Original Articles Here, Here and Here. Japan Times English Article Here
The Hanshin Tigers announced on the 15th the promotion of farm manager Akihiro Yano (49) to managerial duties on the top squad. This came on the heels of Tomoaki Kanemoto‘s resignation announcement on the 11th. The two were teammates at Tohoku Fukushi University 30 years ago, and played together with the Tigers from 2003 until 2010 as well. When Kanemoto was hired as manager in October 2015, one of his first moves was to add Yano to the coaching staff.
Needing to act quickly, the team called Yano back to Osaka from Miyazaki, where he was managing the farm squad in its Phoenix League matches, on the 13th. He said he needed some time to carefully consider the offer and consult with his family, but by the 15th, he was ready to take the position. Here is a glimpse at a few questions he faced from the media at his press conference:
I took a little time to think it over, and have reached the decision to take the job as Tigers top squad manager.
What was the deciding factor?
I really struggled with it, but decided it was better to do what I was meant to do, rather than avoiding the calling and regretting it later.
What did you think about the most over the last few days?
Of course I thought about my family, but also seeing this year’s manager, Kanemoto, going through such hard times during the season… I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the right timing for me or not. I really thought about what a huge responsibility comes with being a manager for the Tigers.
Fan reactions to the news have been mixed, though mostly positive. In a poll done by a local paper, over 70% of the 850 respondents believe Yano needs to put a heavy emphasis on developing young talent. Another 20% think the team needs to pick up a few free agents and go for the championship. Some fans filled in the “Other” section, saying they want Yano to continue with his “Chosekkyokuteki” (Extreme Aggressiveness) approach that resulted in the farm team winning its first Japan Championship in 12 years. The team set a Western League record by stealing 163 bases this season, drawing rave reviews from fans.
In my personal opinion, it is quite unrealistic to believe that the top squad will all of a sudden become a speedy locomotive.
For one, farm catchers have weaker arms, and the pitchers are not as good at holding runners. (In fact, they are probably quite preoccupied with refining their pitches, and worry less about base runners.) On the other hand, those legs that stole bases on the farm don’t suddenly become faster when they move up to the top squad. Stealing bases against the best pitchers and catchers is significantly harder than it was for Yano’s boys this past season.
Second, despite the incredible number of bags swiped, no one ever makes mention of their success rate. In general, a mark of lower than 70% is seen as detrimental to run production. If I’m not mistaken, even Kairi Shimada’s 26 swipes came at the expense of 18 failed attempts. That’s 59% from the speediest guy on the farm, folks. Granted, he was a rookie and will improve his technique as he gains experience, but it’s a lot harder to be über aggressive on the top squad.
Another reason it’s going to be harder is the pressure and importance of each base gained versus each out. Will the three-headed monster (fans, media, and OB club) be able to keep their cool when the aggressive base running costs the team out after out, killing rally after rally? You may know this already, but the front office makes many of its decisions not based on how the team can win championships, but on how the media and fans will receive it. Interestingly, the poll put out by the media, the one responded to by the fans, had some people believing that the fans are the ones in biggest need of a change (of heart).
All this to say, I’m sure Yano will be a good manager for the team. I look forward to seeing what he makes of this opportunity. I’m also sure he is intelligent enough to not simply take his approach from the farm and use it on the top squad and expect it to work. It’s not the strategy itself that will transform the top squad into winners, but the mindset. Here’s to hoping Yano is able to motivate and guide the players a little better than his predecessor. If not, we could be hashtagging #Fukudome2022 before you know it.