I've seen lots of people debate on whose going pro among the players in Daiya. If you're interested, you can watch what actually goes on during the draft irl. ๐ Link is here: 2021 Nippon Professional Baseball Draft
Is there any way to stream the NPB in the US? Something similar to MLB TV?
Another fall has come to the Land of the Rising Sun, and through typhoons, earthquakes, a deadly heat wave and other calamities Japan was struck with this summer, we see one of the most bizarre baseball seasons in recent memory come to a closeโฆfor half the league, at least. The Pacific League felt like business as usual, but the Central League was a topsy-turvy shitshow of mediocrity, as the standings will show. As the ouendan for the playoff teams kick into overdrive for the playoffs, letโs first take a look at who didnโt make the cut.
Central League
What the fuck was that, Hanshin? In a year where the Central League standings almost pulled a 180 from last season, the Tigers were a complete mess from top to bottom en route to their first last-place finish in 17 years. A distinct lack of starting pitching from everyone except Randy Messenger meant wins werenโt coming from there. Fourteen starters were trotted out to the mound this year by manager Tomoaki Kanemoto. Closer Rafael Dolis had a noticeable downturn and blew almost twice as many saves as last year. The only pitching bright spots were Kentaro Kuwahara continuing his late-career resurgence and Kyuji Fujikawa continuing to be a great bridge to Dolis.
The offense was similarly punchless as they hit the second-fewest home runs in the entire league, led by old men Kosuke Fukudome and Yoshio Itoi (16 each). The teamโs batting average was 2nd-worst in the CL at a paltry .254. The team was also beset on all sides by injury as nobody played the full 144 games, with infielder Kento Itohara playing the most of the bunch (132 games). A raft of injuries in one two-week stretch in September to key players Messenger, Itoi, Fujikawa, and others pounded the remaining nails into the Tigersโ coffin.
The question now is, was their 2nd place finish in 2017 a fluke, or can Kanemoto right the ship? Being a club legend, and the man that helped change the culture at Koshien in the early 2000โs, heโs very likely to have a long leash from management. But the seat temperature should be above simmering at this point if the front office gives a shit.
The slow rebuild continues for the Dragons as they stockpile talent and the old guard of the late-2000โs slowly fades away. The offense was actually very good this season with Dayan Viciedo making a legitimate run at the Triple Crow
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