As June 2019 began, the interleague games for professional baseball teams started again this year.
I'd like to summarize various aspects of the Chunichi Dragons, the team I support, including their roster and tactics leading up to the interleague games, as well as my outlook for the future.
Regarding the injured
Currently, we have a large number of key players injured, which is one of the reasons we are struggling.
The main injured players in the first team are as follows:
Major pitcher injuries
Ogasawara, Matsuzaka, Fukutani, Ishikawa Sho, Kasahara, Fujishima
As you can see, many of the starting pitchers who performed well last year have suffered injuries.
As a result, the level of the starting pitchers has declined, making it difficult for them to pitch long innings.
The relief pitchers aren't bad, so we're managing for now, but the situation with our starting pitchers is very difficult.
Conversely, if these pitchers continue to improve, it could be said that there is still room for growth.
Major position player injuries
Hirata, Fukuda, Matsui Masa, Mizowaki
Regarding the position players, Hirata's absence is a huge blow.
With the outfield already lacking depth, the departure of Hirata, who possessed top-class overall skills even within the Central League, has diminished the team's offensive threat.
Fukuda is a valuable Japanese player with power hitting ability, making him an important player for the Chunichi Dragons, whose batting power has been declining.
Especially given the situation where Almonte and Moya cannot be called up due to the foreign player quota, having Fukuda in left field or as a pinch hitter allows us to expect extra-base hits.
Masato Matsui is a left-handed hitter among the catchers, and his batting skills are decent.
Given that Kato and others are often in the starting lineup, this might not have much of an impact.
We had high hopes for Mizowaki as a player who could stand alongside Abe.
It's extremely unfortunate that he fractured his hand just as he was finally starting to produce results in the first team.
Depth Chart
First, I will provide a depth chart of the main players, focusing on those registered with the first team as of June 4, 2019.
| Chunichi Dragons 2019 Season (as of June 4, 2019) Key Players | |||
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Takuma Achira | He's a well-balanced pitcher who attacks with a variety of breaking balls, including a fastball, slider, curveball, and forkball. First, he wants to consistently produce results in the first team. |
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Tatsuya Shimizu | In his second year, he maintains a poker face and remains calm even in tense situations. We can expect great things from his fastball and his good luck in winning games. |
| Starting pitcher | 左 | Romero | A left-handed pitcher whose weapon is his fastball. He tends to throw straight pitches, which often makes him an easy target. Nevertheless, his pitches have considerable velocity. |
| Starting pitcher | 左 | Yudai Ohno | A valuable left-handed starting pitcher who can pitch long innings with his fastball as his main weapon. He has consistently produced results this season and is the team's ace with the highest strikeout rate. |
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Masayoshi Katsuno | A rookie with a good pitching style, relying on a powerful fastball and constantly challenging batters in the strike zone. |
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Yuya Yanagi | A right-handed pitcher who consistently delivers stable performances with his control and breaking balls, he's the team's leading pitcher in wins. He performs well in away games. His success depends on the quality of his finishing pitches after getting ahead in the count. |
| Relief | 右 | Hiroshi Suzuki | Despite leading the league in saves, his inconsistent pitching has led to him being stripped of his closer title. His pitches tend to be high, so he needs to focus on keeping them low. |
| Relief | 右 | Daisuke Sobue | Continuing from last year, he's a reliable and dependable relief pitcher. He's not an absolute force, but he's easy to use. |
| Relief | 左 | Rodriguez | This hard-throwing set-up pitcher, who set an NPB record with a 159 km/h fastball using his left arm, has a truly terrifying trajectory that seems to come towards left-handed batters from behind. |
| Relief | 右 | R. Martinez | A hard-throwing right-hander who consistently throws fastballs in the mid-150 km/h range low in the strike zone. He has improved dramatically this year and has been selected as the team's undisputed setup man. |
| Relief | 左 | Takato Fuku | This left-handed relief pitcher joined the first team midway through the season. He's gradually producing results, and if he can maintain this level of consistency, he could become a key part of the winning pattern. |
| Relief | 右 | Shinji Tajima | He's practically a symbol of the collapse of the Chunichi Dragons' relief pitching staff last year. He's absolutely no good at Tokyo Dome, and it's still too risky to use him in a high-leverage situation. |
| Relief | 左 | Toshiya Okada | Despite his slender build, he throws fastballs with a sharpness that makes them appear faster than their listed speed. However, he seems to have some difficulty controlling his slider. |
| Relief | 右 | Keisuke Tanimoto | As a right-handed specialist, he's a reliable firefighter who can get out of tough situations. He was at his lowest point last year, but this year his fastball is consistently low in the strike zone. |
| catcher | 右 | Takuma Kato | Kato's bazooka-like throws, delivered with incredible arm strength, are impressive. However, his fielding technique and base-running errors are noticeable flaws in other areas. |
| catcher | 右 | Shingo Takeyama | 豊富な経験を持つベテラン捕手。打撃面が良いわけではないが、一軍捕手の中では一番落ち着きが見られる。 |
| catcher | 右 | Yoriori Katsura | He hadn't been able to make it to the first team for the past few years, but he's finally made it. He wants to produce results and pull himself out of the competition. |
| infield | 右 | Naomichi Dojo | He is often used as a starter at shortstop or second base, or as a pinch hitter. His batting has definitely improved, and his power hitting has visibly increased. |
| infield | 右 | Vicedo | He's the regular first baseman. His home run total is lower than in previous years, which is a little disappointing. He's maintained a good batting average, but there are occasional instances where he can't hold his own in clutch situations. |
| infield | 左 | Shuhei Takahashi | He's the regular third baseman. He's also been appointed captain, and has clearly matured mentally. He's a very good fielder and a strong point scorer in clutch situations. |
| infield | 右 | Toshiki Abe | He was selected for the second base position due to his impressive batting skills. He competes with Doujou and Kamezawa. His strengths include hitting to the right field and hitting for power. His nickname is Master. |
| infield | 左 | Kyohei Kamezawa | As a second baseman, he's a utility player who can do anything – pinch running, pinch hitting, defensive substitution, and even start the game. He gets plenty of opportunities to play. |
| infield | 右 | Taiki Mitsumata | He will likely be mainly used as a second baseman and pinch runner. His batting is somewhat lacking, but his defensive skills are second only to Dojo's. |
| infield | 左 | Yota Kyoda | He competes with Dojo for the shortstop position. His fielding and base running are impeccable. His batting style is characterized by swinging early, which could be seen as a lack of persistence, or, to put it positively, his decisiveness. |
| outfield | 左 | Yohei Oshima | A center fielder known for his wide defensive range and speed. A versatile player who can function reasonably well no matter where he's positioned in the batting lineup. |
| outfield | 右 | Kosuke Ito | Despite being only in his second year out of high school, he's been primarily selected to play left field. While his initial momentum has slowed, we want him to gain experience as a player who will carry the torch for the next generation. |
| outfield | 右 | Yusuke Matsui | In his tenth year, his strong point is his hitting. With players like Hirata and Fukuda out due to injury, he'll want to deliver results and make an impression. |
| outfield | 左 | Watanabe Masaru | A player who rose through the ranks from the minor leagues, known for his hitting ability. He has a good eye for pitches and can hit for power with his one-legged batting stance. He's also fast and can play center field. |
| outfield | 左 | Masaki Iryo | His strong point is his defense, which makes the most of his speed. He's spent a long time in the minor leagues, but he's hoping to make the most of his chance in the major leagues. |
| outfield | 左 | Issei Endo | He's an outfielder whose strengths are his batting and speed. He stands out among the reserve outfielders. His batting isn't bad either, so I hope he keeps up this pace. |
Starting pitcher
As for the starting pitchers, Yudai Ohno, Yanagi, and Romero form the core of the rotation, and we're managing to hold them off somehow.
Ohno, in particular, has improved dramatically since last year and continues to pitch very well.
In a Dragons game where pitchers are often forced to leave after around 5 or 6 innings, the fact that he averages 7 or more innings pitched is a significant advantage.
Yanagi seems to get along well up to throwing two strikes, but then he seems to have trouble turning the tables and winning the game.
He doesn't have a particularly strong weapon like a blazing fastball; his pitching relies on overall ability, so perhaps that's unavoidable.
However, he currently leads the league in wins with 5, and he's performing well on the road, which is a weakness for Chunichi pitchers, so he's a valuable asset.
Romero is memorable for slamming his glove down at Tokyo Dome, but so far his performance has been consistent.
It's true that his fastball is very fast, but because he throws mostly fastballs, batters are able to target that aspect of his pitching.
I think his fastball would be more effective if he incorporated a few more curveballs, so I hope to see him grow mentally as a pitcher.
As for the other starting pitchers, we rotate them on a daily basis.
As for Achira, until last year, even when he produced results, he was always pitching in the minor leagues and wasn't given a chance to play.
However, I'm glad I was given the opportunity to pitch in the first team this season.
There are still areas that need improvement, but I think he's pitching well, so I hope this will be a stepping stone for him to grow.
Shimizu and Katsuno are both similar types; they're the kind of players who aggressively push forward with a straight-up style, which is satisfying to watch.
If Fujishima joins them, they'll have a trio with great throwing skills.
Overall, the starting pitchers seem to be just barely managing to make do.
If the injured starting pitchers mentioned earlier return, I think we'll be able to put together a rotation that's a step up in level.
Relief
While Hiroshi Suzuki was a miscalculation, having Rodriguez Martinez as a left-handed and right-handed set-up pitcher has been extremely helpful.
If these two get hit, I guess it's unavoidable.
It seems to me that Hiroshi Suzuki's problems are more technical than mental.
The main problem is that his straight pitches are floating too high and he's not getting them below the belt at all.
With that kind of ball velocity, I think he could get outs just by keeping the ball low, so it's a shame he's not doing it right.
We can leave the 8th and 9th innings to Rodriguez, but the problem is the 6th and 7th innings.
Ideally, the starting pitcher would be able to pitch until the 7th inning, but this is often difficult for anyone other than Ohno.
For now, it looks like we'll just have to try to muddle through with Tanimoto and Okada.
If there's a significant lead, it's good because we can use players like Fukui and Tajima, but figuring out how to connect them to Rodriguez and Martinez is quite difficult.
catcher
Regarding catchers, I think Kato is doing a good job.
I'm very pleased that the number of stolen base attempts against us has noticeably decreased.
However, Kato still shows some technical immaturity, such as in fielding, and his base-running errors when getting on base are noticeable.
If he can continue to improve in these areas, I think he has the potential to become the starting catcher with his strong arm.
As for hitting, I'm managing to hit around 20%, so that's acceptable.
As for the other catchers, unfortunately, my impression is that they're all pretty much on the same level.
Their batting averages are all in the low .200s, and as an amateur, I don't really know much about things like game management.
However, players are frequently rotated between the first and second teams, so I feel that everyone is given a chance.
Infielder
The depth of our infield is probably the strongest it's been in recent years.
I think it was a big advantage that we were able to solidify the positions of first baseman Viciedo and third baseman Takahashi Shuhei.
We now have the flexibility to choose between Abe and Donoue at second base, and Kyoda and Donoue at shortstop, depending on the opponent and the situation.
It's not that Viciedo can't hit at all, but he doesn't hit the extra-base hits we're hoping for, so that's what's disappointing.
He himself is probably aware of it, and there are now instances where he seems unable to resist the urge to take a hit in crucial situations.
In the first game of the interleague series, we swapped the cleanup hitter to Shuhei, so I hope he can hit with a bit more ease in the fifth spot.
Abe had a breakout season with his hitting, but his performance has recently declined.
Since I've never had the experience of consistently playing in the first team, I think there will be times when I drop down like this.
However, being able to overcome a slump quickly is crucial for establishing oneself in the first team, so I hope he can find a way to bounce back.
Compared to last year, Dojo's batting average has improved slightly, and I think it's good that he's hitting a lot more extra-base hits.
He can play high-level defense at both second base and shortstop, and he has more opportunities to start than Kyoda and Abe, so I hope he will produce results.
Kyoda's defense is already flawless, but I've always felt he's lacking something in his hitting.
He's improved since last year, but because he's a quick hitter, when he makes an out, it inevitably looks rather anticlimactic.
However, trying to stubbornly hold on will only lead to a quagmire, so I hope they'll just go for a quick win.
If you can hit the ball quickly, opponents will likely become more wary of you.
outfielder
Having Oshima as the center player is barely providing a stable foundation.
However, Hirata's absence is a major blow, and the left field position is changing almost daily.
Among the reserves, Endo is highly skilled in hitting, fielding, and running, so I think he's a good choice to be a regular in right field.
The left field position is still in a trial phase, with various players coming and going, but it seems like no one has yet stood out.
If Fukuda comes back, I think Fukuda would be fine.
If we can use one more hitter in the foreign player slot, Almonte or Moya would be good choices.
Regarding tactics
I'd like to write about the trends and my thoughts on the Chunichi Dragons' tactics this season.
Assuming that there are things that can only be understood on-site, I will still write about the points that I found questionable and the positive aspects.
Regarding pitching changes
I have the impression that they rotate players fairly frequently.
If he's the starting pitcher, I have the strong impression that they usually bring him in after he's thrown around 100 pitches before he starts to falter.
Under Manager Mori until last year, he often took the lead with the pitchers, so compared to that, it feels like a significant change.
From Coach Mori's perspective, it seems he's entrusting the task to the player with the hope that he will grow and improve, essentially saying, "I'm leaving it up to you."
I suspect that Manager Yoda doesn't distrust his players, but rather simply wants them to finish on a positive note.
Therefore, I think they try to avoid having a player who has failed repeatedly pitch in similar situations.
When pitcher usage mistakes occur, such as having Matayoshi pitch multiple innings or using Tajima in close games, they show flexibility by refraining from using those methods for a while.
However, sometimes they make substitutions that are completely questionable.
In the game against the Giants on June 1st, starting pitcher Shimizu threw over 80 pitches over five innings, and then in the sixth inning, they sent in Oguma, who is usually used in losing situations.
In the end, Oguma failed to get a single out, loading the bases, and Tajima hit two home runs to take the lead.
I felt like Shimizu could have gone another inning, so this was a bit of a question mark for me.
Replacing Shimizu is fine, but replacing him with Oguma, who always only does mop-up duty in defeats, seems pretty strange to me.
There were probably circumstances that only those on the scene would know, but from a fan's perspective, it felt like the worst loss of the season.
However, while I have some individual questions, I personally like that the pitching changes are generally made relatively early.
While it may be a sign of love to push a pitcher to develop, the goal of a major league game is ultimately to win.
I think that bringing in a relief pitcher early and ending the game on a positive note will be beneficial for his next appearance.
Regarding substitutions of fielders
I have some questions, mainly regarding pinch hitters.
It's common to see pinch hitters sent in to replace players who are already in the starting lineup, often in the middle or later innings.
This is something we didn't see very often until last year.
For example, they might send in Donoue as a pinch hitter for Abe, who is the starting second baseman.
I could understand it if the opposing team's pitcher changed, and whether he was left-handed or right-handed, but they sometimes send in a pinch hitter even when that's not the case, so I think they should stop doing that.
As a result, we often see situations where there are insufficient fielders in the second half of the game or in extra innings.
If a player is selected as a starter, I don't think you should send in a pinch hitter unless it's something very important (like a turning point in the game).
The players might feel that they are not trusted.
This pinch-hitting by one position player for another position player is something I've seen a lot this year, and it seems like a strange tactic.
Manager Yoda previously commented on Sandra that he wanted to use every player on the bench, so that might be his policy.
Since they're not a team competing for the championship, I think it's a good idea to use every ounce of players to encourage individual growth.
However, I sometimes feel that using pinch hitters for starting players regardless of whether they are left-handed or right-handed is going too far.
Regarding various player selections
Regarding player selection, they frequently rotate players between the first and second teams, which I think is a good thing.
I'm especially pleased that they're giving opportunities to players like Kato, Abe, Iryo, and Achira, who had almost no experience in the first team until last year, without any preconceived notions.
Even if it's only temporary, if the players get to play in a first-team game, they can then work on their weaknesses when they return to the second team.
I think they're quite good at rotating players to maintain their motivation.
One thing that concerns me a little is that Fujii has yet to make an appearance in the first team.
According to unfounded rumors in sports newspapers, some say this is a penalty for complaining about being selected for the team.
There must be a reason why he hasn't been promoted, but given how well he's performing in the minor leagues, I can't help but wonder why.
Upcoming Players
There are several players who are performing well in the minor leagues and other areas, and we hope they will be promoted to the major leagues in the future.
First up is pitcher Umezu, who was selected in the second round of the draft.
I saw him pitch in the minor leagues, and the quality of his fastball and breaking balls was already at the major league level; he has a lot of talent.
He's been behind schedule due to injury, but I think he'll be registered with the first team soon.
Also, we have high expectations for Ishibashi, a high school graduate and first-year catcher who was drafted in the fourth round.
I've watched him play in minor league games, and he has considerable defensive and arm strength, as well as the power to hit home runs.
I think he still has some shortcomings in terms of overall ability, but if Kato wasn't there, I think he's a player who could easily be on the first team.
Well, for high school players, including Neo, building up their physique is the most important thing, so there's no need for them to rush into playing in the first team.
However, he was a player who gave me hope that he could become a key player in the future.
Upcoming Season Predictions
Currently, we are in 5th place in the Central League, with a deficit of 7 games.
I will write about my predictions on how to proceed from this situation.
Regarding the starting pitchers, I think it depends on how well they can manage until the injured players return.
With so many key players gone, their return alone should put them in contention for a top-tier finish.
I feel fortunate to have such a good bullpen at the moment.
Since we've been able to consistently use Rodriguez Martinez in the 8th and 9th innings, we're strong when we have a lead in the later innings.
When the starting pitcher is pulled after five innings, the key will be deciding who will pitch the sixth and seventh innings.
Regarding the batting lineup, we are eagerly awaiting Hirata's return.
I think the substitute players are doing a good job, but since we're a team that doesn't hit many home runs and is weak in clutch situations, we'd really like to see some improvement in our scoring ability.
With Hirata back, it seems like Endo or Fukuda would be good choices for left field, but they'll probably rotate players for a while.
The key will be how many opportunities we can give to the in-form Oshima, Shuhei, and Viciedo.
This season, despite being quite aggressive with stolen bases, the team's scoring ability is surprisingly low, which is a concern.
If we can score a few more runs in the middle innings, we can extend the time our starting pitcher spends more time with us, which will reduce the burden on our relief pitchers.
To be honest, the Chunichi Dragons are the kind of team that would be happy just to be in contention for a spot in the Climax Series.
There is a clear difference between the team with savings and the team with debt, so I expect it will be quite difficult for them to get out of this situation.
Personally, I don't think it will be easy to make a decisive move this year, so I hope that the players will develop individually and that the team's overall strength will be improved.