Last year saw our team win its first pennant in 18 years and just its second Nippon Series ever (and first since 1985). But the thing is, no team can stay the same from year to year. This team did relatively little to alter the magic formula that was so successful in 2023, but here is a chart with all of the subtractions (left) and additions (right). Below, I will briefly touch on each move, though some have already gotten full article attention on the site (in which case, I will link those for you).
| Departed/Demoted | Position | # | Where now? | Joined/Promoted | Position | # | Joined how? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yasuhiro Yamamoto | INF | 00 | Released, Dragons | Kaito Shimomura | RHP | 19 | Draft (Round 1) |
| Shun Takayama | OF | 9 | Released, Albirex Niigata | Tsuyoshi Shiiba | RHP | 26 | Draft (Round 2) |
| Brian Keller | RHP | 24 | Released midseason | Shuya Yamada | INF | 52 | Draft (Round 3) |
| Fumiya Hojoh | INF | 26 | Released, Mitsubishi West | Aoi Momosaki | INF | 56 | Draft (Round 4) |
| Akira Niho | RHP | 34 | Released, Lotte dev contract | Yuya Ishiguro | RHP | 63 | Draft (Round 5) |
| Kyle Keller | RHP | 42 | Released, Yomiuri | Junya Tsuda | RHP | 66 | Draft (Round 6) |
| Keisuke Kobayashi | RHP | 56 | Released, Albirex Niigata | Kai Matsubara | RHP | 123 | Draft (Dev Rd 1) |
| Yutaro Itayama | OF | 63 | Released, Dragons dev. contract | Kein Fukushima | OF | 126 | Draft (Dev Rd 2) |
| Yuta Watanabe | LHP | 92 | Released, retired | Javy Guerra | RHP | 00 | Free agency (Tampa) |
| Colten Brewer | RHP | 98 | Released, Cubs | ||||
| Kosuke Baba | RHP | 18 | Active Players Draft - Yomiuri | Taisei Urushihara | RHP | 34 | Active Players Draft (Orix) |
| Atsushi Mochizuki | RHP | 122 | Released, retired | ||||
| Haruto Takahashi | LHP | 29 | Development contract | Kyosuke Noguchi | OF | 97 | 2022 Dev Rd 1 |
| Ippei Ogawa | RHP | 66 | Development contract |
The Subtracted
Yasuhiro Yamamoto (#00 – INF): He came to the Tigers during the pandemic in a cash transaction with the Yomiuri Giants. He contributed some in 2021, but struggled to get playing time in 2022 and 2023. He signed a deal with the Chunichi Dragons during the offseason, where he hopes to prolong his career.
Shun Takayama (#9 – OF): The team’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft, Takayama won Rookie of the Year in 2016 and looked to be a fixture in the team’s outfield for the next decade or so, but production and playing time continuously fell in the proceeding years, to the point that he did not get any playing time on the top squad at all in 2023. He is still just 30 years old, and will aim to revive his career with the expansion NPB farm team in Niigata.
Brian Keller (#24 – RHP): He was scathed by manager Okada during spring training for not going to the bullpen often enough. He made a few starts on the farm at the beginning of the season but was shut down after experiencing elbow discomfort. He was released mid-season and underwent Tommy John surgery.
Fumiya Hojoh (#26 – INF): The team’s second-round draft pick in 2012 (behind major leaguer Shintaro Fujinami), he was seen as a strong candidate to become Takashi Toritani‘s heir at shortstop. He won the position outright in 2016, held it for parts of 2017 and 2018, but dislocated his shoulder in the field towards the end of that season. Aside from one heroic game in the 2019 playoffs, Hojoh’s contributions were minimal in the previous five seasons. He is still just 29 years old, though, and is still going to play baseball in 2024, though not in NPB.
Akira Niho (#34 – RHP): He came over to the team through the SoftBank Hawks organization (in a trade for outfielder Masahiro Nakatani). He earned a win once, but that’s about it. He has reached a development contract deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He is 33 years old, though, so one can’t help but think this might be his last chance.
Kyle Keller (#42 – RHP): Despite a disastrous start to his NPB career in 2022, he became a reliable force in the bullpen in the season’s second half, and contributed well in the first half of 2023 before needing to return to the USA to deal with important family matters. After the team released him, the Yomiuri Giants swooped in and signed him to a deal, bolstering their bullpen significantly.
Keisuke Kobayashi (#56 – RHP): He came to the Tigers through the Orix Buffaloes organization in a trade for LHP Yuya Iida. Though he got some playing time in each year on this side of the Yodogawa River, he did not make enough of an impact to stay on the top squad. He will join Takayama in Niigata in 2024.
Yutaro Itayama (#63 – OF/INF): Drafted sixth in 2015, he put up his best numbers in his rookie year. He never got consistent playing time, though his versatility was seen as something the team might be able to eventually exploit. His deal with the Dragons is a development player deal, and since he is turning 30 next month, time is not really on his side anymore.
Yuta Watanabe (#92 – LHP): Acquired after the SoftBank Hawks released him, this lefty was largely used as a LOOGY (lefty one-out guy). His slider gave lefties fits, but not to the point that he could be counted on for outs over a long stretch.
Colten Brewer (#98 – RHP): Brought in as a replacement for B. Keller, he played well down the stretch but factored into just one playoff game (this is rumored to be due to the manager’s superstitious way of using pitchers). He will be missed.
Kosuke Baba (#18 – RHP): Every year (since 2022), the league has conducted an active players’ draft. Basically, each team has to lose one player and acquire another. The Tigers chose to make this 2017 first-round draft pick expendable, and he was snapped up by the Yomiuri Giants. He never materialized as a lights-out reliever (or starter, which was his original role) in six seasons with the Tigers, so I suppose his time expired.
Atsushi Mochizuki (#122 – RHP): Once the fourth Tigers pick in the 2015 draft, as an 18-year-old, Mochizuki used to throw gas. He was seen as a potential staff ace, and even saw some game action at the end of his rookie year, but injuries slowed him down – both progress and velocity. He has retired from professional baseball, despite being just 26 years old.
The Added
Shimomura, Shiiba, Yamada, Momosaki, Ishiguro, Tsuda, Matsubara, Fukushima – See 2023 Draft Report
Javy Guerra (#00 – RHP): Signed in early December, Guerra looks to win a spot at the back end of the bullpen. He last played for the Tampa Bay Rays and throws heat. He also played shortstop until 2019, so he can rake, too.
Taisei Urushihara (#34 – RHP): While the team lost Baba in the active players’ draft, they took this righty out of the Orix Buffaloes camp. He was their first development pick in 2018, and saw a decent amount of playing time on the top squad in 2020 and 2021, but spent all of 2022 on the farm and then got only 16 mounds in 2023. His fastball tops out at 152 km/h and he also boasts a slider, curve, shooter, and forkball. He is hoping to slot into the Tigers’ bullpen in 2024.
The Adjusted
Kyosuke Noguchi (#121 → #97 – OF): Chosen as a development player in the 2022 draft, he brought dumbbells into the team dorm and worked out all year (both on and off the field), earning him a shot at a proper contract for 2024. He impressed during last year’s fall camp and has a legitimate shot at winning a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Haruto Takahashi (#29 → #129 – LHP): One of the best lefties in Japanese baseball when healthy, he has had elbow and shoulder issues for the past two seasons. Though he could come back midseason if all goes well (and he is throwing bullpen sessions at camp already), but for the time being, he is focused 100% on rehabbing and getting his old number 29 back.
Ippei Ogawa (#66 → #122 – RHP): Similar to Haruto, though a righty. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, and was the first in his crop to make a top-squad appearance. He was the victim of poor run support in early 2022 but saw his season shut down due to elbow issues. He is hoping to come back stronger than ever, but it might not be until 2025.