Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you are ready for an exciting year of Hanshin Tigers baseball! H-TEN has got your needs covered! You might want a little primer into what has happened this offseason before anything else, though. First, if you want a full look at the new roster, check here.
Now, on to who has departed and who has joined. I’ve created a little chart for you to track who left before the Year of the Ox (2021) ended, and who is joining the team in the Year of the Tiger (2022)!
| Departed/Demoted | Position | # | Where now? | Joined | Position | # | Joined how? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minoru Iwata | LHP | 21 | Retired | Daichi Moriki | RHP | 20 | Draft (Round 1) |
| Kenichi Nakata | RHP | 20 | Retired | Yuto Suzuki | LHP | 28 | Draft (Round 2) |
| Kentaro Kuwahara | RHP | 64 | Retired | Takuma Kirishiki | LHP | 47 | Draft (Round 3) |
| Shunsuke | 2B | 68 | Tigers Academy Coach | Ukyo Maekawa | OF | 58 | Draft (Round 4) |
| Fumiya Araki | 2B | 58 | Released -- Retired | Hidetaka Okadome | RHP | 64 | Draft (Round 5) |
| Kazuo Itoh | RHP | 92 | Tigers Academy Coach | Hiroshi Toyoda | OF | 61 | Draft (Round 6) |
| Masaki Ishii | LHP | 93 | Released | Hayato Nakagawa | C | 68 | Draft (Round 7) |
| Jerry Sands | OF | 52 | Released | Ryo Itoh | LHP | 125 | Draft (Dev. Round 1) |
| Jon Edwards | RHP | 42 | Released | Aaron Wilkerson | RHP | 52 | Free Agent |
| Robert Suarez | RHP | 75 | FA -- San Diego Padres | Kyle Keller | RHP | 42 | Free Agent |
| Shota Suzuki | RHP | 123 | Released -- Retired | Yuta Watanabe | LHP | 128 | Released by SB Hawks |
| Kosuke Fujitani | IF | 125 | Released | ||||
| Kota Okugawa | OF | 128 | Released | ||||
| Atsushi Mochizuki | RHP | 61 -- 124 | Development contract | ||||
| Riku Kawahara | LHP | 47 -- 127 | Development contract |
Minoru Iwata announced his retirement after 16 seasons with the Tigers. Often the victim of poor run support, though he ended his career with just 63 wins, he was steady and beloved by fans and teammates alike. He was also a member of the 2009 Samurai Japan team at the World Baseball Classic. His battle with diabetes throughout his career also put him in the spotlight for good reasons – his charity work will likely continue in his post-playing days. He will be missed.
Kenichi Nakata also declared his playing days over. He spent much of his career with the Chunichi Dragons, tormenting the Tigers, and then moved to Fukuoka as a free agent. He played a role in some of the Hawks’ championships but was traded (given away?) to the Tigers before the 2020 season. In two seasons with the Tigers, he did not record any wins and essentially spent the entirety of that time on the farm.
Kentaro Kuwahara was drafted by the Yokohama Baystars, got his first career win against the Tigers, but ultimately found himself playing for the Orix Buffaloes. After being thrown on the discard pile after the 2014 season, he was picked up by the Tigers, and thanks to former manager Tomoaki Kanemoto’s patience, he stuck around longer than most expected. The whole thing paid off when he won the Middle-Reliever of the Year Award in 2017.
Shunsuke was the fourth player to call it a career at season’s end. He was drafted by the Tigers and was expected to get regular playing time in the outfield. His steady defense and decent base speed made him a fan favorite, though he never really materialized the way everyone hoped he would. His claim to fame might even be a failed stolen-base attempt that essentially ended Tomoaki Kanemoto’s ironman streak earlier than planned. (Kanemoto came up as a pinch-hitter with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Shunsuke was the third out, and the team needed to bring in a pitcher in Kanemoto’s spot. His at-bat never got completed, which meant he did not officially play in that game.)
Very little to say about the other guys who got cut. Fumiya Araki had a couple of good games, Kazuo Itoh showed signs of promise, and Masaki Ishii at least made it to the top squad, but that was it. Three development players got cut, and two guys got bumped down to development status. Atsushi Mochizuki has great velocity but poor command. At age 24, this is his chance to claw his way back up to regular status and salary. Riku Kawahara has been with the team for three years and has yet to play a season without injury plaguing him.
You can read more detail about Jon Edwards, Jerry Sands, and Robert Suarez in their own respective articles.
As for offseason acquisitions, you can also read more about the 2021 draft crop here. If you want additional information about their numbers, check here.
On December 5, the team announced they reached a one-year deal with right-handed starter Aaron Wilkerson, who has MLB experience with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 32-year-old hopes to win a spot in the rotation, though he will compete with the Japanese players plus returning import pitchers Joe Gunkel, Wei-Yin Chen, and Raul Alcantara.
Because of Suarez’s departure to the majors, Hanshin was looking to sign a power-throwing reliever, and they acquired Kyle Keller on December 18. He boasts a fastball in the upper-150s. The 28-year-old has played in the majors with the Marlins, Angels, and Pirates.
The club announced the signing of SoftBank Hawks’ castaway left-handed pitcher Yuta Watanabe to a development player contract on December 9. He has a wicked slider and if all goes well, will provide a lethal weapon out of the bullpen once he gets the registered player contract that he wants.
And that’s all for now. We have one fewer import than we did last year, and the team president says the team is in no rush to bring in a third import position player. If the need arises, they will consider making a move during the year. The team has 66 rostered players at present, and are allowed up to 70. My suspicion is that at least one or two of the development pitchers will get a proper contract during the year, and then another import could get signed if the hitters do not perform well.
Here’s to hoping the Year of the Tiger ends like we all want it to: with a pennant and a Japan Series Championship!