The pennant races are set to begin anew as NPB prepares to kick off another season. As Japan’s 12 clubs prepare to chase the pennant, here are six players from the Central League to keep an eye on.
Yasutaka Shiomi (Tokyo Yakult Swallows)
Shiomi is one of NPB’s most exciting players with all-around talent and speed that helps him create havoc on the basepaths and track down balls in center field.
An injury derailed him in 2020 before he burst onto the scene last year, hitting .278 and stealing 21 bases in 140 games. Shiomi also hit 14 home runs, including one on Sept. 18, when he hit for the cycle against the Giants. The 28-year-old also finished tied for the NPB lead with seven triples.
Shiomi was a big piece of last season’s run to the Central League and Japan Series crowns. While he is not a force of nature like teammates Munetaka Murakami and Tetsuto Yamada, he’s a superstar in his role and only getting started.
Mel Rojas Jr. (Hanshin Tigers)
Rojas’ considerable success in the Korea Baseball Organization, where he was the league MVP in 2020, did not translate into a similar performance in his first NPB season.
He arrived in Japan over a week after opening day last season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and had to quarantine before joining the team. He finally made his top team debut in May, but things never seemed to click. Rojas batted .217 and hit eight home runs in 60 games.
Rojas was in spring camp on time this year and should start this season on sturdier footing. If that, plus a year of NPB experience, helps Rojas hit the way he did in KBO, then having him alongside Teruaki Sato will get the Tigers roaring at the plate.
Hanshin let go of Justin Bour after one season, and Jerry Sands only lasted two, so the pressure may be on for Rojas. If he delivers for a team sorely in need of another bat to step up — it was Yusuke Oyama in 2020 and Sato for half of 2021 — he’ll live up to the expectations that preceded his arrival.
Sho Nakata (Yomiuri Giants)
Nakata’s 2021 included a suspension for a violent act against a teammate while with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, eventually being kicked to the curb by the team and landing in the Central League with an thud after the Giants’ perplexing decision to acquire him in a midseason trade. Nakata managed just a paltry .177 average and seven home runs in 73 games through it all last year.
Despite Nakata’s baggage, it has been proven over and over that as long as you have talent, teams will keep doling out second chances. Nakata will likely enter this year motivated to be on his best behavior, and the Giants stand to benefit.
Nakata reported for camp heavier than in recent years but has said he’s mostly at his ideal playing weight. He batted .325 with three doubles and three home runs in 40 at-bats in the preseason and even made a few nifty plays with his glove at first base. He gets to hit in the CL full time this year, which is another positive for a player trying to get back on track.
The Giants need offense and Nakata has the potential to be a game-changer if he can stay on the straight and narrow and hit the way once did for the Fighters.
Kouki Ugusa (Hiroshima Carp)
Ugusa spent part of his offseason training with Seiya Suzuki and tried to learn as much as could from the now-former Carp superstar.
Suzuki leaving for the majors — he signed with the Chicago Cubs — leaves a gaping hole in the Carp roster but gives some of the team’s other players a chance to prove themselves. Ugusa is one of them, and the 24-year-old will be trying to nail down a regular spot in manager Shinji Sasaoka’s lineup.
Shogo Sakakura and Kaito Kozono made the most of their playing time in 2021, and Ugusa’s time could be now. He spent most of the year on the farm team, hitting .256 with six home runs, 26 RBIs and five stolen bases. He played in 41 games on the top squad and hit .291 with four homers, seven doubles and a triple in 148 at-bats.
Ugusa could carve out a place for himself at the top of the order if he stretched out that performance across an entire season while also providing value with his glove in the outfield.
Takuya Kinoshita (Chunichi Dragons)
Kinoshita played in over 100 games for the first time in his career last year and produced his best season.
He was the Dragons’ second-best hitter, putting up a .270 average and .748 on-base plus slugging percentage while hitting 11 home runs. He might have also been the best fielding catcher in Japan and was the bane of would-be base stealers.
Kinoshita looks primed to again be of the few shining lights amid the darkness that is the Chunichi offense. He hit .353 with a pair of home runs during the spring and it will be interesting to see if he can improve on his 2021 campaign.
Kinoshita’s offensive prowess on a team mostly bereft of consistent run production and his skills as a catcher makes him perhaps the team’s most important player. Catching is a grueling business, though, and Kinoshita’s availability may be his most important ability this season.
Katsuki Azuma (DeNA BayStars)
Azuma was injured before fans could see how he followed up his CL Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018, when he was 11-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 155 strikeouts. He then missed most of the next two seasons after needing Tommy John surgery.
Azuma will not have to wait long to take the mound this year, as manager Daisuke Miura named the lefty as his opening day starter. Azuma enters the season with some momentum after allowing one run and striking 11 over 13⅔ innings in the preseason.
The Baystars’ pitching staff was the worst in the league last season, so Azuma has the chance to be a potentially huge addition. If he pitches the way he did in 2018, his presence helps address one of the club’s glaring weaknesses from a year ago. Azuma looked like a rising star back in 2018. He finally has a clean bill of health and can continue on that path this season.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times