Though they have without a doubt the worst pitching staff in the Pacific League, the Hawks still have a few good arms, particularly those belonging to ace Kimiyasu Kudo and Katsunori Okamoto. But home run king skipper Sadaharu Oh prefers to concentrate on power hitting, Daiei's strongest area. The team has several impressive home run hitters, including Hiroki Kokubo, Luis Lopez and Koichiro Yoshinaga.

Pitchers:

Kimiyasu Kudo: One of the best Pacific League pitchers in the last decade, Kimiyasu Kudo played for the Seibu Lions (1982-94) before joining the Hawks in 1995. Somewhat erratic in the past, the 176 cm southpaw has led the league in ERA three times and won his first strikeout title in 1996. Kudo earned the 1993 MVP with a 15-3 record 130 strikeouts and a league-leading 2.06 ERA.

Despite having an 8-15 record in 1996, Kudo came back and pitched well last year, earning an 11-6 record with 146 strikeouts and a 3.35 ERA (a 2.72 ERA before the 1997 All-Star break).

On a team that has probably the worst pitching in the Pacific League, Kudo is the most reliable starter on the staff. Even if the thirty-four year old's numbers falter somewhat in 1998, he'll still get more than his share of starts.

Kazuhiro Takeda: Probably Fukuoka's second best starter, Kazuhiro Takeda joined Daiei after being sidelined for most of the 1995 season with Nippon Ham. In his first year with the Hawks, Takeda earned a 15-8 record with a 3.84 ERA.

The pitcher remained consistent with a 3.85 ERA in 1997 but ended up with a losing 4-9 record. Playing mostly for losing teams since 1988, Takeda has a lifetime 59-66 record with 31 saves and a 3.93 career ERA.

Shintaro Yoshitake: At a young age, Shintaro Yoshitake became a central part of Daiei's pitching staff. Starting with 24 games in 1995 at the age of 19, a year later the right-hander earned a 3.44 ERA with a 4-13 record. In 1997 he posted a 7-7 record and a 3.54 ERA with 76 strikeouts in eighteen games.

Kenichi Wakatabe: Aside from a 10-7 season in 1994, Kenichi Wakatabe has not been a very impressive pitcher. With a lifetime 4.44 ERA and 35-44 record, he remained consistently mediocre through the 1997 season. Last year he picked up seven wins and eight losses with a 4.81 ERA.

Hidekazu Watanabe: One of the Hawks' best young pitchers, Hidekazu Watanabe has played four seasons. Preferring to be called by his given name, Hidekazu pitched exceptionally well in 1996, earning a 9-5 record with a 2.54 ERA.

But in 1997, the pitcher didn't see any action until September. In only four games, he posted a 3.86 ERA. Unless there is a prolonged injury, at twenty-six, he should be able to bounce back in 1998--after he serves a brief suspension for tax evasion (along with teammate Hiroki Kokubo). In his short career, Hidekazu has compiled a 22-19 record and a 3.23 ERA.

If you're looking at a Japanese scoreboard or newspaper, Hidekazu's name is easy to read. Following a trend started by Orix superstar Ichiro Suzuki, Watanabe prefers to have his personal name printed in katakana (the same writing system used to identify foreign players' names) rather than traditional kanji.

Katsunori Okamoto: Having a pretty good season for a rookie fifth-round draft pick, Katsunori Okamoto earned the third highest number of saves (19) in the Pacific League. Along with a 3-6 record, the first year pitcher picked up 21 save points while posting a 3.19 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of relief.

Brian Williams: A 29-year old right-handed hurler, Brian Williams signed a one year contract for 1998 estimated at 80 million yet to pitch as a starter for Daiei. In seven years in the Major Leagues, the 150-kph fastball pitcher has compiled a 23-36 record with five saves and a career 5.34 ERA while playing for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles.

Catchers:

Kenji Jojima: Playing in only a handful of games his first two years, Kenji Jojima became the Hawks primary catcher in 1997. Having a great season, the twenty-one year old backstop led the Hawks in batting with a .308 average while hitting 15 home runs, collecting 68 RBIs, and slugging .477.

Potentially one of the best hitting catchers in Japan, Jojima has some work to do on his defense and handling of pitchers. In one early season game, he attempted to stop a runner from scoring by kicking at him. Jojima has a lot to learn before he overtakes Yakult's Atsuya Furuta as Japan's best all-around catcher.

Koichiro Yoshinaga: The Hawks regular catcher until the arrival of Kenji Jojima, twenty-eight year old Koichiro Yoshinaga had been predicted to play first base for the Hawks in 1997. Instead, he saw a lot of time as designated hitter. Without the worries and pains involved with crouching behind home plate for nine-innings, Yoshinaga's bat looked like it was on steroids last year.

Batting .300 and slugging .544 (fourth best in the league) in 1997, Yoshinaga hit 29 home runs with 73 RBIs. In eight years with the Hawks, Yoshinaga has earned a career.285 average with 112 home runs and 378 RBIs.

Infielders:

Luis Lopez: One of the few truly productive foreign players to appear on the Carp line-up in recent years, Lopez has become nearly indispensable. In 1996, the former Brooklyn, New York native batted .312, hit 29 home runs and led the Central League with 109 RBIs.

In 1997, the thirty-three year old first baseman put up nearly identical numbers, leading the league with 170 hits, 37 doubles, 112 RBIs and 297 total bases. Meanwhile, Lopez batted .320 (fourth best in the league), hit 30 home runs (sixth) and compiled a .558 slugging percentage (fifth).

Unable to reach agreement for a contract extension, the Carp released Lopez after the 1997 season. A month later, the two-time RBI king signed a contract with the Hawks for an estimated 150 million yen package. Since Daiei's Hiroki Kokubo will likely miss much of the 1998 season, the Hawks will rely heavily on Lopez.

Hiroki Kokubo: Probably the Hawks most valuable player in 1997, twenty-six year old infielder Hiroki Kokubo led the league in slugging percentage (.588), RBIs (114), total bases (310), and doubles (37). He also batted .302 and belted 36 home runs. Unfortunately, Kokubo became involved in a tax evasion scam and will likely be suspended for part of the 1998 season.

A veteran of only four years, Kokubo won the 1995 home run crown with 28 round-trippers. Usually playing at second base, the young slugger put in a lot of time at first base in 1997. In his short career, he has hit 94 home runs, 89 doubles, fifteen triples and 292 RBIs while batting .272.

Even more amazing than his strong offensive numbers is the fact that he hit so many home runs in the Fukuoka Dome--which has the lowest rate of homers among all Japanese professional baseball fields.

Chihiro Hamana: Never a great batter, twenty-nine year old Chihiro Hamana struggled through the 1997 season with a .241 average and five home runs. A lifetime .250 hitter, Hamana spent time at third and second to give rookie Tadahito Iguchi an opportunity to flounder as the Hawks new shortstop.

Hiroshi Yugamidani: A platoon infielder, Hiroshi Yugamidani had a great part-time season in 1997, batting .301 with five home runs and 28 RBIs. At thirty-one, the speedy thirteen year veteran as a career .255 average with 138 stolen bases and twenty-eight triples.

Tadahito Iguchi: A member of Japan's 1996 Olympic team, and the Hawks number-one draft choice (same year), shortstop Tadahito Iguchi fell flat on his face in 1997. Although he managed to hit six home runs, including a grand slam in his first professional game, his .203 average and eight home runs in 76 games (also 24 walks and 67 strikeouts) didn't particularly match all the hype he had received before the season.

Shikato Yanagida: A .212 lifetime batter, reserve infielder Shikato Yanagida had one of his better seasons in 1997. At twenty-eight, the ten-year veteran (most of that time spent on the bench) batted .250 while hitting his second career home run and filling in at second base and shortstop.

Outfielders:

Koji Akiyama: One of the Pacific League's best players in the 1980s, Koji Akiyama has been steadily declining for the last five years. His worst season in over a decade, the center fielder batted .241 with twelve home runs and 52 RBIs in 1997.

Known years ago for cart-wheeling into home after hitting a ball over the fence, Akiyama has hit 394 career home runs, stolen 290 bases and compiled lifetime .272 average with 1,115 RBIs. Playing for the Seibu Lions from 1981-93 before joining the Hawks, the loose-limbed slugger earned the 1987 home run crown with 43 long balls, and led the Pacific League with 51 stolen bases in 1990.

Arihito Muramatsu: After two great seasons in a row, six year veteran Akihito Muramatsu flopped in 1997. A .270 career hitter with 138 stolen bases, the left-handed outfielder batted only .241 last year and didn't do particularly well in most other offensive categories. Even though he stole 42 bases in 1997, that's a drop from his league-leading 58 thefts a year before.

Noriyoshi Omichi: One of the Hawks better-hitting platoon outfielders, Noriyoshi Omichi batted .325 with ten home runs during 90 games in 1996. A career .266 hitter, last year the twenty-eight year old veteran batted .293 with six homers and 46 RBIs.

Ryan Thompson: A 30-year old former minor league outfielder with AAA Syracuse of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, Ryan Thompson hit .288 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs in 83 games in 1997. In five seasons with the New York Mets and Cleveland Indians utility player compiled a Major League career .240 average with 40 home runs and 131 RBIs in 301 games. Thompson signed a one year contract with the Hawks worth an estimated 70 million yen.