Stove League of Dragons for 2023 season #1
This is my third blog post related to the Dragons.
I’ve written about this before, but to maintain team strength at a high level, rejuvenating the team is absolutely essential.
Especially for teams that have struggled in the B-class for many years, it’s necessary to make significant changes to the team.
Extremely speaking, if the members who couldn’t win before remain the core players, and only a few players are replaced, the results won’t change. Moreover, if players past their peaks are the core players, I believe the results will only get worse.
Of course, rejuvenating the team comes with its share of pain.
In addition, significant rejuvenation is likely to face opposition from the former players’ association and local related groups (commonly known as tanimachi). The team needs to protect Manager Tatsunami from this kind of noise.
I had previously written a blog like this, but suddenly some big news came in.
And not just one, but two pieces of big news in quick succession.
November 15 – Trade involving Toshiki Abe and Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Wakui
November 18 – Trade involving Youta Kyoda and DeNA BayStars pitcher Sunada
In particular, Toshiki Abe was the player who contributed most to the team’s offense in the 2022 season after Dayán Viciedo.
Although the Dragons are said to have relatively strong pitching staff, but both trades involved exchanging pitchers.
Many people including former professional baseball players have said things like “What was he thinking trading Abe, who was the team’s second-best hitter?” or “The team should be strengthening its lineup with hitters who can hit home runs, not pitchers.”
Regarding the Kyoda trade, there were opinions like “Why trade Youta Kyoda ? He’s the only shortstop who can play the entire season. The team should be strengthening its hitters,” and “Manager Tatsunami dislikes Kyoda and traded him out of personal feelings. Why made such a bad trade? The team should be strengthening its hitters.” (Just to note, Youta Kyoda is also a hitter…)
Manager Tatsunami has stated since the end of the 2022 season that “the most important thing we need to focus on is strengthening the center line.” In other words, he is considering strengthening the defense including the pitching staff. This is an essential requirement for the team, since they play half their season at the spacious Vantelin Dome.
In our opinion, Toshiki Abe certainly performed well this year.
The team finished in last place.
He doesn’t have a batting average over .300, nor can he hit 20 home runs. If we consider that the core players who haven’t been winning are past their peak, doesn’t the team need a dramatic change ?
Aren’t these trades also a sign of Manager Tatsunami’s strong resolve to change the team ?
Youta Kyoda has solid defensive skills, good physical conditioning, and relatively powerful hitting.
But baseball is a game where the same player plays both defense and offense. When strengthening the batting lineup, there’s no guarantee Youta Kyoda can be a regular starter.
If the team considers Youta Kyota’s future, wouldn’t trading him to the DeNA BayStars who are lacking a shortstop be a better option ?
Yokohama Stadium is a very narrow stadium which might actually have a positive impact on his hitting. With his power, he could potentially hit around 10 home runs.
There are 17 players who have left the team due to players cut from the team or retiring. Some people say this number is too many, but I don’t think it’s too many from the situation of other teams.
However, we should understand that there is no correlation between the number of players leaving and the team’s commitment. This is because team composition must be judged with next year’s season in mind. In fact, the Dragons is pointed out for their lack of mid-career players.
This year, young players like Okabayashi, Tsuchida, and Takahashi have emerged.
We’re expecting many young players to emerge again in the 2023 season, and we’re looking forward to advancing to the Climax Series.
Reference: Dragons News by Chunichi Dragonsn (2023/01/23)
(In Japanese) Announcement of Toshiki Abe Infielder exchange trade
https://dragons.jp/news/2022/22111501.php
(In Japanese) Announcement of Yota Kyoda Shortstop exchange trade
https://dragons.jp/news/2022/22111801.php
Thanks.