Happy New Year to everyone out there. We are slowly but surely creeping closer to the start of spring training, which means it is time to catch everyone up to speed on roster movements that have taken place between the last playoff game of 2022 and the beginning of official team workouts in 2023! Here is a chart with every player that left (including some profile page links), every player that joined, and the numbers that they vacated and received, respectively. Also, below the chart you’ll find brief tidbits about the moves, plus links to relevant articles on H-TEN.
| Departed/Demoted | Position | # | Where now? | Joined | Position | # | Joined how? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshio Itoi | OF | 7 | Retired | Shota Morishita | OF | 1 | Draft (Round 1) |
| Wei-Yin Chen | LHP | 14 | Released midseason | Keito Mombetsu | LHP | 30 | Draft (Round 2) |
| Shintaro Fujinami | RHP | 19 | Posted to MLB (Oakland A's) | Hinase Itsubo | OF | 40 | Draft (Round 3) |
| Mel Rojas Jr | OF | 24 | Released | Hidetoshi Ibaragi | RHP | 48 | Draft (Round 4) |
| Taiga Egoshi | OF | 25 | Trade (Fighters) | Reiji Toi | IF | 44 | Draft (Round 5) |
| Jefry Marte | 1B | 31 | Released | Ren Tomida | LHP | 50 | Draft (Round 6) |
| Yuya Onaka | RHP | 40 | Released; signed w/ Swallows | Kyosuke Noguchi | OF | 121 | Draft (Dev. Round 1) |
| Koki Moriya | RHP | 43 | Released; company ball | Ryo Watanabe | IF | 25 | Trade (Fighters) |
| Raul Alcantara | RHP | 44 | KBO (Bears) | Yuto Takahama | IF | 43 | Trade (Fighters) |
| Yukiya Saitoh | RHP | 48 | Trade (Fighters) | Kotaro Ohtake | LHP | 49 | Active player draft (Hawks) |
| Joe Gunkel | RHP | 49 | Signed w/ Hawks | Sheldon Neuse | IF | 7 | FA (A's) |
| Aaron Wilkerson | RHP | 52 | Released | Johan Mieses | OF | 55 | FA (Red Sox) |
| Naomasa Yohkawa | IF/OF | 55 | Active player draft (Lions) | Brian Keller | RHP | 24 | FA (Red Sox) |
| Aderlin Rodriguez | 1B | 91 | Released | Jeremy Beasley | RHP | 99 | FA (Blue Jays) |
| Taiki Ono | RHP | 98 | Released; signed dev w/ Buffaloes | ||||
| Joichiro Maki | RHP | 126 | Released; retired | ||||
| Ren Satoh | RHP | 30 | Development contract | Ren Satoh | RHP | 130 | Development contract |
Subtractions
Yoshio Itoi retired after 19 seasons of professional baseball. He was drafted as a pitcher by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters back in 2003, converted to a position player (outfield) in 2006, and made a highly successful career for himself. With 1755 hits, a .297 average, 300 stolen bases, and a bunch of individual awards, his time with the FIghters and later the Orix Buffaloes made him a highly-anticipated free agent signing for the Tigers in 2017. Age and health prevented him from getting back up to all-world status, but “Superman” (cho-jin) endeared himself to teammates and fans alike.
Wei-Yin Chen played very briefly for the Tigers but had established himself as a lefty ace with the Chunichi Dragons earlier in his career. He played for three different major league organizations (Orioles, Marlins, Mariners) before returning to NPB in late 2020, with the Chiba Lotte Marines. Injuries and age kept him in rehab and on the farm for a long stretch, and when it became apparent that he would not receive a shot at the top squad, the team and Chen mutually parted ways.
Shintaro Fujinami was the team’s young ace and potential all-Japan talent through his first three years out of high school (racking up 35 wins and striking out 200+ in his age-21 season). It was already rumored back then that he would play in the majors someday. After seven years of struggling to find his control, he finally achieved his dream, reaching agreement with the Oakland Athletics (reported today).
Mel Rojas Jr and Raul Alcantara both signed on with the Tigers in the 2020-21 offseason as all-stars out of KBO (Korean Baseball Organization). Neither truly got a very long leash, and both were released upon completion of their two-year contracts. Alcantara is heading back to KBO (Doosan Bears), while Rojas has yet to reach an agreement with any team.
Taiga Egoshi and Yukiya Saitoh are both high-ceiling talents who simply were unable to find a permanent spot on the top squad with the Tigers. Outfielder Egoshi has every tool available to a baseball player, except the ability to put lumber on hide. Righty Saitoh was pretty close to touching 99 mph on the radar gun but did not have great control or the ability to pitch well under pressure. They were both sent off to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in exchange for middle infielders Ryo Watanabe (27) and Yuto Takahama (27).
Jefry Marte (2019-22) was the longest-serving import the team has had since Randy Messenger (2010-19). Marte played mostly first base but also spent some time at the hot corner. His defense was not always very good, but his bat played quite well. Health was his biggest problem, though, as he averaged fewer than 75 games played per season.
Yuya Onaka, Koki Moriya, and Taiki Ono were all deemed expendable as they could not crack the top squad roster for lack of control and/or consistency. Onaka will play for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Moriya with a company-league team, and Ono with the Orix Buffaloes (as a development player) in 2023.
Joe Gunkel seemed a perfect fit for the Tigers, what with his ability to keep the ball on the ground. However, health issues and sub-standard second-half performances did him in after three seasons. His career 2.92 ERA should do well for him as he pitches in front of a steady defense in Fukuoka with the SoftBank Hawks.
Aaron Wilkerson lasted just one season, which started really well – he won his debut match, received the CL Pitcher of the Month Award in May… and then got figured out by opponents. He did not play much in the second half of the season.
Naomasa Yohkawa was drafted in 2013 and expected to be a middle-of-the-order type of hitter while possibly playing third base. He actually rejected being drafted as a development player out of high school by the Yomiuri Giants in 2009, which was extra reason for Tigers fans to love him. However, with NPB’s introduction of an active players’ draft last fall, he was deemed expendable, and was snagged by the Saitama Seibu Lions. In turn, the Tigers selected left-handed pitcher Kotaro Ohtake from the Hawks.
Aderlin Rodriguez only joined the team in the second half, and that because Marte was hurt and Rojas was not producing by the team’s standards. Rodriguez had previously played with the Buffaloes (2020) but was cut after just one season there. Despite a couple of strong performances early in his time with the Tigers, his weaknesses were quickly exposed and he struggled to make contact after that.
Joichiro Maki never panned out. Ren Satoh has not blossomed as expected in two years since being drafted. Until he finds control and consistency, he will be a development player.
Additions
You can read all about the 2022 draft here. There is also an article about the players’ new numbers and hopes for their careers here. Furthermore, you can read a little more about each of the new import acquisitions here. And so, very briefly…
Shota Morishita is a right-handed power outfielder drafted out of Chuo University. He is 22 years old.
Keito Mombetsu is a left-handed pitcher drafted out of high school and is just 18 years old.
Hinase Itsubo is a right-handed outfielder drafted out of high school and is still 17 years old.
Hidetoshi Ibaragi is a right-handed pitcher drafted out of high school. He is 18 years old.
Reiji Toi is a right-handed infielder drafted out of Tenri High School. He grew up a Tigers fan. He will be 18 years old in a week.
Ren Tomida is a left-handed pitcher drafted out of industrial league baseball. He is 21 years old.
Kyosuke Noguchi is a right-handed outfielder drafted out of university. He is 22 years old.
Sheldon Neuse came to the Tigers out of the Oakland Athletics organization. He has played all across the infield at various levels, and while not expected to hit a boatload of home runs, he should hit for a fairly high average. That said, the 28-year-old is also said to be an aggressive hitter who does not work the count too well. Also, manager Okada has stated they will use Neuse in left field, as the infield has mostly taken shape without the help of imports.
Johan Mieses is a 28-year-old outfielder who is expected to provide power that has lacked in recent years. He swatted a home run in the 2021 Olympics against South Korean closer Seung-hwan Oh (who once starred with Hanshin), and some have dubbed him Vladdy Jr the Second, though obviously, his ceiling is not that high. (Apparently, his K rate is somewhat high, which is troubling.) Furthermore, manager Okada has said he will almost certainly NOT be using both import position players at the same time, which means if Neuse performs well, Mieses could spend a lot of time on the farm.
Brian Keller is a right-handed starting pitcher who previously played in the Boston Red Sox organization. Among foreign pitchers, his salary is the lowest and given the Tigers’ beefy rotation, it could be argued that his spot on the top squad is not a guarantee by any means. He is tall (6’3″) and has good control (nearly 3-to-1 K:BB ratio) so he could contribute right away if given the chance.
Jeremy Beasley is one of the blue-chip acquisitions of this offseason across all of NPB. He throws a heavy and hard fastball (averaged 153.5 km/h last season?) and has a good put-away pitch as well (splitter = 19.4 whiff rate). His high K rate (over 11 per nine in 2021 & 2022 combined) could earn him a shot at being the team’s closer, especially at the start of the season, when Atsuki Yuasa readjusts from his time with Samurai Japan.
So there you have it. Which of these departing players will you miss the most? Which of the new guys are you most excited about? Stay tuned as we continue to ramp you up for the 2023 season with our spring training information, top 10 prospects this year, and top 10 endangered players as well! All that coming later this month, plus a couple of podcast episodes! Be ready to follow H-TEN like never before this year!