If you’re a normal, sane person, you’ve been hibernating all winter. The snow is not yet melting and the ground has yet to thaw. Still, baseball is just around the corner, and it’s time to catch you up on the offseason acquisitions. Check departures here, too!
Coach Masaji Shimizu – Obviously you know that Akihiro Yano went from successful farm manager to new top squad boss. Instead of hiring from within for a left-hand-man, Yano chose someone who has 17 years of experience from various dugouts (Seibu, Nippon Ham, Chiba and Rakuten). I personally have been ranting about hiring from outside the colony for months, so I’m glad at least the head coach is a non-Tiger. Let’s see what kind of flavor he brings to the team.
Jefry Marte – After having spent much of his career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim playing third base as well as first, Marte, a 27-year old righty, should bring Hanshin a good mix of power, a bit of speed, and average defense. Major league scouting reports have him as a guy with huge but undeveloped talent. At camp in: Okinawa
Pierce Johnson – Having thrown 37 games with the SF Giants last year, the Tigers are excited to have a young-ish (27) righty reliever to replace the two that left. Reports on Johnson back in the day say that his fastball is usually between 90 and 93 mph (145-150 km/h), along with a curveball as his best secondary pitch, a cutter, a changeup and an occasional slider. It also says at the end of the report, “Johnson in a word: erratic.” Hope he’s found control since that report was done! At camp in: Okinawa
Onelki Garcia – After winning 13 with the Chunichi Dragons last season, the 29-year old Cuban lefty says he is delighted to join the Tigers. He played particularly well against the Carp (3-1, 2,88 ERA) and the Giants (3-1, 1,80 ERA), but “struggled” against the Tigers, especially at Koshien. Speculation is that he plays his best in domes, and that the soft mound at his new home stadium will give him fits. However, the team has also revamped the bumps to make them more like the major leagues. Time will tell, but his slider should play well no matter where he pitches! At camp in: Okinawa
Yuki Nishi – A much-coveted innings-eater has come our way from the Orix Buffaloes via free agency. Nishi is also still in his twenties, meaning he is still in his prime. It will be interesting to see how he does in the Central League. For the record, last season in three interleague starts he was 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA. All I know is we can almost certainly count on him for 155+ innings. He’s exceeded that mark in five of the last six years. At camp in: Okinawa
Obviously you can read some about the draft here, but let’s list them up again:
Koji Chikamoto – Twenty-four years old, good head on his shoulders, good speed, good range in center field. One report I read that I liked said he hopes to learn hitting from Marte and Navarro, because he is interested in the major league style of batting. He also said he can speak some English, and wants to communicate with them. Props to him! At camp in: Okinawa
Ryuhei Obata – Eighteen years old with a good throwing arm from the hole. All signs indicate that this year will be one in which he works on gaining mass and strength, and will probably be on the second squad. He was the third shortstop taken in the draft, behind Akira Neo (Dragons) and Kaito Kozono (Carp), but he also hopes to out-perform them in the end. We wait in anticipation. Starting in: Aki
Seiya Kinami – Also twenty-four years old, also a shortstop… he seems to have a decent mix of fluid, quick defense, and decent gap power. He also is coming in with confidence. Apparently when drafted, he said, “The Tigers finished in last – I’ll have to do something about it.” Hope he can walk the walk that he talks! At camp in: Okinawa
Yukiya Saitoh – Many were surprised, in a good way, that Saitoh was still up for grabs in the fourth round of the draft. At 24, he’s got a mature body and looks to have good mechanics on the mound. However, word also has it that his control needs work. If he can figure that out, he should be able to contribute even this year. Throws a 95 mph (151 km/h) fastball along with a slider, curve and splitter. At camp in: Okinawa
Riku Kawahara – It felt like the Tigers really needed youth and left-handed pitching. Kawahara fulfills both of these. Having just turned 18 in December, he will likely not get much (if any) playing time on the top squad this year. Word is that his fastball maxes out at around 88 mph (141 km/h), but hopefully he can up in a few ticks while he solidifies his mechanics and builds up his strength. Starting in: Aki
Atsuki Yuasa – For a 19-year old, he is pretty big. Throws 95 mph (151 km/h) and could have a bright future, but also needs health. It appears injury held him out of some tournaments in his high school years, which resulted in him playing independent-league ball last season. Starting in: Aki
Yuya Katayama – Another independent-league pick-up, Katayama is 24 years old and is a vocal catcher who played under current battery coach Akihito Fujii a couple of years ago. He apparently has a strong swing, and good speed for a catcher. Still, since he was drafted as a developmental player, it could be awhile before we see him on the top squad, and that’s if we ever do. Starting in: Aki