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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
Hanshin
Tigers -- Predicted
Finish: 3
The pitching-dependent Hanshin Tigers made a move
to bolster their offense, snapping up free agent infielder Takahiro Arai from
Hiroshima in the offseason.
The pickup gives the Tigers a solid run producer
with pop, and Arai can play first or third base, Hanshin's weakest positions
offensively last year.
The Tigers are also looking for a comeback by
Makoto Imaoka, who has been useless--because of an assortment of injuries--since
2005, at third base.
The Tigers strengths are at catcher, with Akihiro
Yano, and up the middle with shortstop Takashi Toritani and the second-base
platoon of Atsushi Fujimoto and Kentaro Sekimoto.
The outfield, though, is littered with question
marks. Star left fielder Tomoaki Kanemoto and right fielder Lin Wei-chu are
coming off injuries.
Center fielder Norihiro Akahoshi was hurt in the
first half of 2007, but bounced back, while right fielder Kodai Sakurai, the
only right-handed hitter of the four, was super in 91 games.
If all four are healthy, it may be hard to find
playing time for Lew Ford, whose last productive season was in 2005 with the
Minnesota Twins.
The Tigers brought back 39-year-old Tsuyoshi
Shimoyanagi--their top winner in 2007--but the "JFK" bullpen trio of
Jeff Williams, Tomoyuki Kubota and Kyuji Fujikawa figure to play a prominent
role again. In a Japan single-season record 90 appearances, Kubota tossed 108
innings.
Still, the Tigers will need to be better to make
the playoffs after being outscored by 43 runs in 2007.
If CL rookie of the year Keiji Uezono can help
the starting rotation chew up more innings, Hanshin could just do it.
-----
From
Jason Coskrey of The
Japan Times
The Hanshin Tigers enter 2008 hoping for better results at
the plate, after fielding statistically the worst offense in either league in
2007, and a return trip to the CL postseason.
With the addition of ex-Hiroshima slugger Takahiro Arai,
the Tigers' offense should get an instant upgrade. Arai hit 28 homers for the
Carp last season and could be an imposing figure when teamed with Tomoaki
Kanemoto.
Hanshin also added former Minnesota Twin Lew Ford, who
should join Kanemoto and Norihiro Akahoshi in the outfield.
On the mound, the Tigers will see how much more mileage
they can get out of veteran Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi, who returns for his 17th
season following a 10-8, 4.11 ERA year.
Hanshin added some depth to the pitching staff with the
acquisition of veteran Satoru Kanemura.
If Kanemura earns a spot in the starting rotation, he'll
join CL Rookie of the Year Keiji Uezono and Ryan Vogelsong. Yuya Ando, Naohisa
Sugiyama and Shinobu Fukuhara will also contend for spots in the rotation.
There should be no worries in the bullpen with "JFK"
(reliever Jeff Williams, closer Kyuji Fujikawa and reliever Tomoyuki Kubota)
waiting in the wings during the later innings.
Hanshin had issues offensively last season, but if Arai
and Ford can help the Tigers take leads into the seventh inning, JFK should keep
them in the thick of the CL race.
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