Even without superstar outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, the BlueWave would be a strong team. Though they have few "power pitchers", Orix has an excellent mound staff, a deep infield, good defense and a couple of heavy-hitting imported sluggers. The team's biggest gap is their lack of a good defensive backstop who can also hit.

Pitchers:

Nobuyuki Hoshino: One of the two best starters on the BlueWave staff, thirty-two year old Nobuyuki Hoshino has already established a 151-110 career record. Over fourteen seasons, the gaunt southpaw has struck out 1,731 batters while maintaining a consistent 3.48 ERA. In 1996, Hoshino had the best Pacific League winning percentage, with a 13-5 record. A year later, the hurler earned a 14-10 record with a 3.24 ERA while striking out 121 batters. Not a power pitcher, Hoshino uses a mixture of off-speed pitches to out-smart batters.

Koji Noda: Hoshino's right-handed counterpart, Koji Noda gets a lot of strikeouts (three-straight 200+ seasons, and a record 19 strikeouts in one game, April 21, 1995), but, with an 89-87 record, he is a bit deficient when it comes to winning games. In his ten professional seasons, Noda has compiled a 3.48 ERA with 1,322 strikeouts.

After five respectable years with the Tigers, Noda joined the BlueWave in 1993 and posted a career-best 17-5 record with a 2.56 ERA and 209 strikeouts. In 1997, Noda tallied a 7-5 record while striking out 99 batters and compiling a 3.29 ERA.

Takahide Ito: A nine-year Orix veteran, thirty-four year old Takahide Ito emerged as the BlueWave's third best starter in 1997. With a 10-7 record and 105 strikeouts, the right-handed pitcher tallied a 3.46 ERA. Since 1989 Ito has compiled a 27-27 record with 36 saves, 524 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA.

Hiroshi Kobayashi: The BlueWave's top fireman in 1997, Hiroshi Kobayashi earned 22 save points with a 7-3 record, fifteen saves and a 2.56 ERA in 81 innings.

Willie Fraser: Dominating opponents through the second half of 1996, Willie Fraser posted a great 10-2 record with a 3.07 ERA before winning game two of the 1996 Japan Series for Orix. In 1997, his ERA gained altitude (4.39) and the big right-hander compiled a less impressive 10-9 record with 65 strikeouts in 121 innings.

Yoshinori Sato: Probably best known for pitching a no-hitter against the Buffaloes in 1995 a few weeks before his forty-first birthday, Yoshinori Sato has had a long career in the Hankyu/Orix organization. In 20 seasons, the 43-year old right-handed hurler has compiled a career 165-137 record with 48 saves, 1749 strikeouts, 1054 walks, and a career 3.97 ERA. In 1997, he went 4-3 with 22 strikeouts, 22 walks and a 4.36 ERA.

Tomoya Kawaguchi: A 19-year old southpaw, Heian high school star Tomoya Kawaguchi signed a contract with his favorite team after four ball clubs showed interest in him in the annual draft. In 1997, he led his Kyoto high school to a runner-up finish in the annual summer high school tournament at Koshien with a good fastball and tricky breaking ball.

Masafumi Hirai: Though only twenty-three, right-hander Masafumi Hirai has emerged as one of the leading members of the BlueWave bullpen. In his second season, right-handed fireman saved twenty games in 1995 and won 15 in relief--for a league-leading 42 save points, the highest number since the Pacific League started recording the statistic in 1977. But the last two years, his pitching has been lower-profile. In 1997, he went 2-1 with 27 strikeouts, 18 walks and a 3.98 ERA in 54 1/3 innings. Since 1994, Hirai has compiled a 23-12 record with 33 saves, 171 strikeouts, 53 walks and a 2.77 ERA.

Taira Suzuki: After spending six completely unproductive seasons with Yakult, right-handed reliever Taira Suzuki joined Orix in 1995. Within two years, he had won nine games and saved twenty-two more while lowering his career ERA to 2.76. During the 1996 Japan Series, the former Swallow pitcher earned three saves, helping the BlueWave defeat the Giants in five games. Since his 1988 debut, the 28-year old reliever has compiled a 15-14 record with 28 saves, 187 strikeouts, 116 walks and a a 2.97 career ERA. But like several other members of the BlueWave bullpen, Suzuki had trouble in 1997, striking out only 29 batters while walking 30 and posting a 3.83 ERA.

Masao Kida: Because Masao Kida has received high marks from others, the pitcher may have some value. However, he easily gets nervous and allows the opposition to score runs. Some Giants fans were quite happy too see Kida traded to the BlueWave in return for reliable southpaw Takahito Nomura.

Before undergoing elbow surgery in September 1997, Kida appeared in 39 games (49 2/3 innings) and posted a 2-2 record with seven saves and a 1.99 ERA. Since 1989, he has compiled a career 50-57 record with 20 saves and a 3.72 ERA.

Catchers:

Makoto Takada: A former Yomiuri Giant, right-handed switch hitter Makoto Takada joined the BlueWave in 1992. The thirty-three year old backstop has little power and a relatively low average. Though he hit .261 in 1997, Takada has compiled a career .238 average with nine home runs since 1988.

Takashi Miwa: At twenty-seven, Takashi Miwa has little chance of becoming a regular in 1998. He isn't much of a hitter (career .214 average) and whatever skills he has with a glove probably wouldn't justify using him on a daily basis. Even more problematic, Miwa became involved with a widespread tax evasion scandal that will likely leave him suspended for much of the 1998 season.

Infielders:

Hirofumi Ogawa: The BlueWave's regular shortstop, nine-year veteran Hirofumi Ogawa consistently bats in the .270s and .280s without much power (averaging about five home runs a year). In 1997, the career .270 batter hit eleven home runs with 38 RBIs and a .234 average.

Koichi Oshima: Leaving Kintetsu, second baseman Koichi Oshima joined the BlueWave in 1996. Though the right handed Oshima can bat from both sides of the plate, his hitting is unspectacular. A lifetime .254 batter with eleven home runs, the infielder hit .239 in 1997. Oshima earned a starting role because of his defense--in 1996 he won Japan's version of a gold glove.

Chris Donnels: Despite leading his team in slugging (.540) and on base percentage (.385) while batting .281 and hitting 20 home runs, Chris Donnels was released by the Kintetsu Buffaloes after the 1996 season. Joining Orix a year later, Donnels had another good year, batting .302 with 17 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .423 on-base percentage (second best in the league). Defensively, the third baseman's 17 errors nearly earned him league's bobbled ball crown.

Yasuo Fujii: Getting more playing time than most of the other Orix utility players, Yasuo Fujii belted twenty home runs in 1996 while hitting .274. A career .261 batter with 203 home runs, Fujii has power. But at thirty-five it's doubtful he'll be able to put together a season like the one he had in 1990: 37 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .285 average. Still, in 1997 Fujii clubbed eighteen homers with 57 RBIs while batting .240.

Outfielders:

Ichiro Suzuki: The most valuable Orix Player, Ichiro is arguably the finest Japanese baseball player ever. Probably the only batter who could reasonably hit over .400 in Japan (it has never been done), few records seem safe when compared to Ichiro's natural talent and the possibility that the twenty-four year old has his best years in front of him.

The winner of four consecutive Pacific League batting titles, Ichiro has compiled a .348 career batting average with 72 home runs, 803 hits, 126 doubles, 155 steals and 317 RBIs since 1992.

The right fielder's batting numbers were rather consistent except for a slight drop in his batting average (down to .345). During the early part of the season, Ichiro was more impressive than ever, hitting near .400 for the first few months while setting a record for most at-bats without striking out (216). But during the summer, he slumped as if his bat was corked with kryptonite, batting .312 after the all-star break. (Read more about Ichiro.)

So Taguchi: Playing nearly every game in the Orix outfield since the beginning of the 1994 season, So Taguchi is a generally consistent player. His defense is good enough and he can hit reasonably well. In 1997, Taguchi had a really good year, batting .294 with ten home runs and 56 RBIs while earning a gold glove. In six seasons, the right-handed outfielder has compiled a .279 average with 33 home runs and 216 RBIs.

Harvey Pulliam: A 30-year old outfielder acquired from the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks, Harvey Pulliam has compiled a career .262 average in six Major League seasons. Playing for the Colorado Rockies in 1997, he batted .284 with nine RBIs.

Yoshitomo Tani: The BlueWave's Fall 1996 second round draft pick, rookie Yoshitomo Tani gained a fair amount of playing time during the 1997 pennant race. Small (173 cm) and lacking power, Tani nevertheless hit well, batting over .320 in June but slipping to .272 with one home run and 33 RBIs by the end of the season.