After a period of rebuilding, the Buffaloes appear to be headed up in the Pacific League. Moving into the new Osaka Dome, the team has the speed and power to score runs.

After the defection of Hideo Nomo several years ago and the trade of Masato Yoshii, the team has struggled with its starting pitching. But with Akira Okamoto and Hideo Koike leading the mound staff, while Tuffy Rhodes and Phil Clark power the Kintetsu offense, the Buffaloes are within striking distance of the PL pennant.

Though the team is fairly well-rounded, starting pitching will continue to be a question mark. Kintetsu also needs to find a decent defensive catcher who can also hit.

Pitchers:

Akira Okamoto: Earning an 8.10 ERA and a 1-6 record on a minor league team (in 1996) is probably not the kind of performance that inspires a manager with confidence. Nevertheless, skipper Kyosuke Sasaki gave twenty-four year old Akira Okamoto a chance on the varsity team in 1997.

The young right-hander pitched well, earning a 2.82 ERA while striking out 84 batters and posting a 10-6 record. The big question now is whether Okamoto can keep up the pace through the 1998 season.

Hideo Koike: For four years, southpaw hurler Hideo Koike had shown potential. Between 1993 and '96, he had compiled a 15-19 record with a 4.48 career ERA. Not very impressive. Perhaps moving to the Osaka Dome helped Koike, because in 1997 the twenty-eight year old underachiever chalked an 15-6 record with136 strikeouts and a 2.96 ERA.

Hiroshi Takamura: Right-hander Hiroshi Takamura had a good first season in 1992, earning the Pacific League Rookie of the Year with a 13-9 record, 153 strikeouts and a 3.15 ERA. Given the number of "Rookie of the Year" players who flounder later in their career, the title may be more of a curse than an honor.

Aside from a 1.91 ERA year in 1995, Takamura hasn't developed much in the last five years. The twenty-eight year old pitcher had his worst season in 1997: 8-9 with a 4.76 ERA. With a lifetime 47-51 record, Takamura has compiled 657 strikeouts and a career 4.00 ERA.

Motoyuki Akahori: One of the best relievers in the Pacific League, Motoyuki Akahori had another good year in 1997, earning 33 save points with 23 saves and a 10-7 record. In the process, the right-handed stopper earned a 3.05 ERA. In his nine years with the Buffaloes, the twenty-seven year old fireman has earned a career 51-37 record with 139 saves, 515 strikeouts and a 2.37 ERA. Leading the league in save points five of the last six years, Akahori is probably the most important member of the Kintetsu pitching staff.

Shigeki Sano: With Motoyuki Akahori as the team's premier stopper, Shigeki Sano has had to find other relief roles on the team. In his seven season career, the portly and balding pitcher has attained a 37-23 lifetime record with 26 saves and a 3.36 ERA. Unless Akahori stumbles, Sano will probably work as a middle-reliever, mop-up specialist, and set-up man.

Koki Morita: Suffering elbow problems in 1997, Yokohama middle reliever Koki Morita pitched poorly, compiling a 1-7 record with two saves and a 5.31 ERA in 59 1/3 innings. A few months after the end of the 1997, the BayStars traded the right-hander to Kintetsu in return for outfielder Hitoshi Nakane.

Morita hasn't pitched well since 1995 when he appeared in 57 games while posting an 8-4 record with five saves, 60 strikeouts, 27 walks and a 1.97 ERA. In 1992, went 14-6 and led the CL with a 2.05 ERA . Since 1988, the 28-year old has compiled a 40-33 record with 28 saves, 396 strikeouts, 195 walks and a 3.96 career ERA.

Phil Leftwich: A former Anaheim Angels pitcher, Phil Leftwich signed a one-year contract with Kintetsu worth an estimated 75 million yen.

Rob Matson: A 32-year old former minor league hurler, Rob Matson signed a one-year contract with the Buffaloes for an estimated 20 million yen.

Catchers:

Kenji Furukubo: A career .215 hitter, catcher Kenji Furukubo must be contributing something (defense) to the team or he would have been released years ago. Compiling his best season at the plate in 1997, Furukubo batted .287 but he strikes out a lot. As painful as it might be to imagine, at thirty-three, his batting can only get worse.

Tetsuya Matoyama: A 27-year old reserve catcher, Tetsuya Matoyama has compiled a career .178 batting average with five home runs. A terminally mediocre batter, Matoyama notched 62 strike outs against 13 walks in 1997 while posting a .197 average with four home runs.

Koichi Isobe: Though a catcher, rookie Koichi Isobe saw far more action in Kintetsu outfield in 1997 than he did behind the plate. The 24-year old backstop hit .233 with seven doubles in 62 games and 133 at bats.

Infielders:

Phil Clark: In 1996, the Buffaloes surprised a lot of people by releasing productive first baseman Chris Donnels (now playing for Orix). Because replacement Phil Clark had a great year, the move may now seem wise in retrospect.

A five-year.276 Major League batter with the Tigers, Padres and Red Sox (1992-96), Clark joined the Buffaloes in 1997 and became one of the year's best foreign imports. Playing in all 135 games, the right-handed infielder earned the second-highest league average (.331), while hitting 23 home runs and slugging .513.

Both Tuffy Rhodes and Phil Clark were by far the most productive players on the Buffaloes offense. Clark also served as the Kintetsu designated hitter.

Eiji Mizuguchi: A .275 batter with 22 home runs over seven seasons, twenty-eight year old second baseman Eiji Mizuguchi became a regular in 1994. Generally consistent, Mizuguchi can be expected to bat around .280 and hit five to ten home runs a year.

Takashi Muto: Barely appearing on anyone's radar screen a year earlier, Takashi Muto became the Buffaloes' regular shortstop in 1997. Appearing in 119 games, the twenty-four year old batted .282 with seven triples and 26 stolen bases. What Muto lacks in power (no home runs), he apparently makes up with speed as Kintetsu's new lead-off batter.

Moving to the new Osaka Dome, speed is exactly what the Buffaloes needed. In contrast, the Dragons who moved into the Nagoya Dome the same year, went with the formula that led them to second place in the relatively small Nagoya Stadium in 1996: home run hitters win games. The Dragons finished in last place in their new home while the Buffaloes, who adjusted to the reality of their new home (speed is more important in larger ballparks), surged to third place in September 1997.

Norihiro Nakamura: Leading the Pacific League in only one category (errors) in 1997, Norihiro Nakamura's primary role on the team is knocking in runs. In 1995, he slugged twenty home runs with 64 RBIs, and a year later he hit twenty-six and batted in 67. Playing first and third base in 1997, Nakamura had a less successful year in the new Osaka Dome, batting only .240 with nineteen home runs and sixty-eight RBIs. In his six season career, Nakamura has batted .249 with 75 home runs.

Outfielders:

Tuffy Rhodes: A six year utility outfielder with the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox (1990-95), Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes never got much of a chance to play day-to-day in the Major Leagues.

Joining the Buffaloes in 1996, Rhodes played in all 130 games (usually in left field), hitting .293, banging 27 home runs, compiling 97 RBIs and stealing eleven bases. With one of the highest slugging percentages in the Pacific League (.517), Tuffy had a great "rookie" year.

Though the Buffaloes moved to the Osaka Dome (with Major-League sized dimensions) in 1997, Rhodes didn't seem to notice. His sophomore season, the left-handed slugger hit .307 (sixth in the league) with 22 home runs (seventh), 102 RBIs (third), 22 stolen bases (ninth), and a .409 on-base percentage (third). Rhodes also led the league with thirty-four doubles while slugging .509 (eighth).

Reliable and consistent, 29 year old Rhodes should have another great season in 1998.

Takahisa Suzuki: Though at age twenty-seven his hitting has declined in recent years, left fielder Takahisa Suzuki is still one of the more productive batters on the team. With 183 career home runs and a .257 average, Suzuki squeaked by in 1997 with ten home runs while batting .261.

Naoyuki Omura: A four year veteran at age twenty-two, lefty Naoyuki Omura got more playing time in 1997, and seemed to do well. Though he had only hit .254 (with nine home runs) prior to 1997, he finished his first season in the Osaka Dome batting .281 with one home run and 30 RBIs.

Kazunori Yamamoto: Probably the most-like member of the team, Kazunori Yamamoto has served as part-time designated hitter for the Buffaloes the past two seasons. A career .283 hitter with 162 home runs, the left-handed slugger was released by the Hawks after an injury plagued 1995 seasons. The Buffaloes gave him a second chance (they had released him after the 1982 season) and the designated hitter spot in 1996.

Returning to Kintetsu, Yamamoto batted .266 in 86 games and hit fourteen home runs. A sentimental choice to appear in the 1996 All-Star series (two or three all-star games are usually played in Japan), the balding pinch-hitter knocked a "timely" home run to put the game away for the Pacific League. Selected as the game MVP, Yamamoto tearfully delivered what will probably be his final All-Star hero interview.

In 1997, the aging designated hitter batted .264 with twelve home runs and 34 RBIs while appearing in 93 games.