Well, although it's still the middle of the season, this year's draft is finally here.
This year, due to the impact of the coronavirus, baseball, both professional and amateur, has been played under different circumstances than in previous years.
In particular, the cancellation or reduction in scale of various competitions has resulted in fewer opportunities for athletes to showcase their skills.
Therefore, the draft selections will be made with less up-to-date performance data for each player compared to last year.
I think that a draft in this kind of situation will really test the eye of each team's scouts.
So, once again this year, I'd like to share my thoughts on the players drafted by the Chunichi Dragons, including their pre-draft reputations and what kind of performances I expect them to deliver.
Chunichi's areas for improvement
The Chunichi Dragons have selected a position player as their first-round pick for the second year in a row.
Both Neo and Ishikawa are potential stars, but it's about time we had a star pitcher as well.
Therefore, we would like to select a pitcher as our first pick in this year's draft.
In particular, we are lacking left-handed pitchers overall, so acquiring a left-handed pitcher is absolutely essential.
The next area we need to strengthen is our young position players.
In particular, there are currently few players who can play second base or shortstop, so we need to revitalize the competition.
Currently, Abe and Kyoda are the regular starters, but the lack of players like Mizowaki and Donoue who can compete with them is disappointing.
It will be necessary to recruit and develop young talent in this area.
Furthermore, the outfield is also lacking in young players and is becoming increasingly aged.
We need to quickly find a replacement for Oshima, as well as candidates for left and right field, who haven't yet secured a regular spot.
In recent years, the team has acquired some high school outfielders, but it's still not enough.
Given Chunichi's lack of hitting power, they would ideally like to acquire position players who can hit for power, both in the infield and outfield (although acquiring foreign players would be the most realistic way to address their short-term power-hitting deficiency...).
If they can effectively strengthen these areas, it should be a good draft.
List of players drafted in 2020
First-round draft pick: Hiroto Takahashi (pitcher, right-handed/right-handed thrower, high school student, Chukyo University Chukyo High School)
He's a genuine right-handed pitcher from the local area, with a fastball that reaches a maximum speed of 154 km/h.
He consistently throws fastballs in the mid-140s to 150s km/h, along with vertical sliders, cut fastballs, and two-seam fastballs, and his control is said to be fairly good.
His stamina and arm strength are impressive; he can throw 130 pitches and even throw them quickly without his speed dropping.
I'm interested to see if he can develop the ability to pitch with fewer pitches once he turns pro.
He's a pitcher with overall abilities that would make him immediately effective, and in terms of type, he seems to be a fastball with power, similar to pitcher Umezu.
The fact that they were able to draft a player of this caliber on their own could be considered a victory in terms of draft strategy.
Second-round draft pick: Hiroto Mori (pitcher, right-handed/right-handed hitter, university student, Toyokawa High School ⇒ Nippon Sport Science University)
He's a local sidearm right-handed pitcher whose selling point is his combination of a fastball that has been clocked at a maximum speed of 155 km/h and his breaking balls.
He boasts a high strikeout rate with a combination of fastballs and breaking balls, including a cut fastball around 140 km/h and a curveball around 120 km/h.
When he's a starter, his fastball seems to be in the mid-140s km/h, but in shorter innings, he can consistently throw it at 150 km/h.
He steps forward slowly and smoothly, and then his right hand comes out sharply a little later, which I think makes it difficult for the batter to see where the ball is coming from.
His pitches may seem a bit wild, but he doesn't give up many walks or hit batters, so he might be the type of pitcher whose pitches are fairly evenly distributed within the strike zone.
He also seems to have potential as a closer or setup pitcher.
Third-round draft pick: Ryuku Tsuchida (infielder, right-handed/left-handed thrower, high school student, Omi High School)
He's a shortstop whose selling points are his 50-meter dash time of 6 seconds, strong arm, and excellent glove work.
He's a skilled hitter who has batted third since the fall of his first year and hit a total of 30 home runs in high school.
In terms of playing style, he has some similarities to the current regular player, Kyoda, and I think the purpose is also to encourage competition.
Fourth-round draft pick: Shota Fukushima (pitcher, left-handed hitter, high school student, Kurashiki Technical High School)
With a sturdy build reminiscent of Hiroshi Suzuki, he's a power pitcher who can throw a fastball at a maximum speed of 147 km/h.
He uses a soft, three-quarter arm motion, and with a short backswing, he throws fastballs and sliders.
Like Taguchi of the Giants, he's the type of player whose pitching form looks effortless, yet the ball seems to extend as it reaches his hands.
He's the type of pitcher where control is crucial, so he's a pitcher whose future development I'll be keeping a close eye on.
Fifth round pick: Tsubasa Kato (pitcher, right-handed batter, high school student, Teikyo University Kani High School)
He's a right-handed pitcher from the local area who throws a fastball that reaches 152 km/h and a knuckle curve with good braking.
Although he has limited experience in official games, he attracted the attention of scouts after recording a 152 km/h pitch last fall.
His slightly jerky arm movement and downward throwing form are reminiscent of a more streamlined version of Chunichi Dragons pitcher Kento Marc Ishida.
As a high school student, he's a promising prospect with plenty of room for growth.
Sixth round pick: Hironori Miyoshi (Outfielder, Left-handed hitter/left-handed thrower, High school graduate, played for Sanbonmatsu High School ⇒ JFE West Japan)
He's a 23-year-old outfielder who switched his registered position from pitcher to outfielder during his time as a working adult.
In addition to his speed and strong arm, he was also highly regarded as a hitter during his high school years, having hit a total of 26 home runs.
Although he's only recently been converted to an outfielder, last year's rookie, Okabayashi, is also making remarkable progress in his first attempt at playing in the outfield since turning pro.
I'll be watching closely to see if he can break into the competition for an outfield position, where the regulars haven't been solidified yet.
Developmental draft pick #1: Ren Kondo (pitcher, left-handed thrower, university student, Toyonan High School ⇒ Sapporo Gakuin University)
He's a left-handed pitcher who throws a fastball that reaches a maximum speed of 148 km/h, and also uses a cut fastball, slider, curveball, and forkball.
His sturdy build gives the impression of a pitcher who can skillfully throw a variety of breaking balls.
He gained weight at university, which increased his fastball speed by 13 kilometers per hour, and he became the first professional baseball player from that university.
Developmental draft pick #2: Kotaro Ueda (pitcher, left-handed thrower, high school student, Kyoei High School)
He's a large left-handed pitcher with a smooth throwing motion, who can throw a 143 km/h fastball, slider, cut fastball, and changeup with good control.
Although he is from Toyama Prefecture, he enrolled in Kyoei High School in Aichi Prefecture to play baseball.
He's been dubbed the "second coming of Kondo" for the Chunichi Dragons, and there are high expectations for his future growth.
With his impressive physique of 184 cm and 93 kg, he's a high school student with plenty of room for growth.
Developmental draft pick #3: Yuta Matsukihira (pitcher, right-handed batter, high school student, Seika High School)
He's a half-Indonesian right-handed pitcher who throws a fastball that reaches 145 km/h, along with a slider, curveball, and splitter, all with a smooth elbow movement.
Despite his slender build of 180 cm and 65 kg, this is apparently his first year as a pitcher.
If he builds up his physique and gains weight, I feel that his pitching speed will continue to increase.
Overall review
First of all, being able to select Hiroto Takahashi, who is widely considered the number one high school pitcher, as our first overall pick is a huge advantage.
Ideally, I would have liked to draft Hayakawa, a left-handed pitcher who graduated from university, but considering the risks of competition, I think this was not a bad pick.
Second-place finisher Mori is an excellent pitcher who is at a level where he could easily have been the first overall pick.
While it could be considered fortunate that he was still available in this round, Chunichi might have been better off prioritizing other left-handed pitchers or position players as reinforcements.
For the third pick, we selected Tsuchida, a player who can play both second base and shortstop.
I hope he'll take on the role of pushing Kyoda, who is particularly lacking in hitting, to step up his game.
They also acquired Miyoshi, an outfielder from the corporate league, and I think they've been able to make draft picks that address their specific needs.
In addition, we selected three left-handed pitchers, which was a weak point for us.
However, since two of the three were drafted as developmental players, they won't necessarily show immediate promise.
Considering that, I feel like we really should have acquired a left-handed pitcher with the first or second pick.
The draft selections included fewer position players than expected, but this might be a reflection of the team's confidence that the young position players they've acquired recently will be valuable assets.
On the other hand, you can never have too many pitchers, so in that sense, I think it was a solid draft pick.
Since there are fewer tournaments like the Koshien this year, a draft focused on high school players carries a higher risk.
Nevertheless, we were able to address each of our areas of need and even secure the first overall pick.
Overall, I'd say this draft meeting deserves a score of around 70 to 80 points.
I sincerely wish the nominated players all the best in their future endeavors.
Related articles
I see. I wasn't particularly interested in the draft, so I found this very interesting to read.
The battle starts right from the draft, so it's really important.
I hope they all grow up healthy and strong.
By the way, to lose four games in a row at this point is quite a shock, especially since the Giants have already won the championship.
To be honest, I thought second place was pretty much guaranteed... but you never know until the very end in a competition.
Well, there aren't any special perks for coming in second place, so I guess the Dragons aren't all that attached to being second?
There are injured players, and I know it's not a good idea to push ourselves too hard now, but it still leaves me feeling uneasy.
I was really surprised that they conceded 17 runs at Nagoya Dome. I can't believe something like that happened.
Thank you for your comment.
Now, with the departures of players like Viciedo and Fukuda, the team's scoring ability has decreased, and fatigue is accumulating in their winning pattern players, creating a difficult situation.
I watched episodes 7 through 9 on TV yesterday, and I was left wondering what on earth I was being shown...
While the Hiroshima offense has explosive power, it's unusual to see them give up that many runs at Nagoya Dome.
In my personal opinion, even without any special benefits, I think it's still important to fight to secure second place or a spot in the top three.
Most of the current members have never competed in a championship race.
If we can't compete at this level of ranking, I don't think we'll be able to compete in a tough championship race, even if we have a full roster of players.
In my opinion, the biggest difference I see compared to the era of manager Ochiai is that when they're trailing in the second half of a game, they seem to give up, thinking that a comeback is impossible.
The Dragons' recent lack of comeback victories is partly due to the fact that they lack hitters who can score, but I think it's also because they've developed a mental weakness that makes them prone to losing.
Of course, taking the risk of suffering an injury that could end a player's career would be counterproductive.
I'm very worried about Vicedo, as his injury is so serious that it's uncertain whether he'll even be able to play at the start of next season.
I see, you're absolutely right. Now that you mention it, the Giants were so far ahead this year that there wasn't really any real competition for the championship.
I'm worried about Vicedo. There aren't many foreign hitters as talented as him. Apparently, Vicedo has exceptionally good eyesight, which is why he's able to hit so consistently.
It seems Yoshimi is retiring. I'm sad about that. I never thought he would retire, especially since Yakult's Ishikawa is still pitching.
Vicedo is a great player, not only for his hitting, but also for his defensive skills and leadership qualities; he's a serious and excellent player.
He's always seemed to lose his form after being hit by a pitch, so I think he might be pushing himself too hard.
It's really disappointing, especially since he was in a position to win the RBI title.
I'm surprised because I thought Yoshimi still had a lot of potential.
Judging from his comments, he may be thinking that he should give opportunities to promising younger players and move on to a different role, such as becoming a coach.
He said he was putting everything on the line this year, so perhaps he made this drastic decision because he didn't get the results he wanted.
In any case, I want to say thank you for your hard work.
It's such a shame that Vicedo was so close to winning the RBI title. First base is now open,
I wonder if the Dragons are going to try and acquire Seiichi Uchikawa? I'm really curious.
I can't believe they're not using Uchikawa in the Climax Series; Softbank has an incredibly deep roster.
While Uchikawa may serve as a backup at first base, I think he's primarily expected to be a key pinch hitter.
The Chunichi Dragons currently lack a reliable pinch hitter (which also means their roster is thin).
With the acquisition of Uchikawa and Fukudome, the team now has more promising young position players, and they are likely aiming for a coaching role to mentor the younger players.
Like the Giants and SoftBank, I feel that the teams that win championships have a deep roster of players.
Having backup players who can maintain a similar level of performance when regulars are injured or out of form is crucial for navigating a long season.
The reason Chunichi is fragile is that while their regular players are solidified, there is a significant gap in skill level between them and their second-string players.
If, by sheer luck, no one gets injured and the team can run through the race, it's possible to win even with a thin roster, but that doesn't exactly make them a consistently winning team.
Among teams that have a third team, I think the Giants and SoftBank are making particularly effective use of them.
This is an area where the difference in financial resources becomes very apparent, so we might see regulations introduced in the future, such as a three-team system or development contracts for players.
I see, you're absolutely right.
Considering Uchikawa's pride, he might not be satisfied with being just a pinch hitter. This will depend on the negotiations.
Actually, it would be troublesome if he joined another team in the Central League.
We managed to secure third place. That's great. Takahashi Shuhei's go-ahead home run was huge.
The second-place finish will likely depend on the Hanshin Tigers' results.
Hanshin has a lot of games left, so it's hard to predict the outcome.
With their A-class finish now confirmed and Yoshimi's retirement game over, they can finally take a breather.
Probably, only if Hanshin finishes their remaining games with a 0-3 record, will Chunichi move up to second place by winning or drawing their final game.
Realistically, it's going to be tough, so Chunichi will probably finish in third place.
What worries me more is the competition for hold points and the best ERA title.
Fukui and Sobue have 30 hold points, while Yakult's Shimizu has 29.
Chunichi has one game remaining, while Yakult has three.
If Shimizu were to earn a hold in all three of Yakult's games, his total would reach 32, making it impossible for them to catch up.
In that sense, preventing Shimizu from getting a hold in today's match was quite significant.
Keep an eye on pitcher Shimizu in the remaining games for the Yakult Swallows.
I'm also keeping an eye on Hiroshima's Morishita's excellent ERA.
If Morishita concedes two goals, Ohno will almost certainly win the title.
However, if he pitches around 7 innings with 0-1 runs allowed, he will surpass Ohno, so it's still anyone's guess.
Depending on the circumstances, we might see a fierce title race between Ohno and Morishita in the final game of the Chunichi Dragons vs. Hiroshima Carp series on November 11th.
I felt uneasy about Yoshimi's retirement game.
I can't help but feel that if we had gone all out with our regular players, we could have won that game.
Does second place not matter?
It's frustrating that they're not going all out to win second place when it's right in front of them.
In the title race, I really want to find a way to beat Morishita.
I was really pleased when Donoue hit the ball and earned the hold point, even though Yakult had specifically brought in Shimizu to try and get it.
I think they probably compromised and accepted third place because they knew they couldn't get second place on their own, and they decided to hold Yoshimi's retirement game at home.
Indeed, if the goal is to go all out, then Yoshimi's retirement game should be held during the preseason games next year, and the team should aim to win every game this season.
I'm just speculating, but there might have been a reason why they wanted to hold Yoshimi's retirement game this season.
It's understandable that some fans might feel uneasy or confused.
According to the news just now, they've decided not to let Morishita pitch again this season.
He's a rookie and is likely feeling the fatigue, and he's also determined to keep his earned run average in the 1.00s.
With this, I think it's safe to say that Ohno's title is practically guaranteed.
I never expected Dojo to get a hit (no offense intended), so I couldn't help but let out a cry.
I think I was able to show my determination by getting a hit in Yoshimi's game, since we've been playing together.
As for Yakult, they lost today, so Shimizu didn't get a hold.
Even if they manage to earn two more holds in the next two games, if Chunichi can somehow manage a draw or better in the final game and get holds from Sobue and Fukui, then all three players will receive the award simultaneously.
I'll be keeping an eye on Yakult's remaining two games.
Hiroshima has made a bold decision.
I really wanted to see a serious matchup between pitcher Morishita and the Dragons' batting lineup.
Ohno did a great job.
The conditions for earning hold points are quite complicated.
Given the situation, the Dragons' only goal now is to get players like Sobue and Fukui to record holds.
There's another kind of fun in thinking about how to make it as easy as possible for the player to get hold points.
The final battle is interesting because the objective changes and the victory conditions are altered midway through, like in an SRPG.
It would have been even more exciting if they had also been aiming for second place, but what's done is done.
I agree.
However, despite having stated they wouldn't let him pitch, there's still a small chance that Hiroshima could pull off a surprise by bringing Morishita on the mound in the final game.
Considering that, I think Ohno needs to be prepared to pitch in the final game, at least in case he can.
Yakult's Shimizu earned one hold point today, so now three players are tied with 30 HP.
If Shimizu earns a hold in Tuesday's Yakult vs. Hiroshima game, Chunichi will have to do everything they can to win their final game and will have to bring in Fukui and Sobue to pitch.
If Yakult loses on Tuesday, the three of them will probably share the hold title.
If you put both Fukui and Sobue on the mound and one of them makes a mistake, that pitcher won't just lose the hold title, they'll also take away the hold opportunity of the pitcher scheduled to pitch later, so it's a pretty scary situation.
So, Tuesday's game against Yakult is definitely one to watch.
Towards the end of the season, the victory conditions change so rapidly that it's a bit like a video game, isn't it?
Depending on the title race situation, the final match might be a real battle where everyone has to go all out to win, so it could be a very exciting one!
In a completely unexpected turn of events, pitcher Yanagi pitched until the 9th inning with two outs, so there was no opportunity to earn a hold point.
I was completely taken aback by how things turned out.
That just goes to show how difficult it is to earn hold points.
Pitcher Yanagi delivered an unexpected performance (in a good way), so I think the result was positive.
I think that once Shimizu couldn't overtake Fukui and Sobue in terms of HP, they had no intention of letting either of them pitch anymore.
The fact that the two of them were standing next to each other was also a difficult point.
Although holds aren't earned at the end of a game, they're acquired in similar situations to saves, so they're quite difficult to earn.
The fact that they pitched that many games in a winning game, and that both pitchers had the same HP (health points), suggests that their winning pattern was very solid.
Although the gap until next year is shorter than in previous years, I hope he will recover properly and show us the same level of pitching!
I want to say, "Thank you for your hard work."
In the end, they were able to share the hold title among the three of them, which is great. I see, so sharing it among the three of them was an option. I hadn't thought of that at all. If they had considered sharing it to some extent from the beginning, then both the Dragons and the Swallows are very smart. Well done.
This is probably the best option.
I was looking forward to watching the sports news segment on Hodo Station, expecting them to cover the Hold King story, but they didn't mention it at all, so I ended up checking the newspaper.
This year's Dragons team was the most enjoyable to watch in recent years.
I was really surprised that the team's performance improved so much in the second half.
Isn't it really rare for a team that's been struggling at the start of the season to dramatically improve its performance towards the end?
Well, the Tigers were also struggling at the start of the season, but in the end, they came in second place...
Among the awards, the Best Middle Reliever award is a bit less glamorous, so it's a shame that it's treated rather poorly.
I think it's great for the team to have more players with title-winning experience, so I hope that number continues to increase in the future.
I think the reason for Chunichi's strong performance in the second half of the season is that they've become stronger in close games compared to last year.
Establishing a winning pattern creates a positive synergy: the starting pitcher thinks, "I just need to get through the sixth inning," and the batters think, "I just need to take the lead by the sixth inning."
If you don't have a solid winning strategy, it can create an atmosphere where people think, "No matter how hard we try, we'll just get beaten," which lowers morale.
Considering their goal difference, I think they're doing pretty well to be in third place.
I feel that the biggest difference between Hanshin and Chunichi lies in their scoring ability, particularly through home runs (and stolen bases, etc.).
Like the Chunichi Dragons, the Hanshin Tigers have stable starting and relief pitchers, but their team batting average is relatively low.
However, they score more runs than Chunichi because they hit a lot of home runs that can score a run with just one swing, and they compensate for their weak hitting with stolen bases.
The Chunichi Dragons, being a similar type of team, could learn a lot from the Hanshin Tigers' team building.
I see, now that you mention it, the Dragons didn't have many stolen bases.
The season finally starts today!
I think we can have high hopes for the Dragons this year.
I'm hoping for a performance similar to the end of last season.
Having just finished watching the game on TV, and still feeling the excitement, I'm writing this transformation story.
The fact that they didn't let Osera pitcher get the better of them, but instead broke through his defense and hit a go-ahead home run really shows they're on a different level.
It was also ideal that we were able to score additional runs even with two outs.
Last year, once they took the lead, they didn't seem to have the tenacity to score additional goals, so I have the impression that this year will be a little different.
While there are still some concerns about the relief pitchers, so many young players have made it to the first team that I feel this year will be enjoyable just to watch.
Since it was an away game and the score was 4-0, I thought it was pretty much certain they'd lose the opening match, but then...
I was surprised that they managed to score five points in one go.
In any case, winning the opening game on the road is a big deal.
This year looks really promising.