Can the Dragons look forward to next season from the 2022 season ?
As a Dragons fan, I’ll write down my personal opinions.
Since 2022, Tatsunami-san has been managing the Dragons. And they finished the pennant race in last place.
Although the team finished in last place, three players became title holders.
They won titles as the leadoff hitter, setup man, and reliever. We believe this will have a positive impact next year as well.
Manager Tatsunami himself has stated that when he retired as a Dragons player, one of his next goals was to become the Dragons’ manager.
For this reason, it’s easy to imagine that even though a managerial offer came from the Dragons who had been struggling for a long time, it was a very rewarding challenge for him.
When he took the manager position, the goal set by the team was “to rebuild the Dragons who have been struggling for a long time.” This is an extremely difficult mission that previous managers have been unable to accomplish.
A major challenge is the slow transition to younger players. Rejuvenation is essential to maintain team strength.
At his inaugural press conference, Manager Tatsunami clearly stated he would “use young players.” At the same time, he also said “this year’s results are important.”
Personally, my initial thought was that I hoped this wouldn’t become a case of “Between two stools one falls to the ground.” The reason was that I didn’t believe they could win by continuing to rely on veteran players past their peak who hadn’t been winning anyway.
Of course, it’s also true that fans want wins. And it’s also true that the results of games, especially Sunday games, affect the next day.
Therefore, I can understand why fans might harshly criticize the manager’s decisions or players’ mistakes. I also think some people need to blow off steam to shift their mindset.
However, there are individuals who post slanderous comments attacking people’s character using the anonymity of the internet. This makes me doubt whether they are truly fans.
This year, hopeful young players have emerged on both offense and defense which is a positive sign, but the urgent need to acquire a power hitter who can easily hit home runs at the Vantelin Dome still remains unchanged.
– TThe batting power –
The growth of Okabayashi who had been said to have good hitting ability since joining the team is one of the biggest achievements. Considering Oshima’s age, the smooth transition to a leadoff hitter is important.
Oshima himself has the motivation of reaching 2,000 career hits next year, so the 1-2 hitting combo of Okabayashi and Oshima is expected to perform even better than this year.
Shortstop was a position that drew mixed opinions among Dragons fans. I believe it was also big step to develop young player Tsuchida as competition for Kyoda who had been the clear choice. It would be great if they continue to sharpen each other’s skills and grow together.
Regarding Ishikawa, it was unfortunate he ended up injured, but as a natural long-range power hitter, I hope he gets chances again next year.
If players like core member Abe and Takahashi(Shuhei), along with young players like Ukai, can sharpen each other and grow, I think it will become an exciting team.
Once again, the most urgent reinforcement point is acquiring a player who can hit home runs even at the Vantelin Dome.
The Dragons have one of the league’s top leadoff and second hitters. If the cleanup hitters perform effectively, the Dragons’s situation will change dramatically.
– The pitching power –
The biggest achevements are pitchers Takahashi and Rodríguez.
I believe pitcher Takahashi is one of the pitchers who will definitely achieve a perfect game or no-hitter next year and beyond. He is also one of the candidates for next year’s opening day starter.
Pitcher Ogasawara achieved double-digit wins this year is also a very important pitcher. I believe he is greatly developed his mental fortitude from this experience.
When pitchers Ohno and Yanagi started, they matched up against front-line starter opponents and seemed to struggle. However, we can expect their win rates to become more befitting of front-line starter next year if the batting lineup’s scoring power improves.
Pitcher Matsuba is also one of important starting pitchers. While he is said to be considering declaring free agency, I hope he stays if possible.
Additionally, if pitchers like Ueda, Neo, and other young pitchers continue to develop, the starting rotation should become rock-solid.
Regarding the relief pitchers, I hope pitcher Shimizu can perform at about the same level as this year. This is because I feel the pitchers who pitched in the bullpen for the First string this year are past their peak.
I believe the key requirement for a relief pitcher is control. Even if a pitcher has a fastball, if their control is poor, they tend to allows too many runs.
I hope several young pitchers with stable control will emerge.
Pitchers Rodriguez (I hope he stays) and Martinez who became title holders, if they can stay off the disabled list and pitch the full season next year, the results will follow naturally.
– The battery power –
The Dragons’ pitching staff can be said to be at a level where they can win the championship, with reliable pitchers across the starting rotation, relief pitcher, and closers.
However, against DeNA BayStars, they’ve been hit hard including home runs even in the spacious Vantelin Dome, resulting in a significant losing record.
That makes me wonder if there might be issues with the battery’s Pitch selection.
The pitch selection includes not only pitches based on accumulated data against the batter but also pitching strategy considering the plan of the game.
I hope the team thoroughly reviews this year’s pitching strategy and works on developing a pitching strategy that opponents find difficult to hit.
Also, it’s understandable given the team’s situation this year, but I felt the catcher position seemed to prioritize offensive power. The catcher is a key defensive position, and it’s important for multiple players to sharpen each other next season to determine the true starting catcher.
I’ve written freely what I’ve been thinking, but if only the DeNA BayStars games hadn’t happened, the Dragons would have finished with a winning record this year, even including the intra-league games.
That makes me feel like just acquiring one big power hitter could make all the difference.
I am looking forward to next season.
Thanks.