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 whom, what they have done, and what they might do in 2023 and beyond.
This is Part 3, which will look at the outfielders. In case you missed them, check out the catchers and the infielders! In the days to come, we will do features on the starters and relievers. So… here we GO!
The Real Deal
#5 Koji Chikamoto
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
Experience: 4 seasons / 534 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Golden Glove & Best Nine in 2021 and 2022; 121 career SB
Sales Point(s): Speed, average, defense, some pop
Trending: Across – Experienced power drop in 2022 (10 HR .797 OPS → 3 HR .704 OPS) but a return to the leadoff slot should see him closer to his vintage self
The Contenders
#7 Sheldon Neuse
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
NPB Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Slashed .398/.407/.611 in AAA; .214/.273/.288 in MLB in 2022
Sales Point(s): Spray hitter, versatility (has played all infield positions, but not much outfield!)
Trending: Unknown – Got injured and worked out on his own from mid-February until March 10. Plus, first-year imports are almost always question marks for their first few months.
#53 Kairi Shimada
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 5 seasons / 242 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Doubled his career games played in 2022; stole career-high 21 bases (5th in CL)
Sales Point(s): Speed
Trending: Up – Playing time might not come easily but he’s proven to be an adequate replacement when times get tough.
#63 Yutaro Itayama
Age (as of Opening Day): 29
Experience: 7 seasons / 125 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Just 197 career PA in 7 seasons; over half came in rookie season (2016)
Sales Point(s): Versatility, solid batting and defense
Trending: Up? – Has hit consistently and played solid defense throughout February and the first part of March. Can he parlay this into consistent playing time for the first time in his career?
#1 Shota Morishita
Age (as of Opening Day): 22
Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Slashed .240/.368/.412 in college career, including .311/.456/.578 in spring 2022
Sales Point(s): Power, selectiveness, defense
Trending: Up – Hit his first home run at Koshien on March 10. This year is just the beginning of what should be a brilliant career.
#32 Kouta Inoue
Age (as of Opening Day): 21
Experience: 3 seasons / 8 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Farm stats in 2022: .222/.274/.354 11 HR 70 RBI
Sales Point(s): Power
Trending: Up – Named spring training “MVP” and has shown considerable progress this spring. He’s in contention for playing time on Opening Day and beyond.
#55 Johan Mieses
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
NPB Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: .271/.387/.537, 12 HR 35 RBI (63 K) in 60 games in AAA last season
Sales Point(s): Power
Trending: Unknown – But his shaky play in the field will cause Okada to hesitate to use him consistently. Plus, first-year imports are almost always question marks for their first few months.
The Future
#58 Ukyo Maegawa
Age (as of Opening Day): 19
Experience: 1 season / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: .250/.281/.450, 3 HR in 21 games as an 18-year-old on the farm in 2022
Sales Point(s): Power
Trending: Up – Though injuries slowed him in 2022 and he started this year rehabbing something as well. If he stays healthy, he will be a force sooner rather than later.
#61 Hiroshi Toyoda
Age (as of Opening Day): 25
Experience: 1 season / 5 games
Key Numbers/Facts: .243/.311/.373, 4 HR 32 RBI 5 SB in 80 farm games in 2022
Sales Point(s): All-round player (defense, speed, average, some pop)
Trending: Up – He was expected to make an immediate impact in his rookie year but only got 9 PAs. Surely, he will be fired up to atone for it this year.
The Wild Cards
#60 Dan Onodera
Age (as of Opening Day): 25
Experience: 3 seasons / 66 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Had a rare pinch-hit, come-from-behind grand slam home run in 2022 (though the team lost the game)
Sales Point(s): Well-rounded (power, speed, defense), versatility
Trending: Up – Once a development player, he looks to get into 50+ games for the first time ever… the pedigree is not there but the heart and effort are.
#9 Shun Takayama
Age (as of Opening Day): 29
Experience: 7 seasons / 467 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Rookie of the Year in 2016; major regression since (seasonal hit totals: 136, 82, 22, 73, 7, 0, 10)
Sales Point(s): Average
Trending: Down – Even Takayama admits that the only reason he’s still around is probably because of a managerial change. It is now up to him to show Okada that he was worth hanging on to…
#43 Yuto Takahama
Age (as of Opening Day): 26
Experience: 8 seasons / 128 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Had a .266/.372/.407 slash on the farm (Eastern League) with the Fighters in 2022
Sales Point(s): Versatility, clutch hitting, some pop
Trending: Across? – Moved to the outfield officially on February 27 in order to increase chances at playing time. Still, he has quite a few guys ahead of him on the depth chart.
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