Can Dragons see next year after 2022 season ?
Here is my personal opinion as a Dragons fan.
Tatsunami manager is leading the Dragons since 2022. The Dragons finished at the very bottom.
Even though the team finished at the very bottom, three of them won the title. It is the title for leadoff man, set-up and reliever. This will have a positive impact on next year’s results.
Tatsunami told that his next goal was to become the manager of the Dragons after retiring from the Dragons.
Even though he was offered to be a manager from the Dragons that has long poor seasons, it is a very challenging job for him.
The mission given to him by the Dragons at this time is “Making the Dragons into a team capable of winning a championship from a team that has long poor seasons”. This is a very difficult mission that past managers have been unable to accomplish.
One of the major challenges is the slow transition to the younger power. What is needed to keep the team strength at a high level is young power.
At his inaugural press conference, Tatsunami clearly state his intent to use younger power. At the same time, he said, “This year’s results are also important.”
My first impression was that “If you run after two hares, you will catch neither”. The reason was that I didn’t think they could win a championship with mid-career player that had never won before.
Of course, it is true that there are fans who want a win immediately. He will be drew sharp criticism by losing game. It comes with the job. But It is a problem that some people think that they can free to post anything including “character assassination” since they can remain anonymous.
It is a hopeful sign that young power in pitching and batting have stood out this year, but it is still an urgent require to acquire a cleanup man who can hit home runs in the Vantelin Dome.
The batting power
The growth of Okabayashi who has being said to have a good batting sense from the beginning of joining the team, is one of the great achievements for the team. Considering Oshima’s age, the smooth transition of the lead-off man is also one of the great achievements.
That Oshima has the motivation to accomplish his 2000 career hits next year, and we can expect lead-off man Okabayashi and batting second Oshima to be more active than this year.
The shortstop position which is controversial even among Dragons fans, another great achievement is that Tsuchida grew up to become Kyoda’s rival. Tsuchida is still competing with Kyota in offense and defense, so we hope that the two players will grow through friendly competition.
This must have been a disappointing result for both Ishikawa and team, but I hope that Tatsunami manager will continue to use him as a long-distance batter next year and develop him into a cleanup batter.
I hope that mid-career player who are Abe, Takahashi and others and young power who are Ueki and others, will grow through friendly competition.
Must requirement is to acquire a cleanup man who can hit home runs in the Vantelin Dome.
The Dragons have excellent 1st and 2nd batters in Okabayashi and Oshima, and the team situation will change dramatically if the scoring ability will be improvement with the core of the batting lineup centered on a cleanup batter.
The pitching power
The great achievements in pitching power are pitchers Takahashi and Rodriguez who have grown this year. Like Marines’s Sasaki, I believe that Takahashi is one of the pitchers who will surely achieve a perfect game or no-hit, no-run game in the coming year and beyond. I also believe that he is a candidate to be the pitcher in the opening game of the next season.
Pitcher Ogasawara who achieved double-digit wins this year, is also the great achievement. I believe that this experience, especially mastery over him feelings, would have been a great development for him.
When pitchers Yanagi and Ohno pitch, they seem to be struggling because because their opponents are also ace-class pitchers. But we can expect that their number of wins should increase by the scoring ability of the batting lineup will be improvement next year.
Matsuba is also an excellent pitcher. However, he will declare free agency. I would like him to stay if possible.
Furthermore, if Ueda, Neo, and other young pitchers develop, starting pitchers will be enriched by the addition of them.
As for relievers, I expect Shimizu to work as hard as he did this year. I feel that the relievers who pitched in the first team this year seem to be passing peak a bit. I want relievers who have fastballs and stable control will be developed.
I hope that title holders Rodriguez (I hope he stays) and Martinez will work a full year without injury.
The battery power
As you may know, we can say that the Dragons’ pitchers are good both from their results and from other games. So, the Dragons’ pitching staff is good enough to win the championship.
But Baystars’s batting lineup often hit including home runs even the spacious Vantelin Dome.
It must be a strategy issue, i.e., it may be battery issue.
Does the Dragons study as a team how to select pitches to opposing batters? Does the catcher study about opposing batters and then consider his frame pitches for making a game ?
I believe that it is necessary to review the frame pitches for all the games of this year. In this review, they will ask themselves and need to clarify about “What was wrong? What countermeasures are needed for solving this issue ?”
I want that multiple catchers will grow through friendly competition next season instead of fixing the catcher to one person and accurately identify the regular catcher.
I like to write what I thought, this year’s Dragons has 60 wins and 53 losses that excludes the match result against the Baystars.
I believe that the team situation will change dramatically by acquiring a cleanup man who can hit home runs in the Vantelin Dome.
I am looking forward to next season.
Thanks.