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Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters |
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Here's what some of the members
of the Japan baseball media thought about the season prior to Opening Day 2008.
(We'll keep this up until shortly before the next season, so you can see how
they did.)
From the Yomiuri
Shimbun Online
Hokkaido
Nippon Ham Fighters -- Predicted Finish: 3
Despite winning two straight pennants, the
Fighters remain the little team that could.
A year ago, few thought the Fighters could
succeed offensively. They did, but just barely. The questions remain, but this
team's offense should be much, much better.
Although Atsunori Inaba had an MVP-caliber
season, leadoff man Hichori Morimoto and No. 2 hitter Kensuke Tanaka should each
be vastly improved this year.
The team has plenty of growth potential--even if
slugging teenager Sho Nakata never plays a game this year.
Power-hitting, second-year outfielder Yohei
Kaneko may be another year away or he might take a big step forward and be ready
to play regularly in the PL this summer. Kaneko hit .290 in the Eastern League
last season, but the switch to Sapporo Dome and tougher pitching will easily
knock 70 points off a player's minor league batting average.
If the offense improves as much as manager
Masataka Nashida thinks it will, the Fighters' first-rate pitching and defense
will be extremely hard to beat.
With Yu Darvish and Ryan Glynn a tough 1-2,
right-handed punch in the rotation, the big questions on the mound may revolve
around lefties.
Can Masaru Takeda bounce back from his 2007
nightmare postseason? Does Shugo Fujii have any thing left to give his new team?
Can second-year man Mitsuo Yoshikawa pick up where he left off? Can the Fighters
finally find the lefty setup man they've lacked since Hideki Okajima skipped to
the majors a year ago?
It is unlikely all these issues will work out in
the Fighters' favor, but this club has proved it can win even when things don't
go as planned.
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From
Jason Coskrey of The
Japan Times
New skipper Masataka Nashida takes over the reins in Sapporo this season,
replacing Trey Hillman, who became the manager of the Kansas City Royals after
leading the Fighters to back-to-back Pacific League titles and the 2006 Japan
Series championship.
Nashida will have a fine line to walk, trying to implement his brand of
baseball while attempting to maintain Hillman's level of success.
The major concern for the former Kintetsu Buffaloes manager will be trying to
squeeze more run production out his offense.
Flashy outfielder Hichori Morimoto and second baseman Kensuke Tanaka will try
to get things going at the top of the order, with last season's PL batting
champion Atsunori Inaba's reliable bat in the 3-hole.
Nippon Ham should remain one of the better fielding teams in the league with
Tanaka at second, Eiichi Koyano and Naoto Inada, who can also play first,
platooning at third and Makoto Kaneko at shortstop, but the offense will have to
come from somewhere.
Yu Darvish, the 2007 PL MVP, may the best pitcher in either league.
The Fighters are strong in the second spot with Ryan Glynn, who has
established himself as one of the PL's top pitchers.
Masaru Takeda, a nine-game winner in '07, and Brian Sweeney will be among
those asked to get the ball to reliever Hisashi Takeda and closer Michael
Nakamura.
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