Tora (虎) = Tiger
Kichi (キチ) = short for kichigai (気違い) = lunatic
We are…
Episode 007: You’re Cut Too, Shushy!
Back in our last episode, we evaluated the team, player by player. We still had hope that his team could miraculously come back and win the pennant. With the team 11.5 games back of the Giants and just 39 games left, we are no longer illusioned. There will be no 2020 playoffs for the Tigers. That having been said, the draft is coming up in a month, and we need to clear some space for the new guys. Isn’t that right, Zorny?
That’s right. Last year the playoff scenario was a little bit different and we were able to pull through a magical final stretch to make it to the climax series. Not so much this year. Although not finishing first, this definitely has the caliber to go the distance next year.
So we already know that Kyuji Fujikawa is retiring… who else do you envision hanging up the cleats at season’s end? Surely he won’t go out alone…
My take is on Kosuke Fukudome. His production was subpar compared to last year. His strategy of playing on ni-gun and ichi-gun in the very same day seemed to work in a short period of time but at the end of the day his age shows and although loving his competitiveness, he’s pretty much done to me.
I couldn’t agree with you more. He has not inspired any confidence whatsoever in fans when he steps up to the dish as a pinch hitter. Can you believe that (as of September 24) he has only ONE hit since the start of August? So yeah, surely he is done. I actually think Atsushi Nohmi might also step down. He has given up a ton of home runs this year (5 in 15 IP Editor’s note: and another tonight) and his fastball is not working, which means the rest of his pitches are also not nearly as effective as they used to be. Yoshio Itoi could be the lone 40-year old on the team next year… or do you think he will retire or be cut, too?
Nohmi would be my second guess but I’m not so sure about that. Maybe one more year maybe? I think Itoi has at least 2 more years left. He’s pretty athletic and still can hit the ball pretty well. I was glad that he came through against Yokohama which hadn’t happened for a while.
The thing is, Itoi can’t field well, can’t run well anymore and does not hit the long ball, either. If the Tigers are going to employ him, they had better not have any illusions about making him a starter. Dangit, someone’s gotta step up and steal that spot from him! I wish Takayama, Nakatani, Egoshi and Yohkawa would WAKE UP! That, or we have Jefry Marte start working on his outfielding skills.
From the names that you mentioned, the closest to get anything going is most definitely Yohkawa. He’s been pretty clutch lately but I wish Egoshi could have more playing time. His fielding is unbelievable and he can run. The only thing in the way is his batting. I really can’t understand why Yano can’t give him more chances to prove himself. I mean, he had his chances but so did Yohkawa and look at him!
They probably see things a lot better than we do, and my guess is that Egoshi just doesn’t have a big-league bat and maybe never will. I am not suggesting the team cut him this offseason, but if he doesn’t get his act together as a hitter, his career will be cut super short because eventually, younger guys with the same skill set (or better) will come around, and he will find himself becoming the Shunsuke of the 2020s. Speaking of which, let’s talk about a few names of guys you think will get the boot this offseason… I’ll let you go first!
I would start with Shunsuke but he made it to the top squad once again (somehow). Apart from him and maybe Hayata Itoh. Regarding pitchers, my guess is Kazuo Itoh and maybe Moriya.
I think they should cut Shunsuke but I bet they don’t. I could see them parting ways with Hayata and Kazuo. Moriya had a great 2019 and has been hurt all this year so I doubt they cut him. I would say they might part ways with Taichi Okazaki if they draft another catcher. I mean, we have a glut of capable catchers all in their mid-to-late 20s, and he isn’t even hardly playing on the farm because Katayama and Nagasaka have been getting reps.
Funny you mentioned Okazaki ‘cause I totally forgot about him! As you said, we don’t really see any action from him at all and I thought the Tigers moved on from him. He’s a strong candidate to get cut for sure. He is more than the others. Funny how things turn out. In 2016, you could easily see Egoshi and Okazaki banners flying all over Koshien and look where they are now. Kinda sad…
Yes, all food has expiry dates, and the same is true of players. Some rot sooner than others, though. So besides him, I also think the team will part ways with Kenichi Nakata, and maybe even Minoru Iwata, although I could see him hanging on for one more year, depending on his health and how he does in upcoming starts. He will get at least one more, but I feel like Nakata’s salary was a waste of money for us. Good thing he was a freebie this past offseason!
Same here man. The Nakata experiment didn’t really cut. I was impressed by Iwata last outing though. Didn’t think the man still had it and I’m glad he proved me wrong. The offense also helped but at the end of the day I was very pleased.
Actually I didn’t catch that one so I do not have anything to say about it. But there are a few more pitchers I feel could be let go. Keisuke Takano has done nothing since we acquired him for Tsuyoshi Ishizaki early last year, and I wonder if Shungo Fukunaga won’t be cut loose as well. He’s still just 26 but this is his 4th year and he has been a pile of steaming trash every time he’s gotten a call up. Maybe he needs a bit more fine-tuning, but since he was a lower draft pick, I don’t know how much more patience the team will show with him.
Some of the guys I see more as supporting cast than anything. Not necessarily they will make it to the top squad but instead they will always be there to support the other players that actually have a shot to develop. A lot of them have less than 3 years of experience so there’s still time to develop.
Sure, I hear ya. But I still kind of have my doubts about those guys ever coming around. I have been known to be wrong in the past, though! OK I have a few hitters that I would not be sad to see go as well. The first of them is Yutaro Itayama, who has been around now for 5 years but has shown very little promise. Still struggling to hit .200 on the farm. I also am not convinced there is room for Fumiya Araki anymore. I know he got his first hit of the season the other night, but his greatest asset (speed) is not going to be worth anything as he ages. He’ll be 33 next spring.
The fact that Araki is still hanging around blows my mind. As you said, the guy is 32 and I don’t think he can bring much to the table since our whole ichi-gun squad is pretty much defined and the core players are fairly young. Why him over the others? That’s one of Yano’s mysteries without a doubt.
So we have listed a fair number of guys: Fujikawa, Fukudome, Nohmi, Nakata, Okazaki, Shunsuke, Araki, Itayama, and the Itoh duo. That’s 10 guys right there. Should give us plenty of space to draft 7-8 and grab a free agent or two to bolster the squad for 2021. Anyone else you see being chopped?
Not really. The rest of the guys are fairly young and still have room for more development. I think we have a pretty good list.
Cool. Then all that’s left is to decide which foreigners will be let go at season’s end!
That’s a tough one.
Maybe too early for that right now. Edwards needs time to prove himself, Gunkel will see if he can win a spot in the rotation, and Garcia might get one more chance to prove himself, too. Same goes for Marte. We can definitely talk about those guys around the 100-game mark. Sound alright to you?
Exactly! There’s still some time for some of the guys to show what they have left in the tank so it’s better off to just leave as it is instead of jumping to conclusions. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds. Catch you next time bro!