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Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles |
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Here's what some of the members
of the Japan baseball media thought about the season prior to Opening Day 2008.
(We'll keep this up until shortly before the next season, so you can see how
they did.)
From the Yomiuri
Shimbun Online
Golden
Eagles -- Predicted Finish: 4
Takeshi Yamasaki was one of Rakuten's two big
stories last year, having a career year with 43 homers at the age of 38. The
other big story was, of course, rookie of the year Masahiro Tanaka. A
powerfully-built youngster with tremendous stuff, he has the perfect mentor to
give his career a rocket start.
Manager Katsuya Nomura has a history of working
wonders with young pitchers, although few of them have become effective
veterans.
Right-hander Hideki Asai, 24, went from nowhere
to a useful No. 2 starter, while 23-year-old Satoshi Nagai had an impressive
rookie season.
If Nomura's young trio improves slightly and
often-hurt Hisashi Iwakuma is in form, the Eagles' rotation might go from soft
to solid. Also, rookie lefty Kohei Hasebe, 23, named on five teams' first-round
draft ballots, would provide a boost if he comes back to pitch at all this
season after a spring knee injury.
But there are other issues, mainly the bullpen
and the fielding. In both areas, the Eagles were easily the worst in Japan in
2007.
Although Shinichiro Koyama was somewhat effective
as a closer, Nomura appears ready to give big Domingo Guzman a shot in that
role.
It is hard to see any quick fixes for the
defense, where the Eagles were weak at nearly every position.
The Eagles best minor league hitter, outfielder
Masato Nakamura, remained on the developmental squad, but one player who could
surprise is middle infielder Shintaro Masuda.
Masuda is just 20 and his offense is just a shade
behind that of Naoto Watanabe, the Eagles' impressive rookie shortstop from
2007.
The catching is a sore spot. Motohiro Shima won
the job in 2007 as a rookie but provides virtually no offense--but offense is
not the Eagles' problem.
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From
Jason Coskrey of The
Japan Times
Manager Katsuya Nomura worked his magic in Sendai last season, leading the
third-year Eagles to an unexpected fourth-place finish in the Pacific League.
This season, pitching is the department in which the young Eagles could
shine.
Second-year star Masahiro Tanaka was the Eagles' best pitcher last season
and is hoping to build upon a solid rookie campaign (11-7, 3.82 ERA). Fellow
second-year hurler Satoshi Nagai could also be a serviceable performer along
with Hiroki Yamamura, Yasuhiro Ichiba, Hideki Asai or En-Yu Lin.
The wild card is right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, who has been hampered by
injuries. He has not pitched more than 100 innings since the 2005 season, and
finished 5-5 with a 3.40 ERA last season.
If Iwakuma can regain the form he had during the 2004 season with the
Kintetsu Buffaloes, the Eagles would be in a position to be competitive again.
Rakuten has a lot of questions to address in the bullpen, the most
important of which is replacing closer Kazuo Fukumori.
Nomura has tapped reliever Domingo Guzman as Fukumori's replacement to
start the season.
Takeshi Yamasaki returns after leading Japanese baseball with 43 home runs
in 2007 as does fellow power hitter Jose Fernandez. Dependable Rick Short is
back as one of the most dangerous hitters in either league (he batted .300 in
'07). I
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