Sources: Daily / Sponichi / Sponichi
With the 2020 Amateur Draft coming in less than a week, the Hanshin Tigers have started to declare their intentions concerning players’ contracts for 2021. Among the players not being offered new deals in 2021 are veterans and fan-favourites Kosuke Fukudome (OF, 43) and Atsushi Nohmi (LHP, 41).
Fukudome was drafted in the first round of the 1998 draft by the Chunichi Dragons, and after gaining international free agent rights during the 2007 season, he played five seasons in the major leagues (Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Yankees AAA). In the 2012 offseason, he joined the Tigers and has played the last 8 seasons in pinstripes. He was awarded a Golden Glove Award in 2015 and was team captain for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Despite his outstanding leadership, the team apparently did not offer him a new contract in 2021, and according to Sponichi, the talk between the two sides was very short and did not include any mention of a future in coaching. Fukudome apparently wishes to continue his playing career, and rumour has it that his old team, the Dragons, could be one of his potential suitors this offseason. Fukudome is hitting just .154 with 1 home run and 12 RBIs in 43 games (15 starts) this year. He was also said to be the ringleader of the “party of 8” in September. The club had set a maximum of 4 on the number of players who could gather in the same place for a meal out, but Fukudome allegedly helped organize a little “welcome party” for newly acquired pitcher Keisuke Kobayashi. Some of the players at that gathering tested positive for Covid-19 a few days later, and all who participated in the meal were required to spend the next two weeks (and in some cases, longer) in isolation to prevent further possible infections.
Nohmi came to the Tigers in the 2004 draft out of the industrial leagues (Osaka Gas). A major cog in the rotation through his first decade or so with the club, Nohmi has spent the last three seasons in the bullpen. Nohmi has the tenth-most wins in club history, plus more career strikeouts than all but three Hanshin hurlers. However, his performance slumped some in 2019 and took even bigger dips in 2020, as he has put up just a 4.98 ERA in 30 appearances so far. Much like Fukudome, he has apparently expressed a desire to continue his playing career, but will need to do so in a different uniform after spending 16 years with the Tigers.
T-Ray’s Takes
This is an extremely sensitive issue, what with both of these men having such long, successful careers and being so beloved by millions of fans across the nation. Here are my two polarized thoughts about these guys’ stints with the Tigers coming to an end.
WHY?
Last year, we saw Takashi Toritani given similar treatment. The man leads the team in career hits, games played, is in the top 10 in RBIs and stolen bases, and had the second-longest ironman streak in NPB history, too. And yet they cut him loose. Now, two of the club’s most respected men are being given similar treatment. Fukudome is constantly helping players with their hitting and fielding, and has put the team first in so many situations. He is not getting the job done this year, but he has not sulked about being down on the farm. He could very easily spend next season down on the farm as a player-coach, and get a call-up in the need were to arise. Nohmi is one of precious few left-handed relievers that the team can count on. Sure, his home runs against have spiked in 2020, but he’s another guy that has taken tons of players under his wing and shown them how to prepare themselves for longer careers.
OK, Fukudome was not “ours” from his youth — he joined the team when he was already 35 — but still, most fans of the game think of him as a Tiger and not a Dragon. But do you want to (or CAN you, even) imagine Nohmi wearing a different uniform? It just doesn’t feel right. Hanshin needs to pay more respect to those who have served the organization selflessly for such long stretches. Come on, you can do better than this!
GOOD!
Let’s face it, these guys aren’t getting any younger. Their numbers 2 years ago were still pretty good, but even last year they were only placeholders for the next generation. Can we expect either of them to bounce back in their age 44 and age 42 seasons, respectively (respectfully)? With the team being limited to just 70 protected player roster spots, can they afford to continue to give them to guys who are not expected to contribute, and who might do more with their coaching skills than with their hitting/fielding/pitching skills? No disrespect to Toritani, but he’s still “just” 39 and has appeared in what, 36 games (32 PAs) this year? That’s how much on-field value he has brought to a contending team in the Marines. And this is a man who has kept himself in prime physical condition! I know Fukudome and Nohmi also work their butts off to stay in shape (you have to if you want to keep playing into your 40s!) but still, Fukudome cannot expect to get many more PAs next year than what Toritani is getting this year. Will he be happy to end his playing life in a different set of clothes, just to get a few more chances to swing that bat? Will Nohmi accept being on a different team’s farm roster for much of the season, only to be called up to pitch in more hitter-friendly environments than he has gotten used to at Koshien? I feel like Hanshin players, even the greats, tend to overestimate how much they have left to offer.
I’m about to go sacrilege here, so close your eyes if you are offended by orange. Home run king Sadaharu Oh said in 1980 that if he was no longer able to hit 30 homers in a season — THIRTY — that he would retire. The club BEGGED him to keep playing… but he said no. He knew he was done when he could not mash pitches that he used to be all over. And he went out with the same team that brought him into the league. Took on the role of assistant manager for a season or two. And even though he is with the SoftBank Hawks organization now, he is forever a Giant. For the record, he did in fact hit 30 home runs in his final season as a player, with his final home run coming against our boys. But yeah, you gotta just know when your time is over. Oh did. Why don’t Toritani, Fukudome and Nohmi?
Final verdict
The team needs to make business and personnel decisions that they think will best help the product on the field. While they have not really been particularly successful at it through 85 years, I believe letting these guys go is the right thing to do. Painful, yes. But they are not the first, nor will they be the last, veterans who need to be shown the door because they are too blind to see it for themselves. I wish they would both step down and end their careers as Tigers… but they have the right to make their own decision and test out the free-agent waters one last time.
All the best, men. It’s been a pleasure watching you play for Hanshin.