with a four-run 2nd inning which included a two-run HR from Sena Tsuge and timely hit by Yamada. 

Enns was pulled in the fifth inning as the bullpen was forced to carry the team, but they escaped most jams. Yoshinobu Mizukami was able to strike out two batters with runners on base as he earned his hold the hard way.

Nien Ting Wu had a three-hit game with three RBIs and two of them coming late to seal this game and series.

Lions 6 Eagles 3

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This was a week where the pitching was promising for the most part. It's good to see Yamakawa, but the offense is still flawed.

Power threats aren't exactly there. That being said, it's a productive week. Have to also hope Brian O'Grady can rebound after a slow week.

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2022 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Whipped

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 2-3 against the Fighters and Buffaloes this week and they currently sit in fifth place of the Pacific League with a 7-11-1 record. 

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Game 1: Shunsuke Sato vs. Takayuki Kato

Kato threw 6.2 shutout innings and held the Lions to four hits. Sato allowed timely hits to Renato Nunez and Go Matsumoto before he lasted five innings in an otherwise lackluster game.

Fighters 3 Lions 0

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Game 2: Wataru Matsumoto vs. Kazuaki Tateno

Brian O'Grady had multiple timely hits and the Lions held on to a one run lead as W. Matsumoto went seven innings with three runs allowed.

In a dramatic 9th inning, Tatsushi Masuda had two runners on base thanks to an error by Sosuke Genda.

He stuck out Nunez and Chusei Mannami flew out to end a close game.

Lions 4 Fighters 3

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Game 3: Kona Takahashi vs Sachiya Yamasaki

Takahashi went six innings with only one run allowed for his first win of 2022. 

A fifth inning barrage of hits gave the Lions four runs capped off by a two-run double from Brian O'Grady. 

Shuta Tonosaki added a two-run double in the 8th to erase any doubts on this game as the Lions won their 2nd straight. 

Lions 6 Buffaloes 1

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Game 4: Chihiro Sumida vs. Taisuke Yamaoka

Sumida gave up three runs, including a two-RBI hit to Shuhei Fukuda in the 5th inning which is all the Buffaloes needed. 

The Lions had their threat in the first inning as well as multiple doubles having runners on base in other frames, but Yamaoka buckled down when it mattered most. 

Offense was flat once Orix put their bullpen in the game.

Buffaloes 3 Lions 0

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Game 5: Dietrich Enns vs. Soichiro Yamazaki

Both starters couldn't last five innings as the bullpen decided this one. Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run HR off Enns in the fourth to tie it.

Kodai Sano and Yoshida had timely hits in the 5th and 6th innings to give Orix the lead for good. 

Brian O'Grady and Aito has Solo home runs, but the lack of situational hitting doomed the Lions offensively. Takeya Nakamura had one last chance in the 8th before he struck out as the Lions lost the series.

Buffaloes 4 Lions 3

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Hotaka Yamakawa is slowly coming back, but he couldn't return soon enough with how this offense struggled without him.

Can only hope he returns soon, otherwise the pitching is middle of the road. 

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Akiyama's time in Cincinnati was a disaster

 

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Shogo Akiyama in MLB is likely no more. 

On Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds brass informed Akiyama that he would not be on the team as they will designate him for assignment. He will either accept playing in minor leagues or become a free agent outright. The Reds will pay him $8 million in 2022 regardless of his status with the team.

With this transaction, Akiyama's with the Reds turned out to be the worst case scenario in hindsight. 

After earning international free agency, he signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Reds, becoming the first Japanese-born player in team history.

However, there plenty of red flags, no pun intended with this pickup due to the team having other agendas.

At the time of the signing, the Reds already had Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel and Jesse Winker already established in the outfield. We said it was a crowded situation.

He made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter with a timely base hit in 2020, but it appeared that David Bell felt no use for him otherwise, as he saw a good chunk of games that year due to injuries. 

His second half was promising as it helped the Reds reach a playoff spot in an expanded field. With a slashlines of .333/.474/.857 in the last 22 games, it was promising.

Akiyama fell off in 2021 with a reduced rule as Castellanos and Winker had MVP caliber seasons. He mostly came off the bench with only 33 starts and 61 appearances for the year. 

Things were already dark for Akiyama as his wife had a serious accident involving a fallen tree before the 2021 season began. 

Not much can be said about what Akiyama did, other than become an older player with no upside. Why did the Reds make this signing? For depth? To finally have a Japanese-born player after whiffing in the past?

As 2021 progressed, it felt like Bell and General Manager Nick Krall had no attachment or connection to Akiyama as if someone else in the office preferred him when signing. It's likely a previous regime wanted him to play and it was clear all involved don't work for the Reds anymore. Akiyama was just someone inherited. 

It was rather surprising he received a three-year contract as opposed to the two-year one that Yoshitomo Tsutsugo got from the Tampa Bay Rays. 

This signing was rather aggressive from the Reds, but it made no sense from a team standpoint due to their roster construction.

Now that the Reds have sold off their assets and will likely rebuild, Akiyama had no figure plans and only playing him would hinder someone else's development for the long run.

It's very telling that the Reds would eat $8 million despite the owner Bob Castellini having a cheap reputation. Simply put, Akiyama wasn't good enough and it was best to move on.

We can only hope the Saitama Seibu Lions can bring him back once he becomes a free agent and clears waivers. 

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2022 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Injuries doom team while swept in Chiba

 

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The Saitama Seibu Lions finished with a 2-4 week against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Chiba Lotte Marines for a six game road trip. 

They currently sit in fifth place of the Pacific League with a 4-5 record. 

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Game 1: Shunsuke Sato vs. Naoki Uwasawa

Hotaka Yamakawa hit two solo HRs and it was all the Lions needed in a ose shutout win. 

Sato made his debut with five scoreless innings, four hits, two strikeouts and one walk. Kaima Taira also made his first ichi-gun appearance for the year getting out of a jam.

The Fighters stranded a pair of runners in both the 7th and 9th innings as the shutout was solidified. 

Lions 4 Fighters 0

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Game 2: Wataru Matsumoto vs. Takayuki Kato

The Lions had seven consecutive base hits with two outs in the top of the sixth inning for five runs as their offense of the game.

Kato was initially dealing with a perfect game through four innings until Takeya Nakamura broke it up with a double in the fifth. 

It ended up being a third time through the order penalty striking Kato hard. 

Matsumoto overcame a slow start only allowing a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but settled in until the sixth, where he allowed two more runners on base who eventually scored.

This game was locked down by the bullpen Yoshinobu Mizukami, Kaima Taira and Tatsushi Masuda to secure a fourth straight win.

Lions 5 Fighters 3

Game note: Hotaka Yamakawa left the game in the sixth with a leg injury after being told by third base coach Kuroda to stop running. 

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Game 3: Kaito Yoza vs Kazuaki Tateno

Daiki Asama hit a two-run HR and the Fighters never had to look back. Kensuke Kondo had a timely hit in the third. 

Brian O'Grady had a two-run double in the 5th, but that was all the Lions could score in Sapporo for the night. 

Errors by the Lions sparked two unearned runs and Go Matsumoto took advantage of one of them as Yoza couldn't get a shutdown 5th inning. 

G. Matsumoto put the game away for the Fighters with another timely hit in the 7th inning.

Nien Ting Wu started at 1B in place of Yamakawa and Jantzen Witte made his debut as a pinch hitter, striking out.

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Game 4: Kona Takahashi vs. Ayumu Ishikawa

This one ended up being a pitcher's duel of who could strand runners the most. Kona Takahashi went six innings where his only run allowed happened on a wild pitch in the first.

Offensively, the Lions weren't a threat against Ishikawa as they only scored off a sacrifice fly from Jantzen Witte in the 8th inning to tie it.

The Lions threatened multiple times in the 6th, 9th and even 10th innings, but failed bunt attempts and no clutch hits led to a loss. Toshiya Sato ended this one with a sacrifice fly off Katsunori Hirai in the 10th.

Marines 2 Lions 1 (10 innings)

Game note: Hotaka Yamakawa was taken off the ichi-gun roster with Yoza as Bo Takahashi took a vacant spot. 

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Game 5: Chihiro Sumida vs. Kota Futaki

Brandon Laird hit a two-run HR in the fourth inning and that's all the Marines needed for offense. Sumida allowed a third run in the fifth off a sacrifice fly from Leonys Martin.

The Lions were unable to score in the first inning in their chance opportunity and had a double play in the 5th. 

Chiba put this game away when Ren Ohmagari took the 7th inning and gave up five runs.

Haruka Yamada had the only timely hit for the Lions in the 8th to prevent a shutout. What hurt in this game was Tomoya Mori leaving with a fracture, expected to be out for two months. 

Marines 8 Lions 1

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Game 6: Yutaro Watanabe vs. Roki Sasaki

Sasaki pitched eight innings allowing only one run and three hits against a hapless Lions offense. 

Taiga Hirasawa, Akita Takabe and Ko Matsukawa played four runs for the Marines as Yutaro Watanabe was knocked out in the sixth inning.

Marines 4 Lions 2

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It's safe to say the nightmare scenario just happened for the Lions with Yamakawa and Mori lost in the same week. Some players like Bo Takahashi and Jantzen Witte we're forced to come up earlier than expected.

As earlier written, this is a developmental year and it won't be about wins and losses at this rate. 

While it's not good to give up on the season, expectations should be lower.

As a short announcement, I'll be on vacation next week with no writeups for the time being.

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