If you are a new fan and are not particularly familiar with the team, let this be your introduction! We are going to break down the entire roster for you very briefly so you can get a feel for who is who, what they have done and what they might do in 2022 and beyond.
This is Part 1, which will look at the catchers. In the days to come, we will do features on the infielders, outfielders, starters, and relievers. So… here we GO!
The Real Deal
#2 Ryutaro Umeno
Age (as of Opening Day): 30
Experience: 8 seasons / 786 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Golden Glove winner 2018-20; .321 RISP in 2021
Sales Point(s): Blocking, fielding, some pop
Trending: Up – 2021 was a bit of a down year for him, numbers-wise
#12 Seishiro Sakamoto
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
Experience: 6 seasons / 188 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Elected team captain for the 2022 season by his peers
Sales Point(s): Leadership, pitch framing
Trending: Up – his 45 games last season were a career high
The Back-Ups
#57 Kenya Nagasaka
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 5 seasons / 18 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Has had a 5.000 OPS after 1 AB in two seasons! Career OPS of 1.071 (in 14 at-bats)
Sales Point(s): Not really sure
Trending: That OPS can only go down, but he’s obviously aiming for more playing time moving forward.
#39 Yuki Sakaeda
Age (as of Opening Day): 23
Experience: 1 season / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Batted .257 (.737 OPS) in 47 farm games in 2021
Sales Point(s): Leadership, batting
Trending: Up – Got a call-up last year but injury prevented game action
#95 Yuya Katayama
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 3 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: The lone lefty-hitting catcher on the team; was once on a development player contract
Sales Point(s): Batting, speed
Trending: Up – that said, the leash is relatively short on development players… so it’s now or never!
The Future
#59 Kento Fujita
Age (as of Opening Day): 20
Experience: 2 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Led Chukyo High to the semifinals of the 2019 Summer Koshien Tournament
Sales Point(s): Not sure yet, truth be told
Trending: Up, but he is unlikely to reach the top squad in 2022
#68 Hayato Nakagawa
Age (as of Opening Day): 18
Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Led Kyoto International to the semifinals of the 2021 Summer Koshien Tournament
Sales Point(s): Let’s wait and find out!
Trending: Up, but do not expect him to reach the top squad in 2022
Good stuff. This was a nice overview of the familiar faces along with others who we might see in action in coming years.
Thanks! I am working on the next ones already. Should have everyone up to par by the time the season begins!
What about Haraguchi?
He is registered as an infielder this season, not a catcher. He’ll be in the next primer!