Seibu Lions 2018 Spring Camp Outlook: Infield

The Saitama Seibu Lions appear to be set on the infield for years to come with the emergence of Sosuke Genda. However, third base becomes a question mark in the long run and first base has some competition.

Locks: 

Hideto Asamura: The team's captain is betting himself to have a big year hoping he'll be able to cash in on it next offseason. He was just shy of 100 RBIs in 2017, but was solid continuing a strong form from 2016.

Sosuke Genda: It's pretty safe to say that Genda has locked up the shortstop position for a long time. He played every inning in 2017, which was only the fourth time in NPB history that a rookie did this. Defense and range is amazing, but he personally wants to cut down on his errors. His speed alone makes opponents force a throw.

Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura: Okawari-kun took a big paycut to stay with the team for 2018 and didn't leave for free agency. His role diminished by falling to batting 7th in the lineup by season's end. He's still an effective power hitter, but can he still play 3B and provide solid defense on the corner of the infield? The DH decision in 2016 mostly backfired. He also bucked his own trend playing at least 100 games for four consecutive years for the first time in his career. He previously failed to reach 100 games for three straight seasons prior to 2013.

Hotaka Yamakawa: The Okinawan has been a preseason star the last two years, but failed to do well in April once the season begins. His trend has been an early deactivation, followed up with a strong second half in the last two years. Can he change it? He will compete with Ernesto Mejia for the starting 1B spot and has the upperhand entering camp.

Ernesto Mejia: Mejia is the highest paid player on the team at an estimated $5 million for both this season and next year. Unfortunately, he hasn't found a role after the emergence of Yamakawa, mostly serving as a pinch hitter. The Lions even deactivated him for a few weeks in August as they couldn't find a place to put him. He lacks versatility to go anywhere else in the field and knows he needs to step it up if he wants playing time in 2018. Mejia was not happy with his 2017 season.

Shuta Tonosaki is listed as an infielder, but we will save him for the OF piece. He comes in on the infield as a defensive replacemenet at 3B or 2B on occasion. 

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Reserves: 

Kyohei Nagae: Nagae is a defensive specialist who serves as a late inning replacement. He's arguably the best defensive infielder on the Lions.

Daichi Mizuguchi: Mizuguchi was a former ikusei pick who earned some playing time in the last two years with the ichi-gun. He's mostly a pinch runner, but can be a late replacement in a pinch.

Haruka Yamada: Manager Hatsuhiko Tsuji invited Yamada to come to ichi-gun camp this time around. Last year, he earned a call up for the first time, but didn't play in the week he was up. The Lions like what they saw on the farm from Yamada and this could be his chance to emerge among the backups. If everything goes right, they can slot him at 3B.

Nien Ting Wu: Wu saw time in 2016 with the Lions season all but over, but didn't see much ichi-gun action in 2017 with the team winning. He's been practicing all over the field including OF to improve his versatility as a reserve. His best hope is to be a utility player for the Lions to plug him anywhere on the infield or outfield.

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The Farm: 

Kazuki Kaneko: Kaneko was a 4th round high school pick in 2013. He will turn 23 in May and has not impressed with his bat in ni-gun. His time could be winding down if improvements aren't made with his .205 average from last year.

Manaya Nishikawa: The Lions second-round draft pick from last fall is listed as an infielder, though he can also play outfield. He's very athletic and the Lions hope to see plenty of hitting production as he will get lots of action in ni-gun.

Ryusei Tsunashima: The Lions sixth round pick out of high school from Niigata prefecture will also get plenty of reps in ni-gun. He can play 3B or SS, but the Lions were also impressed with his bat for a defensive player.

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Overall: 

There is only competition at 1B, but everywhere else is locked up. With Naoto Watanabe released, the Lions will get younger with one depth infielder taking over. Tonosaki's versatility could be taking someone else's spot, but the door opens for Yamada to earn playing time if he can impress as a reserve.

It's likely that the Lions will carry seven players from this page as a whole with Tonosaki being the eighth. It will be a matter if they value defense (Nagae), speed (Mizuguchi) or versatility (Wu) over time. In the long run, the competition and projects are there with Tsunashima and Nishikawa to take over when Okawari-kun is done.

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Other positions: 

Catcher

Outfield

Bullpen

Rotation

Manager

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Seibu Lions 2018 Spring Camp Outlook: Catcher

All players will report to spring training camp on February 1. Some will go to Miyazaki prefecture for the ichi-gun while others are in Kochi prefecture for the ni-gun camp. That list can be seen here.

With baseball about to resume again, we will look at each position and write a statement or something about each player.

The catcher position is all but setup for 2018, but the long run has its share of uncertainty. Ginjiro Sumitani will likely have year by year contracts in the future as he is 30. The real question is how often do the others play behind him?

Locks:

Ginjiro Sumitani: Sumitani returns and is also the president of the NPB player's association, as Motohiro Shima stepped down recently. He had a rare season where his bat was respectable, but he is mostly known for his defense. Gin-chan remains the top defensive catcher overall.

Masatoshi Okada: Okada cracked the lineup for 68 games and started a good portion of them at catcher, depending on who was pitching. His defense is slightly below Gin-chan's, but solid enough as a spell reserve. He's also the top pinch-hit candidate if the Lions want to bunt.

Tomoya Mori: Entering the era of Hatsuhiko Tsuji, it was uncertain what the Lions had in store for Mori in the long run. After playing in the outfield and DH, the team made it clear that he is a catcher and he saw quite a few games behind home plate in 2017. Depending on the opponent, he could be catching, but his bat remains valuable if they want him in the lineup. In the long term, the Lions hope he can be an everyday catcher as he saw time in the offseason with the Melbourne Aces.

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Reserves: 

Shota Nakata: Nakata is probably the emergency catcher if one of the top three get hurt. He would be next in line.

Komei Fujisawa: A former ikusei pick, Fujisawa mostly works with the farm pitchers down in ni-gun. He has yet to play an ichi-gun game in his career.

Hitoto Komazuki: Komazuki is a converted outfielder who remains as a project at catcher. At one point, the injuries in ni-gun piled up and he was forced into the OF for a handful of games at the farm level. Very minimal expectations long term.

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Ikusei: 

Masato Saito: Saito was a Division II catcher in college and the Lions took a flyer on him during the ikusei draft. Like any ikusei, his goal will be to earn a promotion to the 70-man roster.

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Outlook: 

The catcher position is all but set. Competition is very minimal with the reserves trading games a the ni-gun level and the ichi-gun having their role. It's all about what Mori does for the future and long term as he hopes to continue developing both his bat and defense.

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Other positions:

Infielder

Outfield

Bullpen

Rotation

Manager

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NPB Posting system: With Ohtani gone, who's next?

Shohei Ohtani had arguably the most hype of any player from NPB to come across the Pacific Ocean to MLB. The question remains on who else is good enough to go? 

We'll help answer this question and place different categories on each player. The answers remain more complex given the situation, contract and team.

Some play for a team that doesn't post its players and they must reach nine years of service time to be an international free agent. Others are still very young and it would be foolish for the NPB to post him when there are several years of control left.

Here is how we see it:

Wait and see: 

This group has potential, but not everyone has blossomed to be MLB ready yet. 

IF Tetsuto Yamada (Yakult Swallows): Yamada is an athlete who's been in the 30-30 club while also hitting .300 in back-to-back seasons, but had an awful 2017 year despite being healthy. Some say he was hit by a pitch at the end of 2016 and hasn't recovered, but 2018 could decide if he's good enough. Yamada will be 26 in 2018. 

P Shintaro Fujinami (Hanshin Tigers): Fujinami had a lot of hype out of high school and was often a "rival" of Ohtani because of them facing each other in a Spring Koshien tournament game. However, they played in opposite leagues and it was just something for the media to write about. After showing good promise through 2015, Fujinami has hit a brick wall in 2016 and spent most of 2017 at the farm level due to his lack of control. He turns 24 in April, right now, Tigers fans would be happy if he's a mid-rotation starter. MLB scouts cannot like his control issues if they remain.

P Tomohiro Anraku (Rakuten Eagles): Anraku is remembered for being featured on ESPN through his Spring Koshien performance as a HS junior. However, the hype died down due to injury in the 2014 NPB Draft as only two teams attempted to take him. The Eagles are figuring out what to do with him, but he's still 21 and has plenty of time on his side compared to Fujinami.

P Yuki Nishi (Orix Buffaloes): Nishi has been the workhorse for the Buffaloes behind Chihiro Kaneko and is the heir ace. At 27, he doesn't have the same upside, but could be a rotation starter for an MLB team if he wanted to go. He has also thrown a no-hitter in the past. When 2018 concludes, he will reach domestic free agency and would be an international free agent after 2020. 

P Shota Imanaga (Yokohama DeNA Baystars): Imanaga was a first round pick and has already made an instant impact for his team. At 24, he's only two years into the league and if he continues his form, he could be a rotation starter in MLB. Scouts got to see him in action at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship last November. The Baystars would have no reason to post him now, nor in the next three years as he has plenty of control remaining. He's still an intriguing option in the long run.

C Kensuke Kondo (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters): Kondo is a good hit for average player, but cannot find a position in the field, where the Fighters have used him in the OF. Last year, he was on a roll, but an injury sidelined him for most of the season. He's only 24 and can still tear it up. Personally, I like his upside as a hitter better than his teammate Haruki Nishikawa, who's more of an athlete.

P Kazuki Yabuta (Hiroshima Carp): Yabuta has the looks of a one year wonder right now, but he has come off a strong 2017 season where he worked out of the bullpen and later the rotation. It was a pleasant surprise for Carp fans last season when he carried a good load. He will turn 26 in 2018 and probably not have the same upside if he were to leave as the Carp have plenty of years of control left.

P Takahiro Norimoto (Rakuten Eagles): Norimoto is talented enough to go with his strikeout abilities. The problem is, does he want to go? We haven't heard any statements from him one way or another to say it's guaranteed. He currently has four years of control remaining until he reaches international free agency. Age would also be against him when posting compared to others as he's currently 27.

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Talented, but won't be posted: 

These players play for a team that has no track record of posting players. They must reach international free agency (nine years of service time) in order to leave like Tadahito Iguchi, Tsuyoshi Wada, Munenori Kawasaki or Hideki Matsui once did.

P Kodai Senga (Softbank Hawks): You might remember this name from the 2017 World Baseball Classic as he came out of the bullpen in relief. For the Hawks, he's an ace and has been one of the best underdog stories in NPB. For a player who was once an ikusei (similar to NFL practice squad), he worked his way up the ladder to the top of the Hawks rotation. Senga has said he wants to play in MLB someday, but the Hawks gave him the silent treatment on posting. He turns 25 later this month and is eligible for international free agency in about 5-6 years. By age 30, he can still contribute, but not in his peak seasons with the upside that he has now. 

OF Yuki Yanagita (Softbank Hawks): Yanagita would be good enough to make an impact if he were to leave now. Like Yamada, he has been in the 30-30 club and has hit .300 in the same season. However, he's not eligible for international free agency until after 2020 and he'll be 32 by then. The interest won't be the same as he'd likely be past his prime three seasons from now.

P Tomoyuki Sugano (Yomiuri Giants): Sugano started the 2017 WBC Semi-final against team USA and showed he can hang with major leaguers. He could make an impact if he left now, but he's not eligible for international free agency until after 2021 at the earliest. Sugano would be 32 by the time he plays his first MLB game potentially in 2022. There's a good chance he would take the opportunity to come stateside by then, but can't leave via the posting system.

P Kazuto Taguchi (Yomiuri Giants): Taguchi has already been a quality starter for the Giants at an early age at 22, which is helping his chances down the road. He won't be eligible for international free agency until 6-7 years from now, but at least he'd be in his late 20s as opposed to early 30s. The larger problem? He might prefer being the rockstar on the Giants as he is not thinking about it. His teammate Hayato Sakamoto did not have interest once he reached international free agency, but it doesn't prevent scouts from liking him.

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All but guaranteed: 

P Yusei Kikuchi (Saitama Seibu Lions): The Lions openly said if Kikuchi gets 10 wins in 2017 and 2018, they would post him. He reached not only 10 wins in 2017, but had a breakout season as the team's ace when the team lost it's previous ace. Coming out of high school, he was hyped up as a rare lefty prior to Shohei Ohtani, but things didn't look the same once he got to the pros and the injury bug hit.

MLB fans should be rooting for Kikuchi if they want to see another prospect come over. He'll be 27 this year and could be a solid No. 3 in the rotation with some upside of being a No. 2 at best. He won't have the hype he had in high school, but Kikuchi should be on pace to be posted as long as he has a similar season from 2017. We here at Graveyard Baseball can track all his movements and quirks for 2018 and we'd love for you to join us in this journey ahead. 

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I considered all players and came up with this list in the end. Is there anyone we missed? Feel free to disagree and leave a comment.

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Former Lions player and coach Shinsaku Katahira dies at age 68

Former Seibu Lions player and Shinsaku Katahira passed away at 9:58 a.m. on Monday morning after losing his battle to pancreatic cancer. He was 68 years old.

Katahira spent majority of his playing career with the Nankai Hawks from 1972-1981. He was traded with Masahiro Kuroda to the Lions for Yoshinori Yamamura and Rutsuo Yamashita prior to the 1982 season and saw some glory.

After only experiencing one Pacific League Pennant in 1973 with the Hawks, he experienced won the first Lions pennant in the Seibu era in 1982 and went on to win their first of several Japan Series titles in the 1980s, where Katahira was the starting 1B. After defeating the Dragons in six games in 1982, the Lions repeated in 1983, defeating the Yomiuri Giants in seven games.

Katahira hit .306 in 1985, but his best season came in 1986, where he hit .292/.332/.522 with 17 home runs. The Lions won the Japan Series that season against the Hiroshima Carp in eight games, which was his final year in Tokorozawa.

His playing career ended with the Yokohama Taiyo Whale (present day Baystars) from 1987-1989. Katahira served with the Lions as an ichi-gun batting coach (1990-1993), ni-gun batting coach (1994) and even ni-gun manager (1995-1997, 2008-2009).

After NPB, he served as a baseball commentator and coached a women's professional baseball team. For a member of the Golden Era and even coach for the back end of it, may he R.I.P.

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Seibu Lions announce 2018 Spring training camp rosters

A farmer in Miyazaki prefecture decorated the area with Seibu Lions gear welcoming the team in 2017. 

The Saitama Seibu Lions announced their Spring Training camp rosters for both the ichi-gun and ni-gun on Monday, January 22. Shunta Nakatsuka, Shohei Suzuki and Haruka Yamada are among the notables fresh faces in ichi-gun camp.

"[Suzuki and Yamada] made great efforts in the farm last year and also showed something good at the fall camp," Seibu Lions Manager Hatsuhiko Tsuji said.

Among the recent draft picks, both Hiromasa Saito and Sho Ito will also be at the ichi-gun camp. This will give Tsuji a first look at both players.

Ichi-gun camp will take place from February 1-19 in Nango, Miyazaki. The ni-gun camp will be from February 1-23 in Kochi prefecture.

Here is the full camp lists for both groups:

Ichi-gun camp (Miyazaki) 

Pitchers (21): Neil Wagner, Tatsushi Masuda, Tatsuya Oishi, Yusei Kikuchi, Kona Takahashi, Shinsaburo Tawata, Hiromasa Saito, Hayato Takagi, Ken Togame, Shunta Nakatsuka, Shogo Noda, Katsunori Hirai, Hirotaka Koishi, Yosuke Okamoto, Sho Ito, Tomomi Takahashi, Keisuke Honda, Fabio Castillo, Shota Takekuma, Brian Wolfe, Tsubasa Kokuba

Catchers (4): Tomoya Mori, Ginjiro Sumitani, Masatoshi Okada, Shota Nakata

Infielders (8): Hideo Asamura, Shuta Tonosaki, Sosuke Genda, Kyohei Nagae, Hotaka Yamakawa, Haruka Yamada, Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura, Ernesto Mejia

Outfielders (6): Takumi Kuriyama, Kazuo Matsui, Yuji Kaneko, Fumikazu Kimura, Shohei Suzuki, Shogo Akiyama

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Ni-gun camp (Kochi)

Pitchers (15): Tatsuya Imai, Seiji Kawagoe, Ryohei Fujiwara, Yasuo Sano, Yusuke Tamamura, Makoto Aiuchi, Takuya Toyoda, Kentaro Fukukura, Tadasuke Minamikawa, Kaima Taira, Naoaki Matsumoto, Koki Fujita, Chun-Lin Kuo, Kaito Yoza

Catchers (3): Hitoto Komazuki, Komei Fujisawa, Masato Saito*

Infielders (5): Daichi Mizuguchi, Nien Ting Wu, Manaya Nishikawa, Kazuki Kaneko, Ryusei Tsunashima

Outfielders (6): Aito Takeda, Masato Kumashiro, Shogo Saito, Daisuke Togawa, Ryo Sakata, Wataru Takagi*

*indicates ikusei

Bold indicates newcomer

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Interesting that both Kokuba and Honda made the ichi-gun camp as well for two pitchers who have yet to prove their worth. The Lions currently have 66 players on their 70-man roster and will presumably leave two spots open to potentially promote either or both of their ikusei players in M. Saito and W. Takagi.

The Lions will have a kickoff event to introduce the 2018 team publicly on Friday, January 26.

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NPB 101: Schedule and calendar for a year

Nippon Professional Baseball has it's schedules and quirks among some of the many things in the league. However, not everyone is aware of all that goes on, including yours truly.

In a guide to understanding NPB more, here is the ideal calendar for a season:

February

-Training camp begins. All teams have a ni-gun facility which is separate and a distance away from the ichi-gun team. Some teams train in Okinawa, while other are in Miyazaki prefecture. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters have spent a portion of their ichi-gun camp in Arizona since 2016.

-Practice games commence. Unlike an exhibition, teams can substitute players to come back in and out as the games are not under officials rules.

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March

-Preseason (Open-sen) begins. Exhibitions will go only nine innings with no extras, but are otherwise played under official rules.

-The first 28-man roster announcement comes, everyone else is in the farm.

-Spring Koshien, known as the invitational and lesser of the two high school Koshien events take place. Only 32 schools participate with a few special underdogs given an invite known as 21st Century Schools. It was in Spring Koshien when Shohei Ohtani lost to Shintaro Fujinami in a duel.
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It's a good way to scout a few potential draft picks and a better alternative for those craving meaningful do or die baseball. As a result, the Hanshin Tigers start their home season in Kyocera Dome.

-Opening Day takes place, the last Friday of the month.

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April

-First time through the order completed. All teams see the other five teams in the same league first, then go through this again having played in all traditional home stadiums.

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May

-Second time through the order completed.

-Golden Week, a national holiday in Japan. With majority of the country taking the week off, games will take place in the day time. Golden Week can overlap in late April.

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June

-Interleague play takes place for 18 games, three weeks. Sometimes interleague play will start in the final week of May. There is also a makeup week scheduled after the initial three weeks for any games that were rained out. Interleague games are not made up in September/October.

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July

-NPB All-Star games. There are usually two All-Star games and sometimes a third. The 2018 edition will be in Kyocera Dome and in Kumamoto prefecture.

-Trade deadline is on July 31. This is also the deadline for teams to sign any foreign imports if there is room.

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August

-Summer Koshien begins. This is the most iconic baseball-related event in Japan, given it's longer history (though some college rivalries have lasted longer). All 47 prefectures have at least one school involved with Tokyo and Hokkaido getting two in, representing different regions.

This is a gauntlet and it's like March Madness in Japan. Once again, plenty of talent to scout and someone could up his stock for the draft by the time it's all over. Masahiro Tanaka and Yuki Saito became legends here.

-Crazy schedule, including more games on Monday than usual. Sundays are usually day games in Japan, but there could be more night games everywhere.

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September

-Irregular schedule structured to add in makeup games from the season. There are fewer three-game series against a team and there are likely stand alone games in place. The pennant is likely decided in this month for both leagues.

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October

-Regular season ends. Several makeup games could continue to take place depending on how many were rained out during the season.

-Phoenix League in Miyazaki takes place where players will get extra work. If a team makes the postseason, the Phoenix League team will be made up of farm players. Ichi-gun players will get more work if they come up short.

-First and final stages of the Climax Series and Japan Series commences and concludes.

-NPB Draft takes place prior to the Japan Series. Players who will not be retained are usually announced before and after the draft, known as Senryokugai.

-Lots of "captain obvious" quotes come from teams regarding pending free agents on how important or good a potential outgoing player is.

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November

-Fall camp begins. Several teams will practice together at their spring training facility or elsewhere for a separate camp.

-Foreign signings commence. Some signings come as early as November.

-Contract negotiations for the following season begin. A player will sit down with the team and come to a salary agreement for the next year.

-Thanks Festa, the NPB equivalent of fan fest takes place after the season. Teams who win the pennant and Japan Series also have their parades, including those that didn't win the latter.

-Free agency begins. Players who have a domestic (7 years) or international (9 years) FA option can exercise it this month and put themselves on the open market. Based on his salary from the season, he will be either a type A, B or C free agent.

-Some teams will send players abroad into a league in the offseason. The Saitama Seibu Lions have been partnered with the Melbourne Aces since 2011. Others like the Yokohama DeNA Baystars have sent players to Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

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December

-MLB Winter meetings in Florida take place. Plenty of representatives from NPB will attend this.

-Contract negotiations should be completed with all salaries reported for the next year.

-Players are likely posted this month if a team elects to do so. They are given a 30-day window from the day of their posting to come to an agreement with a team.

-Majority of foreign signings are announced, domestic free agents likely find their destination. Teams who have compensation FA rights could make their decision on what to do in December.

-Slogans and mottos are often said at the end of the calendar year for the following season. Sometimes they come as late as January or February.

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January

-Rookie camp begins for all draft picks last October. They'll typically go through drills and normal exercises to remain in shape. Those taken out of college and high school are still technically students, as they graduate in the spring.

These rookies will move into a dorm or a team facility whether it's an 18-year high schooler or a 25-year old shakaijin. The biggest "news" during this time is finding out a significant item the rookie brought with him when moving in.

-Battle Stadium, a Japanese TV special will air. Players from each team will participate in indoor games as this is fan service. This isn't just reserves or a farm player, even stars like Takahiro Norimoto and Tetsuto Yamada will be part of this. Interviews take place between the games.

Here's a look at the 2015 edition:

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The NPB season has its cycles, but hopefully this calendar can give you an idea how a year goes. If there's anything significant we missed, please let us know.

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Graveyard Baseball Podcast: Episode 22, discussing the Lions and Shohei Ohtani

In an extra long two-part episode, Christian and Wes return checking in with all the developments that took place from October to the end of 2017.

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In the first half of the episode, Christian and Wes discuss the end of the 2017 season and how the NPB Draft went. Download link available here.

Part I:

00:00 Intro / Reflection on the 2017 season, Playoff loss to Rakuten

12:45 NPB Draft

26:14 NPB in MLB (Masahiro Tanaka, Kenta Maeda, Yu Darvish, Yuliesky Gurriel)

37:27 Japan Series thoughts and overtime extras on the Melbourne Aces and Asia Professional Baseball Championship

(After Japan Series, miscellaneous stuff preview already happened, this episode was recorded in early November) 

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In Part II, Christian and Wes go over the early offseason news with free agency, Kazuhisa Makita's value, Shohei Ohtani and more! Download link here.


Part II:

00:00 Intro, Personal life updates

4:15 Ryoma Nogami's free agency reaction, Compensation pickup of Hayato Takagi

13:58 Kazuhisa Makita's departure and value

21:15 Lions coaching staff changes

25:10 Renovation projects for MetLife Dome and other Lions facilities

28:13 Notable Lions salaries for 2018

36:26 Import signings Neil Wagner and Fabio Castillo

40:25 All things Shohei Ohtani

55:42 Asia Professional Baseball Championship recap

59:13 Recapping Kona Takahashi, Shunta Nakatsuka and Tomoya Mori with the Melbourne Aces

1:03:35 Closing

Christian was at a conference inside a large hotel as plenty of background noise was drawn. This was recorded before Christmas.  

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Special thanks to @MistamaxG for providing the image. 

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