It’s been a decade, folks. Hanshin is notoriously known for not being able to develop its players. Nevertheless, we have compiled a list of the Top 10 Players of the Decade. One of them was a free agent acquisition who spent seven years with the club, but all the rest were drafted by the Tigers.
First, a couple of honorable mentions…
Ryutaro Umeno (28, C): Drafted in round 4 of the 2013 draft, he has spent most of his time on the top squad ever since, though much of 2015-17 was spent in mediocrity or on the bench. A promising rookie year and two good seasons to end the decade aren’t quite enough to crack the top 10.
Suguru Iwazaki (28, LHP): Drafted in round 6 of the 2013 draft, he started his career as a starter and had middling success (but often got destroyed the third time through the order). A move to the bullpen at the end of the 2016 season was just what he needed to establish himself as a mainstay on the top squad. Two of the three full seasons since then have been absolutely rock solid. (The other saw him get 60+ mounds but his ERA was somewhat ugly.)
10. Hiroki Uemoto (2B) 2010-19
Decade stats: 673 GP / 2266 PA / 515 H / .267 AVG / 30 HR / 157 RBI / 292 R / 92 SB
Career year in 2014: 131 GP / 600 PA / 142 H / .276 AVG / 7 HR / 38 RBI / 90 R / 20 SB
Averaged out over 10 years, those numbers may not look too impressive, but he really only got proper playing time in 3 or 4 seasons, and they were quite productive. His biggest issues were spotty defense and injuries. In fact, through the first month of 2018, he was hitting .422 and an OPS of 1.036 before he wrecked some ligaments in his knee sliding into second base. He might only have another year or two in the tank, but his combination of speed, pop and tenacity at the plate make him a fun player to watch.
9. Minoru Iwata (LHP) 2011-19
Decade stats: 144 GP / 141 GS / 866.2 IP / 42 W / 63 L / 6 CG / 3 CGSO / 625 K / 3.38 ERA
Career year in 2011: 25 GP / 169 IP / 9 W / 13 L / 2 CGSO / 133 K / .202 AVG vs / 2.29 ERA
Iwata’s numbers also look a bit scant if you move the decimal point one figure in. Four wins per season are not much, nor are 62 strikeouts. However, the lefty held down a spot in the rotation in four seasons this year, and were it not for absolutely awful run support (through pretty much his whole career), he could have double the win total. He’s this generation’s Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi – a solid, grizzly lefty who relies on craftiness more than power. Not the most flashy of pitchers, Iwata coaxed boatloads of ground balls, and gave the team a chance to win most of the games he started. He fell out of favor under manager Tomoaki Kanemoto (2016-18) but could contribute a couple more years before calling it a career.
8. Kosuke Fukudome (OF) 2013-19
Decade stats: 792 GP / 3128 PA / 722 H / .270 AVG / 88 HR / 398 RBI / 307 R /
Career year in 2015: 140 GP / 569 PA / 139 H / .281 AVG / 20 HR / 76 RBI / 53 R
Fukudome came back to Japan from the majors at the ripe age of 35. Many questioned why Hanshin picked him up, but after two mediocre (and that’s putting things nicely) seasons, he really turned things on in the second half of the decade. He became a team leader, a productive clean-up hitter, and even a solid fielder (2015 Golden Glove in right field). Time is running out on the oldest man in NPB, but he has won over the hearts of Hanshin fans, and many people have forgotten about his super career with the Chunichi Dragons earlier this century. He’s *OUR* Kosuke now!
7. Yuya Andoh (RHP) 2010-17
Decade stats: 245 GP / 23 GS / 314.1 IP / 20 W / 19 L / 72 HLD / 203 K / 3.98 ERA
Career year in 2013: 58 GP / 51.1 IP / 4 W / 2 L / 1 SV / 23 HLD / 32 K / 2.28 ERA
Andoh started the decade as a starter but spent the end of his career coming out of the bullpen. He was the de facto ace between Kei Igawa’s departure and Atsushi Nohmi’s emergence, but will probably be most remembered for the four-year stretch (2013-16) in which he made 50+ mound appearances every season with a respectable K:BB ratio of over 2 during that four-year span. In 2013, he allowed just one home run against in 50+ innings. On a side note, he faced just two batters all year (in his retirement game) in 2017, the first of whom took him yard. He said it was a fitting end to his career, but given his ability to keep the ball in the park as a reliever, we beg to differ.
6. Shinobu Fukuhara (RHP) 2010-16
Decade stats: 314 GP / 0 GS / 281.1 IP / 18 W / 18 L / 16 SV / 118 HLD / 253 K / 2.85 ERA
Career year in 2013: 50 GP / 45 IP / 4 W / 0 L / 14 SV / 14 HLD / 38 K / 1.20 ERA
Fukuhara spent the first half of his career bouncing between starting and relieving. Once this decade rolled around, he was firmly entrenched in the bullpen, and came through in a huge way. He put up five straight seasons of 50+ mounds, including back-to-back seasons picking up the most holds by any CL reliever. He and Andoh were often associated to each other, although Fukuhara was more of a power pitcher who could rack up strikeouts with the best of them. Since retiring, he has been a pitching coach for the Tigers, which shows that his excellence has extended beyond the playing field.
5. Matt Murton (OF) 2010-15
Decade stats: 832 GP / 3287 AB / 1020 H / .310 AVG / 77 HR / 417 RBI / 369 R / 27 SB
Career year in 2010: 144 GP / 613 AB / 214 H / .349 AVG / 17 HR / 91 RBI / 105 R / 11 SB
He put in fewer years of play this decade than any other player on the list, but Murton’s impact was felt from start to finish. Starting with his NPB record-breaking 2010 season (214 hits was the record until 2015, when Shogo Akiyama broke it by a pair), Murton led the CL in hits three times, had the highest batting average once, was an all-star four times, and received a Best Nine Award in four different seasons as well. His departure was premature in some people’s minds, and his impact went beyond his on-field performance. In two visits to Japan since leaving, he has been asked on several occasions if he will ever come back as a coach. That time may not be as far away as we think.
4. Kyuji Fujikawa (RHP) 2010-12, 16-19
Decade stats: 366 GP / 5 GS / 391 IP / 25 W / 19 L / 72 HLD / 114 SV / 510 K / 2.28 ERA
Career year in 2011: 56 GP / 51 IP / 3 W / 3 L / 8 HLD / 41 SV / 80 K / .140 AVG vs / 1.24 ERA
Honestly, no pitcher on this list comes close to Kyuji on a game-to-game basis. Were it not for his three-year (mostly failed) stint in the majors (and Shikoku Independent League), he would be at the top of this list. The team’s undisputed closer from 2006 through 2012 did the impossible in 2019, returning to the closer’s role at the age of 39. He has more career strikeouts than all but six Hanshin pitchers, and is well on his way to the Meikyukai (Golden Boys’ Club) as he is just 9 saves from 250 on his career. Best bang for your buck right here.
3. Atsushi Nohmi (LHP) 2010-19
Decade stats: 293 GP / 191 GS / 1330.1 IP / 80 W / 75 L / 21 CG / 8 CGSO / 36 HLD / 1 SV / 1152 K / 3.17 ERA
Career year in 2011: 29 GP / 200.1 IP / 12 W / 9 L / 5 CG / 1 CGSO / 186 K / .214 AVG vs / 2.52 ERA
He started 23+ games in seven years this decade, and had 40+ mounds in two other seasons. For a man that was known as the “Phantom Pitcher” (for always getting hurt, thereby never showing up in games despite being on the roster) before his pro career started, he sure has become durable and reliable since then. He was the team’s true ace for the first few seasons of the decade before the player of the decade fully emerged. Nohmi still looks the same as he did at the start of the decade: slender, beautiful wind-up, wrinkle-free, full head of hair. Though his numbers dipped towards the end of the decade, he had a heck of a decade, throwing more innings and striking out more opponents than all but one pitcher. Nohmi-san, aishiteru!
2. Takashi Toritani (SS, 3B) 2010-19
Decade stats: 1344 GP / 4472 AB / 1254 H / .280 AVG / 68 HR / 497 RBI / 600 R / 101 SB / 716 BB
Career year in 2010: 144 GP / 575 AB / 173 H / .301 AVG / 19 HR / 104 RBI / 98 R / 13 SB / 66 BB
It is extremely hard to not put this guy in first. He was the first team captain, leads the team in all-time hits, played a core position at a high level for six seasons of this decade, made a strong comeback in 2017 at a new position (winning a Golden Glove there, no less), endured a ton of injuries, practiced harder than anyone, kept himself in prime shape at all times, never once complained or had a sour look on his face. Even when his consecutive innings streak ended in 2016, even when his 1939-game ironman streak ended in 2018, he took it like a man. Nothing else to say but that Toritani is quite easily one of the best players in Hanshin Tigers history, never mind the player-of-the-decade accolades. We will miss you, Tori-san.
1. Randy Messenger (RHP) 2010-19
Decade stats: 263 GP / 249 GS / 1606.1 IP / 98 W / 84 L / 17 CG / 10 CGSO / 1475 K / 3.13 ERA
Career year in 2014: 31 GP / 208.1 IP / 13 W / 10 L / 3 CGSO / 226 K / .244 AVG vs / 3.20 ERA
If Tori is not the player of the decade, it has to be this man. Randy joined the team at the start of the 2010 season as a reliever, but after that did not work out, he joined the rotation in the middle of that season, and never left his post until the middle of the 2019 season when fatigue and injuries caught up with him. Whenever his spot came up in the rotation, the team had a very good chance of winning. He struck out more guys (1475) and threw more pitches than any other pitcher in NPB during the 2010s, and it’s not even really close! If his presence on the mound were not enough (and it was!), he was also a strong clubhouse leader, mentor for the younger pitchers, and was adored by teammates (namely Uemoto) and fans alike. No man meant more to this team in the 2010s than Randy Messenger, and we salute him. Thanks for 10 great years with the team, Randy!