If you are a new fan and are not particularly familiar with the team, let this be your introduction! We are going to break down the entire roster for you very briefly so you can get a feel for who is whom, what they have done, and what they might do in 2023 and beyond.
This is Part 4, which will look at the candidates to be in the starting rotation. Keep in mind, many pitchers who identify as starters may end up in the bullpen, and vice-versa.
Part 1 (catchers) Part 2 (infielders) and Part 3 (outfielders) are viewable at their respective links! In the days to come, we will complete the primers by looking at the relievers. So… here we GO!
The Real Deals
#17 Koyo Aoyagi
Age (as of Opening Day): 29
Experience: 7 seasons / 124 games (123 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: League-high 13 W, league-best 2.05 ERA in 2022
Sales Point(s): Deception, stamina (remained in rotation throughout 2019-22)
Trending: Across – His excellent 2021 was followed by an even better 2022… can he turn things yet another notch in 2023, or will fatigue get the better of him after a heavy workload for 2 straight years?
#27 Masashi Itoh
Age (as of Opening Day): 26
Experience: 2 seasons / 43 games (42 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Led the Central League with 6 CG in 2022; sparkling 4.18 K/BB ratio
Sales Point(s): Control, deception, stamina
Trending: Up – Though recent shoulder discomfort has us concerned. Nevertheless, his ability to eat innings and keep the ball in the park work well for him.
#16 Yuki Nishi
Age (as of Opening Day): 32
Experience: 14 seasons / 303 games (276 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Has logged over 1800 innings, never fewer than 117 in a year, since 2011
Sales Point(s): Control, deception, stamina, experience
Trending: Across – Hard to imagine him finishing better than last season’s 2.18 ERA (#2 in the CL behind Aoyagi), but also hard to imagine him declining just yet.
#35 Hiroto Saiki
Age (as of Opening Day): 24
Experience: 6 seasons / 36 games (25 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Came back from TJ last season, pitched every 10 days, put up a 1.53 ERA in 47 IP
Sales Point(s): Velocity, great forkball
Trending: Up – Has looked unhittable this spring (aside from Ohtani’s home run on March 6). Strong breakout candidate.
#15 Junya Nishi
Age (as of Opening Day): 21
Experience: 3 seasons / 16 games (15 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Hit his first career home run in 2022, batted 8th ahead of Sakamoto at times
Sales Point(s): Velocity, slider, stamina
Trending: Up – Boasts a strong arsenal and learned how to make it stronger under the tutelage of his childhood hero, Kenta Maeda, last December.
The Reserves
#21 Takumi Akiyama
Age (as of Opening Day): 31
Experience: 13 seasons / 132 games (124 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Posted 10+ wins in back-to-back seasons (2020-21) but saw limited action in 2022 due to a knee injury
Sales Point(s): Accuracy, deceptiveness
Trending: Down – There simply is not much room for him to be a full-time part of the rotation, and with his injury and lack of velocity and stamina, his playing days could come to an end sooner, rather than later…
#49 Kotaro Ohtake
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 5 seasons / 35 games (31 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Acquired from the SB Hawks via the Active Player Draft in December.
Sales Point(s): Deceptiveness, wide arsenal
Trending: Up – Has had a great spring so far (other than 3/5 on the farm), hopes to make the back end of the rotation
#41 Shoki Murakami
Age (as of Opening Day): 24
Experience: 2 seasons / 2 games (2 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Has had two straight outstanding seasons on the farm; no call-ups last season
Sales Point(s): Control, deception
Trending: Up – Has increased his velocity recently; threw 4 shutout innings vs. Fighters 3/10
#24 Brian Keller
Age (as of Opening Day): 28
NPB Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Struck out 126 hitters in 113 innings of work in AAA in 2022
Sales Point(s): Decent arsenal, strikeout ability
Trending: Hard to say – This is his first season in Japan! That said, his spring has not gone as Okada hoped (7.71 ERA in two outings), and he is currently on the farm.
#47 Takuma Kirishiki
Age (as of Opening Day): 23
Experience: 1 season / 7 games (3 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Had a ridiculous 0.72 ERA in 74.2 innings on the farm in 2022
Sales Point(s): Velocity, control, stability
Trending: Up – Will need to step things up, though, as his spring has not gone very well (5 runs in 5 IP in exhibition games) and the rotation is almost set in stone.
#50 Ren Tomida
Age (as of Opening Day): 24
Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Won the Best Nine at pitcher in the Under-23 World Cup last fall
Sales Point(s): Control, arsenal
Trending: Up – There’s nowhere else to go after giving up a three-run home run to Shohei Ohtani on 3/6!
The Future
#20 Daichi Moriki
Age (as of Opening Day): 19
Experience: 1 season / 2 games (2 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Struck out 58 batters in 53 farm innings in 2022
Sales Point(s): Velocity, strikeout ability
Trending: Up – Already touted as having all-Japan-level tools. Head coach Hirata hinted at grooming him into a closer this year, but we think he’ll be a front-end rotation guy in 2024 and beyond.
#28 Yuto Suzuki
Age (as of Opening Day): 23
Experience: 1 season / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Walked 17, beaned 9 in just 25 farm innings in 2022
Sales Point(s): Velocity, strikeouts, stamina
Trending: Up – His lack of control is preventing him from earning more playing time, even on the farm. That said, the raw talent is there…
#30 Keito Mombetsu
Age (as of Opening Day): 18
Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Was said to be the top left-handed high school pitcher available in the 2022 draft
Sales Point(s): Velocity, aggressive inside pitches to righty hitters
Trending: Up – Has looked great for an 18-year-old so far in camp and pre-season action. Will not likely figure into the top squad rotation in 2023, but down the road…
#48 Hidetoshi Ibaragi
Age (as of Opening Day): 18
Experience: 0 seasons / 0 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Led his high school (in Niigata) to its first-ever semi-finals appearance in the prefectural tournament leading up to Koshien.
Sales Point(s): Good balance/control, deceptively fast fastball
Trending: Up – Has looked good for an 18-year-old so far in camp and pre-season action. Will not likely figure into the top squad rotation in 2023, but down the road…
The Wild Cards
#29 Haruto Takahashi
Age (as of Opening Day): 27
Experience: 6 seasons / 44 games (43 starts)
Key Numbers/Facts: Missed all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery, could return this summer
Sales Point(s): Deception, strikeouts
Trending: Up – Though health will continue to be a concern (never pitched 110 IP in any season)
#66 Ippei Ogawa
Age (as of Opening Day): 25
Experience: 3 seasons / 46 games
Key Numbers/Facts: IP, K, WHIP, BAA have slowly trended the right way in his three seasons…
Sales Point(s): Velocity, strikeout ability, decent secondary pitches
Trending: Up – Though he had off-season elbow surgery. When he gets healthy, he has the potential to crack the rotation or serve out of the bullpen.
#37 Masaki Oyokawa
Age (as of Opening Day): 21
Experience: 3 seasons / 40 games
Key Numbers/Facts: Spent much of 2022 recovering from injury after his breakout season in 2021.
Sales Point(s): Velocity, strikeout ability
Trending: Up – Has been starting in farm pre-season games. The kid who was one of the biggest breakout candidates in 2022 could end up doing just that in 2023, if given a shot.
[…] them, check out the catchers and the infielders! In the days to come, we will do features on the starters and relievers. So… here we […]
[…] will look at the catchers. In the days to come, we will do features on the infielders, outfielders, starters, and relievers. So… here we […]
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