2026 Seibu Lions Digest: Trending up?

 

Photo credit: @Ethics_Niki

The Saitama Seibu Lions sit at 19-17-1 through May 9 and are currently an A-class team being in third place. 

They're only trailing the SoftBank Hawks on percentage points at the time of this writing. 

We're here to check in on the season with notes and observations as the first 37 games have finished.

Taiga Hirasawa is killing it

If there was a team MVP up to this point, it's Taiga Hirasawa, who has seen an amazing run since being an ichi-gun player in 2026. With a near .400 batting average and an OPS of 1.300 when runners are on base, he's been invincible.  

This season alone, he has five 3-hit (modasho) games when he only had 3 total in his NPB career from 2016-2025.  There's no flashy power, though he hit a winning three-run home run in his last game, he's done everything the team has asked of him.  Can he keep it up?

Lions have battled well through injury

When Masayuki Kuwahara went down to a calf injury when running a base, the Lions offense was expected to take a hit. Instead, the offense has been a roll once Tyler Nevin returned to the starting lineup on May 1.  Nevin sat out for the entire month of April with an injury.

Trey Wingenter has yet to appear at the ichi-gun level in 2026 as he deals with his own injury. The outfield has suddenly stepped things up as Alexander Canario, Shinya Hasegawa and Seiya Watanabe have filled in well.  Manaya Nishikawa also had a slow start but has shown positive signs going forward.

Rotation has not missed Tatsuya Imai

As Imai is struggling with the Houston Astros, Kona Takahashi took it personal no MLB team showed interest in his services.  He's been leading the way while Chihiro Sumida and Kaima Taira have also been able to take the load. 

Shinya Sugai and Sou Sato have also provided solid starts while Natsuki Takeuchi can get better. 

Bullpen going through growing pains

One of the more bold calls of the season has been using a rookie in second-round draft pick Hakua Iwaki as the closer.  While he has looked shaky at times, he already has 10 saves in 13 games.

Hiroshi Kaino is back in a setup role while there are hopes Shunsuke Sato can rebound.  Hibiki Shinohara and Masaya Kuroda have looked promising in middle relief. 

This isn't a dominant group, which had forced manager Fumiya Nishiguchi to get more out of his starting pitchers if possible.  He's milked some guys as late as the 8th inning with the lack of confidence in a few pitchers.  Can it get better? Sure.

Catcher position remains balanced

The Lions no longer have an everyday starting catcher as Yuto Koga and first round draft pick Taiga Kojima split playing time. They've also used Sena Tsuge as a spell catcher.  

This balance is proving to be good offensively as nobody is established to have themselves in there for every game.  

Early returns not coming for Lin

Coming into this season, most felt either Canario or Lin needed to be good in order to compete offensively.  Canario doesn't do anything flashy, but he hasn't been overwhelmed at times like Lin. 

Lin's playing time for now has gone down as he still admits to NPB over CPBL. 

Can this continue?

May has been a tremendous month this far, especially on offense.  It's unclear what happens ahead, but this Lions team has reason for excitement when it feels like there's always a chance to win when the offense clicks. 

We wanted to let all readers know we're heading to Japan for the month of May on a lengthy vacation. We'll remain on X for all the fun detailed updates. 

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2026 Seibu Lions: What is this team?

The 2026 NPB season kicks off on Friday, March 27 as all teams will be playing.  For the Lions, the season begins in Chiba.

But what is there to make of the Saitama Seibu Lions? We'll take a dive into the roster and check in to see where things are going.  We apologize for a long drought without a post as things became busy outside of baseball.

Surprising gains with expected departures

Aside from a very obvious posting of Tatsuya Imai to the Houston Astros, the Lions didn't lose anyone significant. 

Instead, they made domestic free agent signings for the first time in 10 years, even having to give up a player as FA compensation.

Masayuki Kuwahara is a void the Lions have needed since 2020, where the outfield has been a weak point. Primarily in hitting, the team has shown failure to hit for average as a whole. 

He was a mainstay for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars and the Lions had to give up reserve catcher Takeru Furuichi for his services. With the recent logjam at catcher, there is no regrets if Furuichi becomes a better player with another team as Yuto Koga and Taiga Kojima would block any playing time.

Kazunari Ishii of the Fighters also signed with the Lions and because he was a Type C free agent, there was no extra compensation cost. 

From the Active Player (Rule 5 equivalent) draft, the Lions took OF Tokumasa Chano who was on the Orix Buffaloes.  Shota Hiranuma was eventually selected by Orix. Can only hope Chano becomes a depth piece.  

Foreigners mostly remain the same

In a successful 2025, the Lions retained three of their import signings in RP Trey Wingenter, RP Emmanuel Ramirez and 1B Tyler Nevin. Usually having three signings hit should lead to a Climax Series berth, if not being competitive enough for one.

Unfortunately, the Lions fell off by mid season after a strong first half.  Allan Winans comes in from North America as a starting pitcher candidate whole An-Ko Lin could be a starting outfielder, previously from Taiwan's CPBL.  

Other additions away from Ikusei include Alexander Canario, who last played 87 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025. 

Pitching should remain strong

Even with Imai playing in Houston, the Lions rotation should be solid with Chihiro Sumida, Kona Takahashi (who did not receive a significant MLB offer), Yutaro Watanabe, Kaito Yoza and a rebound season from Natsuki Takeuchi.  

Bullpen wise, there are also plenty of options from Hiroshi Kaino, Haruto Yamada and a possible rebound season from Shunsuke Sato to join Wingenter as a bridge for Kaima Taira.  It wouldn't hurt if some draft picks also contributed out of the pen like Yuta Nakamura, who did find in mop up duty.  

Something to be said that Nishiguchi has made excellent pitching calls in his first season as skipper, being a former pitcher himself.  The depth and options should be there for the 2026 season. 

Among recent additions, Yamato Fuji earned a promotion to the 70-man roster from ikusei. 

What is offense?

The hitting has been an elephant in the room since 2020, a below average product (2022) to bottom of the barrel (2024).  When 2025 began, there was promise, but by the time the All Star break rolled around, the slumps couldn't end and it felt like they were back at Square One from the conclusion of 2024. 

There are players who can be good in spell or as fielders from Manaya Nishikawa, Natsuo Takizawa and Takayoshi Yamamura. However, the lack offense and especially power hitting is non-existent.  Tyler Nevin is not built to be a 30 HR player, Takeya Nakamura is old, while majority of the roster is meant to be light hitters.  

Even the veterans Shuta Tonosaki and Sosuke Genda are seeing less playing time, which makes the latter performing well at the WBC even more puzzling. Seiya Watanabe showed promise, but the Lions need Kojima, their first round pick to produce sooner than later if he's built to be an everyday hitter.  

Others like Takuya Hiruma are likely declared as busts.  

This regime has taken a different approach

The Lions reputation has remained dark for players. Many choose to find greener pastures, whether it's in money or the work culture or even unseen work conditions that often led to past free agents wanting to sign with other teams.

What's notable for this regime is being more proactive in taking flyers, signing extra ikusei and of course, both Ishii and Kuwahara as free agent signings.  

Led by Koji Hiroike, the unseen collective making the baseball decisions feels less passive than before. Both Wingenter and Nevin were signed to contract extensions in the middle of the 2025 season instead of waiting for an offseason discussion with the agents.  

The jury will be out on these draft picks, but at least in transactions the vibes feel much more aggressive in wanting to win than what we saw under Haruhiko Suzuki and Nabe-Q.  

The only constant has been giving draft picks who've failed to produce extra years with the team through ikusei.  Some given multiple years before they're truly cut and removed from any player roster.  

The final season for a legend

Takumi Kuriyama made it known this would be his final playing season.  In what should be a retirement farewell tour, the Lions all-time hits leader can hopefully go out with some good sentimental moments.  He'll likely pinch hit on occasion until his final retirement ceremony game in September. 

Something to give credit is that the Lions management didn't play him much in the last few years to let someone else get an opportunity.  

The competition and outlook

This appears to be a other uphill battle of the Lions want to be an A-class team. The SoftBank Hawks are likely to return to their dynasty ways.  Fighters are going to compete directly with them for the pennant and what was a dramatic climax series. 

The last four spots remain open with teams of uncertainty, but the Orix Buffaloes have the inside track based on proven pitching and talent alone. They're still flawed offensively.  

The Chiba Lotte Marines are going through a new manager after a disaster 2025.  Are they rebuilding or trying to go retooling? Much remains uncertain.

Lastly, the Rakuten Eagles remain a flawed organization with some veterans who are likely passed their prime.  A handful of intriguing draft picks and players, but it's a problem for them to get over any hump, as the owner calls too many shots.  

There's enough case for third place, but a lot needs to go right for the Lions to get there.  The other three teams can underachieve while the Lions offense just needs to be middle of the road.  It doesn't need to be elite like 2018-2019, but it can't be an automatic zero like 2024.  

Time will tell, but if this season has a regression like 2024, staff and heads may be rolling again like it did for Kazuo Matsui.  

Can the rookies and recent draft picks since 2023 make an impact? Will the logjam of uncertain outfielders find some everyday players instead of part time? 

Even with the pitching regression expected, can others retain their greatness from 2025?

We'll all find out in a few months. 

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