Over the years, Hanshin has been known as a big spending baseball club. This is true to an extent, with the team consistently ranking in the top half of the salary rankings. It looks like this coming season, the team will rank #3, well behind the top two clubs, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants….
Yesterday, we had a look at the battle for playing time on the pitching staff. Today, we continue our look at the Tigers’ lineup and who can be expected to stand on the field and in the batter’s box at the start of 2017. In case you missed it, Fumihito Haraguchi has been given the…
Hanshin has finished its “Koshien” home portion of the exhibition schedule, and will not play on its hallowed grounds again until April 7 (vs. Giants, games 7-9 of the regular season). For now, it sees itself playing at Kyocera Dome (Osaka) for 2 before heading out on the road for 6, then returning back to Kyocera…
* The Japanese use the word クール (from the French cours = course / installment / season) to divide the spring training sessions into parts. But since クール is usually used to mean “cool” I have turned it into a cool headline. Are you クール with my decision? Happy Super Bowl Sunday, Hanshin Tigers fans! May…
As Hanshin got close to reaching a deal with free agent Yoshio Itoi, it had some important decisions to make. First, would he play center field, or right? One big idea that had been floating around since practice sessions in September was that incumbent right fielder Kosuke Fukudome could play first base, making room for…
Hanshin’s slogan for the 2016 season was 超変革 (chohenkaku) – ultra reform. The idea was that the team’s attitude and atmosphere under manager Tomoaki Kanemoto would change. Gone would be the old way of thinking, of practicing, of reflecting on games won and lost. In would be a new work ethic. Practice extremely hard but…
Some time before the end of the year, I hope to post a top 10 Hanshin Tigers stories of 2016 article… but time is of the essence! In the meantime, here’s a shorter one for you: my personal five top moments as a follower of the team. And… here we go! 5) Going to spring…
I am an educator. Truth be told, it’s not by choice anymore. But because the world of sports journalism is about who you know, and my window of opportunity to enter that world seems to have faded into oblivion in my rear view mirror, I do what I must to provide food, clothing and shelter…
Veteran Outfielder Reportedly to Earn ¥1.8 Billion over 4 Years The headline can be anagrammed “F.A.I.L.” but this acquisition should, at least for the immediate future, be seen as a successful endeavor. The day teams were free to negotiate with new free agents, Tomoaki Kanemoto jumped at the opportunity to meet with former Orix Buffaloes…
Hanshin announced on Sunday (11/20) that it has reached an agreement with former Boston Red Sox (AAA) reliever Roman Mendez (26) for the 2017 season. The Dominican righty is expected to compete for the role of closer next year. His fastball reaches 159 km/h (99 mph) and he also throws a slider and a changeup. He…