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Japanese Baseball News
Archives: November 1998

November 3, 1998

Sasaki and Matsui named MVPs

Yokohama BayStars reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki, who broke several relief records this season, was named Central League Most Valuable Player shortly after the close of the Japan Series. In 51 appearances, Sasaki compiled a 1-1 season record with a record-breaking 45 saves and a 0.64 ERA. The Yokohama right-hander also set new records for most consecutive saves and most career saves. Sasaki also earned the Shoriki Award, named after the founder of the Yomiuri Giants, for outstanding contribution to Japanese professional baseball.

In the Pacific League, Seibu Lions shortstop Kazuo Matsui was named MVP. The twenty-year-old switch-hitter batted .311 (fifth in the league) and tied with Lotte's Makoto Kosaka for the stolen base title.

Rookies of the Year

Disappointing those who since the beginning of the season believed Yomiuri's Yoshinobu Takahashi was an inevitable choice for the top first-year-player prize, Chunichi right-handed pitcher Kenshin Kawakami was named the Central League Rookie of the Year. In addition to compiling a 14-6 record with a 2.57 ERA, Kawakami allowed fewer base runners than any pitcher in either league who qualified for the ERA title.

Four-year veteran Tatsuya Ozeki, who has played primarily in the minor leagues prior to this season, was named the top Pacific League rookie. The Seibu Lions outfielder batted .285 with 15 stolen bases.

All eyes on Kida

While Yokohama's Hiroki Nomura declined to exercise his right to free agency, signing a three year contract with the Japan Series champion, Orix BlueWave right-hander Masao Kida filed for free agency last week with the express interest of joining a Major League team. Although the 30-year-old fastball and forkball pitcher has lost some velocity in recent years, he's shown promise as a possible major league reliever. This season he posted a 1-1 record with sixteen saves and a 1.29 ERA in relief.

Kida's desire to jump across the Pacific has caught the attention of several Major League franchises, including the New York Mets. In an exhibition game held on Sunday, Mets skipper Bobby Valentine watched Kida pitch two innings of relief (Kida got two strikeouts, allowed one run on three hits, and reportedly threw a fastball 148 kph -- about 92 mph). According to league rules, Kida may not talk with any clubs until November 7. He has stated that he will not use an agent.

Waiting for Uehara

Top college pitching prospect Koji Uehara continues to weigh offers from both the Yomiuri Giants and Anaheim Angels. He has met with both teams in recent days but was reportedly disappointed with Anaheim's offer because the Angels refused to guarantee Uehara a starting role on their Major League roster. What Uehara seems to forget is neither Hideo Nomo, Masato Yoshii or Hideki Irabu got that guarantee either, yet all three found their way to the MLB level very quickly.

One gets the impression that Uehara and Kazuhiko Nakano, his college team manager who is helping him negotiate with his professional contract, are dealing from a position of naivete. The Angels have absolutely no interest in signing Uehara just so he can spend his career in the minor leagues... they want him on their top team but not until he is ready. Having never pitched professionally, and having thrown his best game -- a no hitter -- against one of the weakest teams in his conference does not mean that he is yet ready to pitch against Bernie Williams, Ken Griffey, Jr., and other Major Leaguers.

And what is one to think of Uehara's absurd decision to limit negotiations to the Yomiuri and Anaheim? True, the Giants are God's gift to Japanese baseball, but neither Uehara nor his manager have even talked to all of the Major League clubs that are interested in him. What -- at the risk of offending Angels' fans -- may I ask is so special about Anaheim that leads Uehara to consider the team his only major league choice? In fact, Uehara and Nakano only talked to three teams -- the Angels, Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. Essentially what the player and manager did was wait for MLB teams to contact them.

However, many of those teams haven't the faintest clue how to reach Uehara since phone numbers and other contact information is seldom printed in English or distributed freely. Instead of listening to a manager who has no experience negotiating with North American teams, Uehara should have enlisted a professional agent who could have contacted other Major League clubs, sent video tapes of his games, and negotiated a higher offer from a larger pool of suitors.

Considering the many errors in judgment, there remains two distinct possibilities. Either Uehara is a fool for listening to his know-it-not-at-all manager, or he has already made up his mind to play for the Giants, but is merely engaging in discussions with the Angels to sweeten Yomiuri's offer. Either way, we will soon know his answer. Japan's amateur draft is set for November 20.

Super Dome Series opens Friday

The Super Dome series opens this Friday, November 6, when a team of Major League all-stars takes on the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome. The remaining seven games, from November 7 to 15, will feature Japanese vs. Major League all-stars.

Reportedly, Yakult's Kazuhisa Ishii, who led both leagues in strikeouts, will be the Japanese team's starter in game 1. However, Yokohama reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki, currently ailing from a sore elbow and Achilles tendons, will be a no-show as will Seibu reliever Denney Tomori. Sasaki's place will be taken by Hanshin submarine pitcher Tetsuro Kawajiri, who earlier this year pitched a no-hitter after missing the first week of the season due to a suspension for tax evasion, while Seibu's Takashi Ishii will fill in for Tomori.

November 10, 1998

Super Dome Series under way

Three games into the Major League tour of Japan, the Japanese have yet to win a game. The big league all-stars defeated the Yomiuri Giants 4-1 on Friday, and crushed Japan all-stars 8-1 and 10-7 in the following two games.

Despite the lopsided scores, the Japanese team has shown some signs of life. Yomiuri pitcher Yusaku Iriki pitched well in the opening game while Hiroshima's Kanei Kobayashi and Chunichi's Shigeki Noguchi both pitched well as relievers in the third game. Kudos to catchers Motonobu Tanishige (Yokohama) and Atsuya Furuta (Yakult) who nailed almost all of the would-be Major League base-stealers. In contrast, the big league backstops have allowed Orix superstar Ichiro Suzuki to swipe four bases while Toshihisa Nishi (Yomiuri), Takuro Ishii (Yokohama), Akira Eto (Hiroshima) and Kazuo Matsui (Seibu) each stole one. Against Japan's eight stolen bases, the Major League all-stars have just swiped one bag while being nailed in three other attempts. Aside from their fancy base running and a flash of solid pitching here and there, however, the Japanese team hasn't much to crow about.

Though Yakult ace Kazuhisa Ishii struck out six opponents in four innings of work on Saturday, he also gave up three runs and took the loss. Chunichi Rookie of the Year Kenshin Kawakami allowed eight earned runs in less than three innings the following day. For a change, it was the Japanese players, namely Ishii, who claimed not to have been out of shape for the series.

Rumor has it that the teams are using regulation Major League baseballs, which are slightly larger and heavier than their Japanese counterparts. That may be one reason for the lack of power on the Japanese side. While the big league all-stars have clouted seven home runs in the first three games, the Japanese have yet to send one into the bleachers. Most notably, Yomiuri sluggers Hideki Matsui and Kazuhiro Kiyohara (currently hit-less) have been wielding limp bats.

Meanwhile Yomiuri manager Shigeo Nagashima has continued to demonstrate his questionable talent as manager. One of his most foolish mistakes was selecting players to fill out the Japanese roster. Aside from Kiyohara and Toshihisa Nishi, who were both selected by fan balloting, Nagashima failed to pick any other first or second basemen. That led Nagashima to replace hitless Kiyohara with Nippon Ham third baseman Atsushi Kataoka at first for game three. Though Kataoka went two-for-five, he misplayed the first ball thrown his way. Can't really blame him, though, since it's not his natural position.

Proclaiming that his selections were intended to give younger players a chance to play (code: no gaijin need apply), Nagashima failed to appoint a single foreigner to the Japan Pro Baseball squad. That mistake was two-fold. First, he neglected some of the best players in Japan, such as Julio Franco (Marines -- placed second in fan balloting for his position and actually received more votes than manager Nagashima), Nathan Minchey (Hiroshima -- 15-11, 2.75 ERA), Phil Clark (Kintetsu -- .320, 31 home runs, 114 RBIs and a record 48 doubles), Bobby Rose (Yokohama -- .325, 19, 96), Sun Dong Yol (Chunichi -- 3-0, 29 saves, 1.48 ERA) and Erik Schullstrom (Nippon Ham -- fifteen save points, 3.00 ERA, 52 strikeouts in 45 innings). Not only would their playing on the field have helped their hapless nihonjin teammates, but their knowledge of Major League baseball and the visiting all-stars by far trumps that of any Japanese manager, coach or player.

But rather than offering a chance to see how strong Japanese baseball can be when gaijin and nihonjin work together, Nagashima opted for the old "us vs. them" strategy. Apparently, the old generation would rather lose by themselves than win with any help. And that's a shame because there's a synergy when the best players appear together that has been lacking in these games so far.

Off-season notes:
Lining up for the draft

Uehara reportedly chooses to stay with Giants: A Kyodo wire story recently claimed that top Japanese college prospect Koji Uehara, who had talked with at least three major league teams, has decided to designate the Yomiuri Giants in this season's amateur draft. Because Uehara is a college student, he has the opportunity to select the team he wishes to be drafted by. That, however, is not an option for Yokohama high school pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. The right-hander who became a celebrity this summer by leading his team to victory in the Koshien tournament has stated that he wants to be drafted by the Yokohama BayStars. Unfortunately, three other teams are also hoping to pick him. Should Matsuzaka be selected by either the Yakult Swallows, Seibu Lions or Nippon Ham Fighters, he will probably elect to play for a company team, then rejoin the draft when he has the opportunity to take advantage of the reverse-designation system. Meanwhile PL Gakuen graduate 22-year-old Shinji Udaka has decided to go with the Kintetsu Buffaloes in this year's draft.

Free agents Kida and Takeda plan next move

While several players eligible for free agency have signed with their current teams, only two appear ready to change uniforms. According to the Asahi Evening News, 30-year-old Orix reliever Masao Kida met with the Anaheim Angels and Seattle Mariners in Tokyo last weekend. According to the paper, Kida has been contacted by nine major league ball clubs and will travel to America later this month to conduct formal contract negotiations. Kida has opted not to be represented by a professional sports agent in these talks. Fukuoka Daiei Hawks pitcher Kazuhiro Takeda, meanwhile, has filed for free agency. While Kida has been quite direct in stating his ambition to play in the major leagues, Takeda appears to be testing the free agent waters in order to get a better offer from the Hawks or another Japanese team.

Tigers acquire Seibu outfielder Sasaki

Two weeks after hiring manager Katsuya Nomura from the Yakult Swallows, the Hanshin Tigers have picked up Seibu outfielder Makoto Sasaki. Although Sasaki batted .322 with 40 stolen bases in 1992, his career has recently been plagued with injuries. Since the Lions have opted to use younger players in their outfield, Sasaki didn't have much of a future with Seibu. Hanshin manager Nomura, well known for "recycling" cast-off players, apparently feels that Sasaki still has some value.

1998 Gold Glove winners

On November 12, the winners of this year's Golden Gloves were announced. Not surprisingly, most of this year's picks came from the pennant-winning BayStars and Lions. Since there is no hard criteria for measuring defense, these awards often go to players who were passed over in MVP and best nine selections. The Pacific League winners include: pitcher Fumiya Nishiguchi, catcher Tsutomu Ito, first baseman Taisei Takagi, shortstop Kazuo Matsui and outfielder Susumu Otomo, all with the Lions. Also winning the PL prizes were second baseman Makoto Kaneko (Nippon Ham), third baseman Atsushi Kataoka (Nippon Ham), and outfielders Ichiro Suzuki (Orix) and Naoyuki Omura (Buffaloes). The CL winners included five Yokohama players: catcher Motonobu Tanishige, first baseman Norihiro Komada, second baseman Bobby Rose, shortstop Takuro Ishii, and third baseman Tatsuya Shindo. Pitcher Masumi Kuwata (Yomiuri), and outfielders Yoshinobu Takahashi (Yomiuri), Tsuyoshi Shinjo (Hanshin) also Koichi Ogata (Hiroshima) also were named. While most of these players demonstrated good defensive skills, Shinjo's appearance on the list, despite making a mockery of himself in center field, demonstrates the subjective nature of the award. Next year they'll be giving away gold gloves in packages of Calbee potato chips.

Swallows release Hosey

Also on November 9, the Yakult Swallows announced they would release outfielder Dwayne Hosey. While Hosey earned the 1997 home run crown but struggled at the plate this year, finishing with just thirteen homers and a .233 batting average.

November 17, 1998

Major Leaguers win Super Dome series

With the Major League all-star squad's 8-7 victory over the Japanese team on Sunday, the baseball season on both sides of the Pacific finally came to an end. While Sammy Sosa's much-anticipated home runs and MVP performance stole the show, the Japanese team escaped a widely-predicted sweep by winning two games. Still, the Major Leaguers put the series away on Saturday and finished Sunday with a 5-2-game margin of victory.

Next to Sosa, probably the biggest story of the games was Orix outfielder Ichiro Suzuki who made little attempt to hide his big league ambitions. In seven games, Ichiro batted .346 with four stolen bases. The Nikkan Sports reported that Ichiro jokingly said, "In two years," when Sammy Sosa asked him when he would move to the Major Leagues. The New York Daily News (link below), however, claimed Ichiro was dead serious. In either event, the twenty-five year old right fielder will not be a free agent until 2001.

Off-Season notes...

Hawks release all foreign players: The Fukuoka Daiei made a stunning announcement last week when they released all four of their foreign players, including two-time RBI king Luis Lopez. Let go by the Carp last year because his salary demands were well-above the tight-fisted team's budget, Lopez fielded several offers before joining the Hawks in 1998. Despite a slow start while adjusting to the Pacific League, Lopez finished the season with a respectable .294 batting average, 17 home runs and 68 RBIs. Why, then, the release?

The purge probably has more to do with money than their foreign players' performance. Daiei has suffered some highly publicized financial problems this years, and rumors surfaced earlier that the team and Fukuoka Dome may be sold. After three strong seasons, Lopez would likely demand a pay raise which the Hawks are evidently unable to afford. Daiei rarely keeps foreign players for more than one or two years.

Takeda flies the coop: This news also calls into question the fate of free agent pitcher Kazuhiro Takeda, who compiled a 13-10 record with a 3.62 ERA for the Hawks this season. Although Daiei had previously voiced hope that Takeda would be willing to stay, their current finances might make that difficult. Takeda, meanwhile, has been talking to the Chunichi Dragons, a team that has a shortage of right-handed starters.

Pay cut for Yamauchi: The Hiroshima Carp announced that they have reached agreement with 1995 Rookie of the Year Yasuyuki Yamauchi for next season. Yamauchi, who has continued to slip each year, finished this season with a 4-7 record. His contract called for a five million yen ($40,000 US) pay cut.

PL Starts late: The Daily Yomiuri reported on November 12 that the Pacific League 1999 season opener will be held on April 3 while the Central League will begin play a day earlier. The change was reportedly made after the Nippon Ham Fighters objected to starting the season on the same day as the Yomiuri Giants, with whom they share Tokyo Dome as a home park.

Draft: This year's amateur draft takes place on November 20. And the biggest question seems to be who will get Yokohama High School pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who led his team to a championship at the Koshien summer baseball tournament this year. Check back next week and find out what happens.

November 24, 1998

Japan's 1999 annual player draft
by Rob Magee

Japan's twelve professional baseball teams held their annual player draft November 30. Because of the way the draft is organized there are usually few surprises. The greatest drama was whether star high school pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka (Yokohama H.S.) and Nagisa Aragaki (Okinawa Suisan H.S.) would be selected by the teams they wanted to sign with, Yokohama and Daiei respectively.

College and semi-pro players can opt out of the draft by using the reverse designation system (gyaku-shimei), where they negotiate directly with a team and in return the team gives up a draft choice to sign the player. As a result, the only real battles are for the high school players, who are not allowed to make use of the reverse designation scheme.

However, even the selection of high school players depends more on luck than anything else. Teams pick players in the reverse order of finish, with the last-place team from the league that lost the Japan Series picking first. But in Japan's system the order of selection is completely meaningless. Rather than allotting negotiating rights only to the first team to select a player, any number of teams can select the same player. If more than one team picks the same player, the team that gets the rights to negotiate with the player is selected at random in a drawing.

So, if last season's last place team and the Japan Series Championship winner both select the same player, both teams have the same chance of getting the player in question. The system does not try to promote parity by guaranteeing weaker teams a shot at stronger players - the rich can get richer and the poor can scuttle around trying to grab a next choice player.

A corollary is that if the order of selection doesn't really matter, there is no real need for a team to keep its choices secret.

The players themselves can also gum up the works with the reverse designation scheme. When a team wins the rights to negotiate with a player, the team has to sign the player by March 31st of the following year. If a player doesn't sign by then he cannot sign with a professional team in Japan for three years. For high school players this means a few years of college or a stint in the semi-pro corporate leagues. After sitting out three years, the player can use the reverse designation scheme to sign with the Japanese pro team he wanted to select him in the first place.

The best example of this for 1998 is Kosuke Fukudome, a power hitting infielder who was selected by seven teams in the 1995 draft. Fukudome had announced he would only sign with the Giants or Dragons, but coming out of high school he was not allowed to use the reverse designation system. Kintetsu won the draw and the rights to sign him, but Fukudome opted not to sign and instead played with a corporate team for three years. This year the Dragons gave up their first-round draft pick to sign him in the reverse designation scheme.

So, high school players can use the reverse designation system to bypass the draft altogether. Sure, they have to cool their heels with a college or company team for three years, but after that they can sign with any team they want to, and the team that burned a first round draft pick trying to sign them gets nothing in return.

This year neither Matsuzaka's nor Aragaki's preferred teams won rights to sign them. Seibu, Yokohama and Nippon Ham all named Matsuzaka their top pick, with Seibu winning the draw. Matsuzaka has received the most media attention of high school players in this year's draft and has shown considerable poise in talking with the press. He expressed disappointment after Seibu won the draw, and is expected to sign with a corporate team rather than with the Lions.

Daiei and Orix drew for the rights to Aragaki, and Orix won. Within minutes of the news Aragaki announced he would be going to college.

1998 Draft Results:
Central League

Yokohama BayStars:
Needed: Very little. Extra pitching and some young players who could eventually take over first base and right field would be good moves, but they're a solid group as it is with decent depth. Got:
1) Katsuaki Furuki (replacement pick after losing the draw for Matsuzaka) (18, IF, R/L) High school slugger, 52 HR in three years of high school. However, before the draft Furuki expressed a desire to play for Daiei, which may complicate his signing.
2) Eiji Yano (reverse-designation) (22, RHP, Hosei Univ.) One of the best college pitchers available this year. Should be able to contribute with the big team right away.

Chunichi Dragons:
Needed: The Dragons badly need a hitter with power to add to their line up. An extra right-handed starter would give them a little more balance. Got:
1) Kosuke Fukudome (reverse-designation) (21, IF (SS), Nihon Seimei (semi-pro), R/L) Fills their need for a hitter with average and power and gives them a left-handed bat to boot. But the Dragons IF is crowded. Moving Jongbeom Lee to the OF trades one shaky glove at short for another, but they need his bat.
2) Hitoki Iwase (reverse-designation) (24, LHP, NTT Tokai (semi-pro)) Adds another lefty to the pile. Could make the starting rotation early in the season.
Other: Manager Hoshino picked up another pitcher (Takashi Ogasawara) from his alma mater, Meiji University. Last year he took Meiji's Kenshin Kawakami, who pitched his way to the Rookie of the Year award. The Drags also chose an all-around player -- Hidenori Kuramoto, an outfielder who also pitches with a 145 kph fastball.

Yomiuri Giants:
Needed: A catcher or a left-handed starter would help. After buying lots of older sluggers, a little more youth and speed would be good. Got:
1) Koji Uehara (reverse-designation) (23, RHP, Osaka Taiiku Univ.) Courted by the Anaheim Angels, with other MLB teams expressing interest. The best non-professional RHP available this year. Mixes a 149 kph fastball with a slider and a forkball. Set a college league record with 36 career wins.
2) Tomohiro Nioka (reverse-designation) (22, IF (SS), Kinki Taiiku Univ., R/R) One of the prizes of this year's draft. Speed, defense and hitting skills above the JPB average. Already being set up as next year's Rookie of the Year.
Other: Used their third pick to sign Ken Kato, one of the year's best high school catchers.

Yakult Swallows:
Needed: The Swallows shouldn't turn down help at any position save catcher. After joining the hunt for Matsuzaka, they wisely changed course and picked two promising high school pitchers. Got:
1) Katsutoshi Ishido (18, RHP)
2) Usami Makitani (18, RHP)
Both are fairly tall among kids in this year's draft (Ishido is 186 cm, or 6'1"; Makitani is 188 cm, or about 6'2"), and both benefited from this in high school because of the impression they were throwing down at batters from a greater height. They won't be able to rely on this at the pro level, but Yakult's scouts expect the two can develop into solid starters.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp:
Needed: Starting pitching should be the immediate concern. Position players are solid, but the Carp don't have a lot of depth -- one injury and the team can (and has) dropped out of the race. Got:
1) Akihiro Higashide (18, IF (SS), R/L)
2) Takamitsu Io (18, IF, R/B)
Two highly-rated infielders said to have a good balance of speed, offense and defensive skills. Higashiide is thought to be in line for the SS spot as regular SS Kenji Nomura ages. Io is said to have more power of the two, and he's a rarity -- a switch-hitter.
Others: The Carp used their third-round pick to grab Shuhei Yano (18, RHP), whom Nippon Ham was expected to pick in the first round when they lost the drawing for Matsuzaka. The Fighters picked someone else and the Carp capitalized on the opportunity. The book on Yano is that he has a 140+ kph fastball and good potential.

Hanshin Tigers:
Needed: Name it. They are rebuilding from the ground up, so new manager Nomura has free reign to design a new team from the start. Got:
1) Kyuji Fujikawa (18, RHP) A 143+ kph fastball and the attitude Nomura is looking for -- hungry. He also hit fourth for his team. His first name uses characters for "ball" and "child" -- he was named to commemorate a no-hit, no-run game his father pitched for his neighborhood team.
2) Takehito Kanazawa (reverse-designation) (19, RHP, NTT Kanto) Normally ineligible for the draft, Kanazawa was allowed to use the reverse designation rule because his semi-pro team is disbanding. Mixes a 145 kph fastball and a good slider.

Pacific League:

Seibu Lions:
Needed: Starting pitching, a second baseman, and outfielders good enough to play every day. Since Lions dumped DH Domingo Martinez shortly before the draft, they could also use a few powerful bats. Got:
1) Daisuke Matsuzaka (18, RHP) A fastball reaching 150 kph, a hard, fast slider and excellent control made Matsuzaka the most sought after high school player in this year's draft. He has the stuff to contribute at Japan's top level fairly quickly. Seibu has until March 31st to sign him, but Matsuzaka is expected to go with a semi-pro corporate team (Nihon Sekiyu) and sit out three years until he is able to join the pros with reverse designation rights.
2) Shogo Akada (18, IF (2B), R/R) A good balance of defense and speed, plus he can hit for power, with 42 HR in three years of high school.
Others: For a team that could use some more starting pitching the Lions did not have a good draft. Seibu manager Osamu Higashio went after Matsuzaka despite latter's repeated hints he would only sign with Yokohama. The only other pitcher they drafted is a semi-pro player best known for his high school days (Tomoki Hoshino, 21, LHP, Prince Hotel).

Nippon Ham Fighters:
Needed: The Fighters need at least one starting pitcher, especially after deciding not to re-sign Kip Gross, a winner and an inning-eater who missed much of this season with arm troubles. Got:
1) Kazunari Sanematsu (17, C, R/R) When the Fighters lost the drawing for Matsuzaka to Seibu, they turned around and took the Lions' projected No. 2 pick with their consolation pick. Sanematsu is classed as the best of this year's high school catchers, with an arm and a bat expected to contend as for the starter's spot.
2) Yoshinori Tateyama (reverse-designation) (22, RHP, Matsushita Electric (semi-pro)) The Fighters must see something in Tateyama that other scouts have missed.
Other: Nippon Ham took a total of six players in the draft, three of which come from the semi-pro NTT Kanto team which is disbanding.

Orix Blue Wave:
Needed: A catcher who can gain the confidence of the Orix pitching staff, a closer to replace major league-bound reliever Masao Kida, and an additional left-handed starter. Got:
1) Nagisa Aragaki (18, RHP) Along with Matsuzaka, the most highly touted high school player in the 1998 draft. The 6'2" Aragaki has a fastball maxing at 151 kph, but looks a little rough around the edges. Orix has negotiating rights to him until the end of March, but Aragaki has already announced to the world he is going to college instead. If he can get on top of some control problems in college he could be dominating at the top level.
2) Hidetaka Kawagoe (reverse designation) (25, RHP, Nissan (semi-pro) Excellent control, hits spots with his fastball.

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks:
Needed: Defense, speed and starting pitching. Over the past several years, the Hawks have put too much emphasis on acquiring sluggers. As a result, the team has perhaps the worst defense in the Pacific League. Pitching is also a big problem, particularly with the likely loss of free agent Kazuhiro Takeda. Got:
1) Ryo Yoshimoto (18, IF, R/R) The Hawks selected Aragaki as their first pick, but lost the drawing. They took Yoshimoto with the loser's pick. Yoshimoto is expected to be a future slugger. He leads all high school players in this year's draft with 62 career HR in three years (Japan's high schools run three years, not four as in the U.S.) Good speed also.
2) Nobuyasu Matsu (22, LHP, Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) (reverse designation) The best college LHP in this year's draft. 140+ kph fastball, and a variety of off-speed pitches. Expected to make an impact early in his career.

Kintetsu Buffaloes:
Needed: A solid catcher and more starting pitchers. Kintetsu had the worst team ERA in the Pacific League (4.28). Got:
1) Shinji Udaka (reverse designation) (22, RHP, Kinki Univ.) College standout, and one of the best college pitchers in the draft. Throws sidearm, almost submarine. Fastball clocked at 140+ kph.
2) Akihito Fujii (22, C, R/R, Kinki Univ.) The best amateur catcher available this year. Strong throwing arm, good defense, calls a good game and hits with some power. Fujii was Udaka's college batterymate, and the two of them should make an impact in their first season.

Chiba Lotte Marines:
Needed: Most anything would help, but cutting Julio Franco was a step in the wrong direction. Aside from shortstop Makoto Kosaka, Lotte didn't demonstrate much base stealing ability last year. The Marines could also use a reliable power hitter and a left-handed starting pitcher. Got:
1) Masahide Kobayashi (reverse designation) (24, RHP, Tokyo Gas) Should start the year with the top team because of his 150 kph fastball.
2) Tomoya Satozaki (22, C, R/R, Teikyo Univ.) Strong arm, hits for power, expected to contend for as starting catcher from opening day next season.

(Rob Magee is a freelance writer and translator living in Tama City, Japan. He has followed Japanese baseball for over ten years.)

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