The Saitama Seibu Lions don't have the worst record in baseball, but it's not looking good for a team that was hoping to be in a postseason race.
Thought August 20, they sit in the fifth place of the Pacific League, 6.5 games behind the 3rd place Softbank Hawks and two games behind the Rakuten Eagles for fourth place.
This week, the team went 3-3 combined against both the Eagles and Hawks, which is short of any goal they had to be taken seriously. On Friday August 18, Shuta Ishikawa threw a no-hitter against the Lions.
What is there to observe in the final 36 games?
Can Mark Payton earn a contract for next year?
With other players fizzling out, the Lions called up Mark Payton right before July ended and he's done well for August. It would be an extreme backdoor way to do it, but the opportunity is open for Payton to play in 2024 if he continues to hit well as a top 3 hitter in the lineup.
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What happens to the bullpen long-term?
Tatsushi Masuda started poorly, it he has a strong July to put the team in the hunt. However, it's possible his arm is already cooked for the final month and manager Kazuo Matsui tried playing Minato Aoyama to close a game against the Eagles, which resulted in a scary save.
Katsunori Hirai is a free agent and the setup role will be vacant. Shunsuke Sato will look to fill that hole, but the mix of relievers should be alright. It's a matter of finding a closer from within that is a worry.
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Lack of offensive pop leaves holes
It's easy to just say Hotaka Yamakawa became awful with the news breaking out, but the team can't have a now 40-year-old Takeya Nakamura carrying the offense.
No one else has even 20 HR potential on this squad and while it would be nice if Kento Watanabe can be the future, it's uncertain if he'll be the slugger that the team ones hoped for.
Only thing the Lions can do is give young players playing time at the ichi-gun, which has happened from Takuya Hiruma to Manaya Nishikawa.
The catcher position has been a tradeoff for offense vs defense
Many knew the obvious elephant in the room whe Tomoya Mori left in free agency. Yuto Koga has won the starting catcher role for his defense alone and for those who believe in calling a good game.
Only problem is his lack of offense, but Takeru Furuichi has also earned the backup role. Both players are still under 25 years old and need time to grow.
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It's time to look at the draft
The Summer Koshien tournament is still ongoing and several prospects are available from the obvious Rintaro Sasaki out of Hanamaki Higashi High School making waves.
If the Lions can draft a bat who can help sooner than later, this could be the end of Kona Takahashi in the Lions uniform after the 2024 season. The window with this improved rotation would close.
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