Professional baseball season will begin soon.
As someone who supports the Chunichi Dragons, who had a poor season last year, I'm filled with boundless hope just before the season starts.
This time, based on the results of the preseason games and other factors, I've tried to predict the opening day starting lineup and the players who will make the first team.
I haven't watched every single match closely, so there might be some parts that are a bit off the mark.
Depth Chart
| Chunichi Dragons 2019 Season Opening Day Predictions (as of March 26, 2019) First Team Registered Players | |||
| Starting pitcher | 左 | Shotaro Kasahara | This left-handed pitcher, a potential ace, has shown consistent performance since the latter half of last year. His sharp fastball and changeup are his greatest weapons. |
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Kazuki Yoshimi | He's a veteran who provides a sense of stability no matter what. I hope he continues to rely on his control to win games. |
| Starting pitcher | 左 | Romero | A left-handed pitcher whose weapon is his blazing fastball. He wasn't at his best in the preseason games, committing balks and other issues, but can he improve during the season? |
| Starting pitcher | 左 | Yudai Ohno | The party manager, who was always sent down to the minor leagues whenever he pitched for the first team, has been performing well in the preseason games, but will this be the nth time he's been lucky? |
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Daisuke Yamai | He seems a little inconsistent, but he's still in the rotation. If players like Koguma emerge, he'll likely be the first to be replaced. |
| Starting pitcher | 右 | Yuya Yanagi | He has the ability to pitch a complete game shutout against Yakult, so it all depends on how tenaciously he can pitch. He's prone to injuries, so I hope he does well this season. |
| Relief | 右 | Hiroshi Suzuki | [Guardian Dealer] He showed his class in the preseason games with zero earned runs. He gives the impression of being vulnerable once he starts giving up hits, but we hope he can persevere this season. |
| Relief | 右 | Daisuke Sobue | Continuing from last year, he's a reliable and dependable relief pitcher. He's a driving force behind the team's improvement, and we hope he'll receive a fair salary increase. |
| Relief | 左 | Rodriguez | He's a power pitcher who started pitching towards the end of last season and set an NPB record with a 159km/h fastball with his left arm. Having him on the team at the start of the season is the biggest reinforcement. |
| Relief | 右 | Yu Sato | He once served as the team's guardian, but his mental weaknesses prevented him from being completely invincible. However, there's no doubt he's matured, so we can expect him to make great strides in the future. |
| Relief | 右 | Katsuki Matayoshi | He's been branded unsuitable as a starter, but his track record as a reliever is undeniable. Can he make the most of his natural toughness and perform well? |
| Relief | 右 | Shinji Tajima | He's practically a symbol of the Chunichi Dragons' pitching staff's collapse. His near-perfect performance in the preseason games suggests he could be given a crucial role. |
| Relief | 左 | Toshiya Okada | I considered Fukui, but I've chosen him because of his proven track record. He should be an indispensable part of our relief pitching staff, which is short on left-handed pitchers. |
| catcher | 右 | Takuma Kato | Kato Bazooka, who had been the talk of the town since spring training, made a big splash in the exhibition games and was selected for the starting catcher position. However, to become the regular catcher, he needs to solidify other aspects of his game besides his arm strength. |
| catcher | 右 | Shota Ohno | He's a veteran you can count on to perform to a certain extent. He should be better than Kato in areas other than his shoulder. |
| catcher | 右 | Takuya Kinoshita | This player is getting more playing time in place of Masato Matsui, who hasn't been performing well. His strong point is his batting, so I hope he can really showcase his skills. |
| infield | 右 | Naomichi Dojo | [Shortstop] He is expected to be in the opening day starting lineup, ahead of Kyoda. His defense has always been highly regarded, and his strong performance in batting, which was his weak point, is a major factor. |
| infield | 右 | Vicedo | [First Baseman] He had a great season last year and is one of the few players on the Chunichi Dragons who is guaranteed a starting position at the start of the season. If he can perform as well as he did last year, he'll be perfect. |
| infield | 左 | Shuhei Takahashi | [Third Baseman] A rising star for the Dragons, showing remarkable growth. He has also been appointed captain, and has clearly matured mentally, becoming a clutch hitter and a reliable point scorer. |
| infield | 右 | Toshiki Abe | [Second Baseman] His batting has shown improvement, and he is expected to be selected as a starting player. However, there is a possibility that he will be used interchangeably with Kamezawa depending on the opposing pitcher. |
| infield | 左 | Kyohei Kamezawa | [Defensive Replacement] Just like last year, he's a utility player who can do anything: pinch runner, pinch hitter, defensive replacement, and start against right-handed pitchers. He should have plenty of opportunities to play. |
| infield | 右 | Nagamasa Fukuda | [Pinch Hitter] Since he hasn't been able to fully showcase his batting skills, he will likely be used more often as a pinch hitter or as a defensive substitute at first base. |
| infield | 左 | Yota Kyoda | [Pinch Runner] Has trouble with on-base percentage. He showed defensive errors and batting slump in the preseason games, so it's unlikely he'll be in the opening day starting lineup. Will he be used differently depending on whether he's left-handed or right-handed? |
| outfield | 左 | Yohei Oshima | [Center Fielder] A center fielder whose strengths are his wide defensive range and speed. He's a versatile player who can function reasonably well no matter where he's positioned in the batting lineup. |
| outfield | 右 | Ryosuke Hirata | [Right Fielder] A high on-base percentage player who thrives more in the 1st or 2nd spot in the batting order than in the cleanup spot. Combined with his impenetrable right field defense, he's sure to be in the opening day starting lineup. |
| outfield | 両 | Almonte | [Left Fielder] A run-getter who can also be expected to hit for power. His defense should have improved compared to last year. Be careful not to get injured. |
| outfield | 左 | Watanabe Masaru | [Pinch Hitter] 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. |
| outfield | 左 | Masaki Iryo | [Pinch Runner/Defensive Replacement] This is likely the same role as Kudo last year. He is likely to be used as a pinch runner or defensive substitute for Almonte towards the end of the game. |
| outfield | 左 | Issei Endo | [Pinch Hitter] An outfielder whose strong point is his batting. He has some redeeming qualities, so he should get more playing time as a substitute when a regular player gets injured. |
Opening day starting lineup
1st Junior High School, Oshima
2 Right Hirata
3rd base: Almonte
4-1 Vicedo
5 play hall
6-3 Takahashi
7-2 Abe
8 catches Kato
9th pitcher Kasahara
The opponent for the opening game is DeNA, and the starting pitcher will be left-hander Imanaga.
My predicted opening day lineup is exactly the same as the final preseason game (lol).
I thought it might be better to swap numbers 5, Doujou and 6, Takahashi,Perhaps it's because if Takahashi is batting 5th, opponents are more likely to avoid challenging him.That's how I understood it, by my own interpretation.
Personally, I quite like the idea of using Hirata as the number 2 power hitter.
Furthermore, if Naomichi can hit as well as he did in the preseason games, it would undoubtedly add more depth to the batting lineup than if Kyoda had been included.
However, it's still unknown how well Abe and Kato will hit, so it's probably best to treat this as just a starting lineup for the opening day.
In conclusion
Every year, right before the season starts, I think, "There's a slim chance we might make it into the top three..."
However, once the season begins, you're usually faced with reality.
Nevertheless, what I'm looking forward to is the change in manager and the fact that we'll be seeing many faces that we didn't see last year.
I can't wait to see how well the new first-team members perform.
In particular, I'd like to pay attention to the batting of Watanabe Masaru and Naomichi, who came up through the minor league system, and to Kato's arm strength.