What should the Dragons team do based on results from the 2022 season ?
As a Dragons fan, I’ll write down my personal opinions.
While some players competed for or won pitching and hitting titles, the team actually finished in last place.
For a last-place team, even if they have players competing for titles, it’s often just one title. The Dragons finished last place despite having players competing for titles in multiple categories on both the pitching and hitting sides.
If I were to summarize this year’s performance, the biggest factor in finishing last place would be our record against DeNA BayStars.
Below are the results by team.
vs Yakult Swallows
vs Yokohama BayStars
vs Hanshin Tigers
vs Yomiuri Giants
vs Hiroshima Carp
The inter-league games
14 wins 10 losses
6 wins 18 losses
12 wins 13 losses
12 wins 13 losses
15 wins 10 losses
7 wins 11 losses
+ 4 wins
– 12 losses
– 1 loss
– 1 loss
+ 5 wins
– 4 losses
The team’s overall win-loss record excluding DeNA BayStars games remains positive, even including inter-league play. (60 wins, 57 losses)
If the team can bolster both the strategy and the strength to compete against DeNA BayStars at a level of at least even, it will absolutely become a team capable of competing in the upper echelons(A class). The taking steps to the strategy and strength against DeNA BayStars would also bebe effective against other teams, meaning this team has the potential to transform into a championship contender.(This trend applies to all teams in the Central League.)
DeNA BayStars is the team built to have a powerful lineup. I believe this is the right strategy for a team based in a narrow stadium.
For Dragons vs. DeNA games, the main stadiums are the spacious Vantelin Dome and the narrow Yokohama Stadium.
However, the Dragons have a significant losing record at both stadiums.
One reason is the long-standing issue of insufficient scoring ability.
The fact that the lead-off and second hitters are competing for the title but lack scoring ability clearly points to the problem being the cleanup hitters.
Reinforcing players capable of hitting cleanup is an urgent priority. Reinforcing a cleanup hitter who can hit home runs even in the Vantelin Dome like Tylon Woods or Tony Blanco is essential.
What about other factors ?
I can imagine various opinions and viewpoints, but I get the impression that even in the spacious Bantelin Dome, they’re getting hit hard including home runs. In other words, the pitchers aren’t managing to hold the DeNA lineup in check.
However, looking at their record against other teams, the pitching staff can’t be considered bad. From these points, the problem might be the battery’s performance.
Are the Dragons studying how to pitch to opposing batters as a team ?
Also, is the catcher thinking about his pitch sequencing strategy for each game ?
The pitching strategy against Yakult’s Murakami is similar. They should be concerned about their pitching strategy that makes Murakami say “I like the Vantelin Dome.”
Strategic reinforcement can start during the fall training camp.
It’s crucial not only to focus on practical defensive and batting drills, but also to meticulously review this year’s pitching strategy with the coaching staff and battery members. They should thoroughly examine “What went wrong?” and “What strategies are needed?” Then, they should break it down sufficiently to practice it effectively during spring training camp.
Reinforcing offensive strength means acquiring cleanup hitters who can contribute immediately.
While developing players like Ishikawa and Ukai is certainly important, having two power hitters is always better than just one. Reinforcing our lineup with a power hitter who can easily hit home runs at the Vantelin Dome is essential. If Dayán Viciedo can settle into the third or fifth spot in the batting order without the pressure of being expected to hit home runs, the lineup will be transformed significantly.
Of course, the team has budget constraints, but since the parent company uses “Chunichi” in the team name, it should provide funding to the team as advertising expenses and sales promotional expenses.
Another long-standing issue is the team’s rejuvenation.
Keeping the team’s strength at a high level requires young players. The good news is that several youngsters have grown under Tatsunami’s Dragons.
Rejuvenating the team involves pain.This pain is the handling of experienced players who have supported the team. Considering the long period of the team’s poor performance, we must be prepared for considerable pain.
The year after Manager Hoshino became manager of the Hanshin Tigers, he carried out a massive player roster replacement, ultimately transforming the team into one capable of winning championships. Manager Hoshino said, “Because I had no ties to the former players’ association or local support groups (commonly called tanimachi), I was able to decisively replace players.” It’s possible there is opposition to his team reforms from the former players’ association and related groups. The team needs to protect Manager Tatsunami from this kind of noise.
I hope the Dragons to set and achieve the milestone of being A-Class next year and winning the championship the year after.
Thanks.