If you are a new fan or 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 whom, what they have done, and what they might do in 2023 and beyond.
This is Part 2, which will look at the infielders. Click here to see a breakdown of the catchers. In the days to come, we will do features on the outfielders, starters, and relievers. So… here we GO!
The Real Deals
#3 Yusuke Ohyama
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
Experience: 6 seasons / 704 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Career-highs in BB, K, GIDP, and OBP in 2022
Sales Point(s): Power, leadership, defense
Trending: Up – Is slated to spend the entire year at first, which should help his hitting stabilize
#8 Teruaki Sato
Age (as of Opening Day): 24
Experience: 2 seasons / 269 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Became the first lefty in NPB history to hit 20+ HRs in his first two seasons after being drafted; improved all hitting numbers except HRs (24 → 20)
Sales Point(s): Power, arm, defense
Trending: Up – HUGE potential to lead the team in most offensive categories and be a league-wide star.
#51 Takumu Nakano
Age (as of Opening Day): 26
Experience: 2 seasons / 270 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Named to 2023 WBC team, will play 2B after 2 seasons at SS
Sales Point(s): Defense, speed, average
Trending: Up – Will benefit from WBC experience and the move to second could improve team defense, too
The Back-Ups
#0 Seiya Kinami
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
Experience: 4 seasons / 338 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Was been Opening Day shortstop 2019-21, but has seen decreases in all major offensive categories every year since his rookie season
Sales Point(s): Defensive consistency
Trending: Down – That said, he has looked good this spring and is the frontrunner to get the starting role back at short on Opening Day
#38 Ryuhei Obata
Age (as of Opening Day): 22
Experience: 4 seasons / 146 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Farm 2022 = .331/.381/.423 slash. Top squad 2022 = .188/.208/.246 slash
Sales Point(s): Defense, speed
Trending: Up – If he develops his hitting game, he will get a lot of playing time. If not, he will be a defensive replacement and pinch-runner at best.
#33 Kento Itohara
Age (as of Opening Day): 30
Experience: 6 seasons / 672 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Career-low .247 AVG; 36 RBI in 2022 is his second-best total
Sales Point(s): Average, discipline
Trending: Down – Defense at second is a huge liability, at third is average. Career-worst .606 OPS (next-worst was .689 in 2019) is a bad omen.
#4 Takahiro Kumagai
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 5 seasons / 193 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Just 52 PA in 63 games last season (7 H, 7 SB)
Sales Point(s): Speed, Versatility
Trending: Across – Established himself as a solid pinch runner last season but needs to offer more at the plate to see an increase in playing time
#25 Ryo Watanabe
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 9 seasons / 447 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Just 21 GP (60 AB) last season; career-high 11 HR, 58 RBI in 2019
Sales Point(s): Hitting the fastball
Trending: Up – Hard to imagine him getting less action than last year, but will need luck to get a ton of playing time in 2023
#00 Yasuhiro Yamamoto
Age (as of Opening Day): 29
Experience: 7 seasons / 341 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Tied his career-high with 2 HRs, recorded career-best 45 hits in 2022
Sales Point(s): Defense (despite 7 errors last season)
Trending: Down – Younger, faster guys could squeeze him out of the plans… he is currently on the farm
The Future
#45 Jo Endo
Age (as of Opening Day): 21
Experience: 3 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Two straight seasons hitting around .230 and playing in 85+ games on the farm
Sales Point(s): Not yet sure
Trending: Up – That said, he and catcher Kento Fujita are the only two from the 2019 Draft to remain on the farm for 3 straight years…
#67 Nozomu Takatera
Age (as of Opening Day): 20
Experience: 2 seasons / 8 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Hit .280 on the farm with 44 RBI (second on team) in 2022
Sales Point(s): Average, speed, defense
Trending: Up – Continues to show maturity for his age but will need a strong start to crack the top squad roster in 2023
#44 Reiji Toi
Age (as of Opening Day): 18
Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Hit 13 HRs in high school, runs a 6.5-second 50-meter dash, and can throw the ball 105 meters
Sales Point(s): Batting, defense, versatility
Trending: Up – Aims to become the next Hideto Asamura (Rakuten Eagles). At this point, we can only dream…
The Wild Cards
#94 Fumihito Haraguchi
Age (as of Opening Day): 31
Experience: 13 seasons / 442 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Stomach cancer survivor, former catcher (2010-21)
Sales Point(s): Clutch hitting, power
Trending: Across – Has looked outstanding this spring but does not have a position to steal, unless injury sidelines Ohyama.
#62 Kai Ueda
Age (as of Opening Day): 26
Experience: 8 seasons / 394 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Nearly as many career SB (55) as H (65).
Sales Point(s): Speed
Trending: Down – His defense and bat do not play well enough to earn him regular playing time; mostly a pinch-runner.
#26 Fumiya Hojoh
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
Experience: 10 seasons / 455 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Has not been the same since his left shoulder injury in 2018
Sales Point(s): Pinch-hitting
Trending: Down – Less-than-remarkable defense means he is low on the totem pole. Health is a concern as well.