Here’s a basic rundown of the free agency situation in NPB. For players to acquire the right to become domestic free agents, they must have served on a team’s top squad for at least seven years (if involved in a trade, the years from the previous team count). Then they must apply to the commissioners’ office…
Recently, one of the measures of a player’s value to a team has been a statistic called WAR – Wins Above Replacement. The idea is to take a fielder’s offensive contributions (batting, base running, etc.) and defensive ability (ultimate zone rating, runs prevented, etc.) to give them a value that tells nerds how many more wins…
Nearly a year ago, as the season had come to an end, I received a surprise parcel in the mail. Though the team had not yet made it official, everyone knew Matt Murton had played his final game for the Tigers. So it was with kind of mixed emotions that I opened the parcel and…
On Sunday night in Hiroshima, the scoreboard looked like it needed correction: Where’s Takashi Toritani‘s name? This is the man who has played every inning of all of the past 667 games (4th longest such streak in NPB history) dating back to the first game of the 2012 season. Sure, he has hit in every slot…
Let us consider the case of two players on the Hanshin Tigers. Check the table below as you trek with me through some thoughts: GP AVG HR RBI PA AB R H 2B 3B Total Bases SB S SF BB HBP K SLG OBP Player A 59 .248 5 24 257 214 25 53 8…
I found a chart online showing Ultimate Zone Ratings for the middle infield positions of all the Central League teams. (It was compiled by Norio Torigoe, who also wrote the book “Hanshin Tigers: Actually Strong” which used sabermetrics to prove its points.) You should first know that Ultimate Zone Rating is a show of a…
Player A is well-paid and is a core team member. This year, though, he is hitting under .250. While he has never been known for his power, he certainly can do better than the single home run he has produced thus far. He has somehow gone from reliable hitter to double play maker. Not only that,…
Let me start off with my personal story. A friend of mine, who is a Tigers fan, said he wanted to take in a game before he left for the States at the end of the month. I found seats to Tuesday’s game despite it being a sellout. I’m pumped. Then I get word from…
Masayuki Kakefu is easily one of the most prolific and recognizable hitters and names in Hanshin Tigers history. He made his way into the heart of the order quite quickly after joining the club, and remained there for most of his playing years, which unfortunately ended too soon. For decades after his retirement, he mysteriously…
Randy Messenger looked invincible in the first inning. After that, the Chunichi bats and eyes made sure the bases were always occupied. After a strikeout-ground out-strikeout first inning, rookie Shun Takayama recorded his first career hit on a two-strike grounder to left field. Only Shintaro Yokota‘s quickness prevented his groundout to pitcher from becoming a double…