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Inoue’s Thoughts on Solving the Weak Bats—“Put the Right Man in the Right Situation to Improve Scoring”
The man who has been tasked with improving the anemic hitting exhibited this season, top squad Batting Coach Kazuki Inoue (age 48), responded to our (Sanspo’s) interview request. His mantra is to use “the right player in the right situation” to improve scoring, and to have “6 fielders as regular starters.” With proactive communication and individualized attention, he hopes to raise abilities and expectations, raising competition and thus the overall team strength.
Q. What are some things you’ve learned after actually being on the inside?
A. This Fall Camp is for figuring out things like “this kid looks interesting, he’s got some pop, we need to make use of his speed, his defense is good” and so on. My goal is to have at least one player considered “a true breakout contributor.” The impression you get from the outside looking in, compared to when you’re in close proximity and interacting with them, sometimes the impressions you get are totally different. And this here is a special organization. The degree of attention is so incredible. You’ll hear outside noise like “what do you think of this player?”, “they should do more of this”, but I think you’ve got to tailor your instruction and communication to match that player and raise motivation that way.
Q. What kind of players do you want to develop?
A. You’ve heard of the phrase, “right man, right situation?” When you’re completing a puzzle, even if you’ve got the main parts done, if you don’t have the fringes finished, it won’t look good. The utility fielder who can help you out in a bind, a reliable righty bat when a nasty lefty comes on the mound, and a speedster you can count on when you really need it—these are all contributors. They call it a batting order, right? If the players I just mentioned fit nicely into the order like pieces in a puzzle, they might do something. Starters aren’t the only contributors.
There are players you really want on the top squad, the top right-handed and left-handed pinch hitter options you want on your bench, defensive replacements and base stealers, for example, if Ume (Umeno) is the starting catcher, you need a backup. They’re all contributors. If we can change to that perception a little by little. Our batting average this year was .251, so to improve scoring, we also need to raise our average. We’re not going to exaggerate. We’re not going to target .265 or .270, but start by raising the average .010. And we need them to realize that their path to survival is to see where they fit into the whole. Of course, the final goal is to win a starting position, but if we can find lead them to think “this is my path to making it,” I believe it’ll raise the overall team strength and potential.
Q. It’ll be important to develop players that can play the full year.
A. I don’t think it’s good to trot out a different lineup every day. Of course, when you consider the opposing pitcher and how a player does against him, you can’t help but make changes. But in my mind, you only want to platoon 2 positions. (Of the 8 position players) Ideally, six should be true regulars.
Q. So, you want players to challenge veterans Fukudome and Itoi…
A. It’s really reassuring to have those two. On the other hand, if veterans are kicking back because they’re a lock, that won’t help the team get stronger. I’m going to talk to both veterans for sure. If the young guns make management plus the 2 vets think, “wow, they’re really working hard,” that’s one way to claw into the mix. When they come to Spring Training and the complacent starters think “for real…?” it’ll raise overall competition. I don’t mind if it’s just for show. They need to raise their expectations by action, rather than words, to show that “I really want to catch them.”
Q. About your wanting to teach technique to develop 6 starters…
A. I believe in certain fundamentals, but I don’t know if one size fits all. It’s easy to get 10, 15 people together and say “swing inside out” and “shorten your stride if it’s too long,” but that’s not going to resonate. If I’m going to spend 10 minutes in front of everyone, I’d rather spend one minute apiece with each individual.
If they approach me saying, “this is how I am, what do you think?” then you’ve got them. If I’m not sure based on my own experiences, I’ll think things through with them. In addition, with regard to hitting, we’ve also got Kitagawa and Ryota (Arai). You don’t have to solve everything alone. That’s what a staff is for, and that’s teamwork. If those things function properly, you’re like a hang-glider soaring on a good headwind.
Q. At the press conference, you mentioned it’ll be a “thorny path”
A. It’s a job worth doing because it’s such a high-profile organization. The flip side is that if you fail, they’ll be all over you. You’ve got to be willing to take that on. The fans care so much about you. The players must think they’re fortunate.
Translation by Sanjay Arora