There was news that Masahiro Araki of the Chunichi Dragons will retire at the end of the 2018 season.
I had a feeling that a day like this would come soon.
However, I never imagined it would happen this year, so I was very surprised.
He has been my favorite player from 2004, when I started watching professional baseball, until now.
This time, I'd like to talk about what I find appealing about Araki, based on my own personal impression of him.
There's no point in writing things that are already on Wikipedia, so I'll try to write down my own thoughts as much as possible.
Araki when I first started watching him play
I started watching professional baseball in 2004, after Mr. Ochiai became the manager of the Chunichi Dragons.
That year was when Araki was starting to establish himself as the team's second baseman.
Since he was always batting first or second in the lineup when the game started, I quickly memorized his face and name.
At the time, my impression of Araki wasn't very good.
While Araki had a breakout season with a batting average of .292, I preferred Ibata and Fukudome because they hit better and drew more walks.
When I first started watching baseball, I tended to like players who had good records.
Araki often swung at the first pitch, showing a tendency to swing early.
When he does get a hit, I think, "He's really going for it!", but when he doesn't, I think, "He's striking out way too easily!"
Conversely, players like Ibata and Fukudome had excellent plate discipline and a very high rate of drawing walks.
He's good at unexpected bunts like safety bunts, but he seemed to struggle with sacrifice bunts, which require certainty.
I also have a strong memory of him swinging at difficult pitches on the first pitch in scoring opportunities, only to have them easily result in infield fly balls.
However, I could tell he was fast, so I distinctly remember being incredibly excited when Araki got on base and it became no outs with a runner on first.
I think he's a player with excellent base-running skills, rather than just being good at stealing bases.
Positioning in 2018
Despite this, Araki continued to embody the strength of the Chunichi Dragons under manager Ochiai, and in 2017 he achieved 2000 hits.
Considering his average batting average was around .250 to .280, I'm impressed that he managed to get 2000 hits.
I think the reason is that he gets injured less often and walks fewer players.
In 2018, the season after he achieved 2000 hits, he was always on the bench, even if he wasn't a starter.
I think his fielding and base running are still better than Takahashi Shuhei and Kamezawa, but this is a time when we need the younger players to develop.
I think he did a great job as a pinch runner and defensive substitute in the later stages of the game.
He's a little underwhelming as a pinch hitter, but if he could hit like that, he'd be a starter, so I think it's just right.
Personally, I feel that retiring while still being seen as capable of performing is a more graceful way to leave the sport than retiring due to decline.
The appeal of Araki
The most appealing aspect of Araki is, first and foremost, his defensive skills.
His speed allowed him to cover a wide defensive range, saving the team from difficult situations many times.
However, I think errors due to errant throws were seen quite often.
I tend to make a lot of errors when I'm playing with plenty of time to spare, becoming overly cautious, but I think I actually made fewer mistakes when I was playing under pressure and with little room to maneuver.
The second appealing aspect is the base running.
As mentioned earlier, I don't get the impression that he's exceptionally good at stealing bases, but I do think he's outstanding at base running.
(By the way, I think Akahoshi is very good at stealing bases, while Suzuki Takahiro is amazing at both stealing bases and running the bases.)
His technique of scoring from second base on a single hit still amazes fans in recent years.
From his speed to his headfirst slides, his dodging touches, and his base touches, you could sense a challenging spirit in everything he did, a "I'm going to do this" attitude.
The third appeal is its human touch.
Since I don't actually know him personally, I don't know what kind of person Araki is.
However, because his emotions are so clearly visible on his face while he's playing, I get the impression that he's a very serious person.
For example, when the sign for a sacrifice bunt was given, he often looked nervous, perhaps because he wasn't very good at it.
I've seen him many times run to first base with a relieved expression, saying "I'm so glad it rolled!" after failing to get the ball down cleanly on the first pitch and having to force a three-bunt attempt.
Also, when he attempts a difficult play and fails to catch the ball, he looks disappointed, and his facial expressions change frequently.
When I see that expression, I feel a greater sense of connection with them than with someone who maintains a poker face, and I end up liking them more.
I think this is the most appealing aspect of Araki's performance.
Future activities
I've heard that now that he's retired, he'll be taking on the role of full-time coach for the team.
Since he has essentially been a coach and manager all along, I don't think there will be any problems.
However, Araki himself said, "I was good at base running from the beginning, so I put the most effort into batting."
It might be difficult to teach someone how to run the bases when you were doing it naturally on your own.
Therefore, even if he's not a hitting coach, I'd like him to give advice to younger players as a hitter with 2000 hits.