Cliff Notes - An Informal Blog of the Lupin Baseball Club

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Lupin GM: "I Was Abducted by Aliens"

Front Page Link

January 17, 2020: Toyama – This is the second of a multi-part series that documents a conversation between the Cliff Notes staff and Ron Collins, General Manager of the Lupin Cliff Hangers. In the first part, Collins talked about the league’s recent disruptions, and made some bold predictions for the team. Today we pick up with questions that deal with his initial work with the Kawaguchi Transmitters, and touches upon his controversial departure from the league. This is the first time Collins has addressed these issues in public, and we were (to put it mildly) floored with some of his comments.

PART II: 2020 & Beyond – An Interview with the Lupin GM

C-Notes: Can we talk for a moment about your own past?

RC: Hey, it seems to be open mic night. Go ahead and shoot away.

C-Notes: You spent some time with Kawaguchi, and then just kind of dropped off the face of the earth. What happened?

RC: I loved being part of the Transmitter organization. They were my introduction to baseball in Japan, and it was a great time. Seeing them get caught up in this mess, and seeing where they are in the whole process of building makes me sick. I really thought we had them going in the right direction. [ED: Kawaguchi won 68 games in Collins's first and only full season with the team. This was the organization's best performance in modern memory.]

C-Notes: So, what happened? Where did you go?

RC: I got called away.

C-Notes: That’s all you’ve got to say?

RC: No. I just know this interview is the first time people are going to hear this, so I want to put it in its proper terms.

C-Notes: Which are?

RC: I was abducted by aliens.

C-Notes: Excuse me?

RC: Well, they seemed like aliens to me. They were dressed like folks from Human Resources, though, so you never know.

C-Notes: <speechless>

RC: But they showed up at the doorstep one evening and said they had a project for me, you see, and they said it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Turns out they were right.

C-Notes: You’re saying aliens dressed as HR people whisked you away to Tau Ceti or somewhere?

RC: Uh, sure. But maybe not exactly. The project had to do with people on the Earth. Not Tau Ceti or anywhere else for that matter. But it was an intense, all-in kind of thing. Very imersive. I had every intention of keeping my hands on the Transmitter reins, but the issues at hand just tore me up. Time moved strangely, and before you know it the league went on without me–which, of course, it was destined to.

C-Notes: Can you tell us what you were doing?

RC: All I can really say is that it was a project with global ramifications that touched on tens of thousands of people.

C-Notes: I see. You’re saying you saved the world?

RC: I can neither confirm nor deny-

C-Notes: seriously?

RC: I wish things had gone differently in my wake. Poor Kawaguchi fans had to suffer the most. Heck, since they’ll be moving to the Rio Grand next season, they essentially lost their team. But by the time I got back the league had moved on and it seemed like there really wasn’t a place for me. Which was completely understandable.

C-Notes: But you came back. How did that happen?

RC: I reached out to John (Commissioner John Rodriguez) once the situation simmered down to a reasonable level. There was a rumor going around that he was going to step down, and I wanted him to know what a special place he had created. I also apologized for letting him down. Then, in the way that maybe only John has, he waved his magic wand and made it all okay. Shortly after that Jim Konopka announced he was stepping down in Lupin, and I received the great honor of being able to step into his boots.

C-Notes: And the rest is history.

RC: The rest is hard work. The LRS has always been a challenging place to win, and with the merger, it promises to become even more so. The money is changing, and the opponents are going to change. It’s a real mind game to try to project our guys into the PEBA, and vise versa. In the past we were getting guys at the end of their careers coming over to Japan for one last splash. But now the world is crashing together. It’s all very exciting.

C-Notes: And Kawaguchi’s loss is Lupin’s gain.

RC: Obviously, I hope Lupin fans see it that way. In Matt (Higgins), the Kawaguchi franchise is in great hands right now as a franchise, though we all know it’s planning to move.

C-Notes: So what happens next time the HR aliens come knocking?

RC: I’ve promised myself that this kind of thing will never happen again. Life is too short, you know? And to be certain, I’ve completely removed myself from that environment. LIfe is great. I see no reason to mess with that ever again.

C-Notes: Even if the world needs saving?

RC: I think I’ll leave that to the next incarnation of Iron Man.

* * *

And so ends Part II of our comprehensive interview with Lupin’s general manager. Stay tuned for Part III in which Collins talks about how running a ball club is changing as a result of the merger, some of his experiences with free agent hi-jinx, and some projections on where the PEBAverse may well be heading over time. It’s all coming soon!

[richard_v]

Great read as always!!!

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Adachi to Wear #6

January 24, 2020: Toyama – The Lupin baseball club tweeted today that, per his request, Shiro Adachi will be changing his number from his previous "17" to "6." "He's earned that right," the tweet concluded. "Go 6!"

Adachi, who had perhaps his best overall season last year, and was named the Bright Blade Group's Gurabukin recipient as best defensive shortstop, did not return calls related to the question. This is, perhaps, not unusual as Adachi has become know for being a clubhouse leader, but a man who is fiercely private when it comes to the press.

Team insiders, however, suggest the request came as a way to both honor his father and to denote his achievement. They noted that to scorekeepers, "6" is the nomenclature used to denote a shortstop. In addition, it's is generally known the Adachi's father was a top-grade prospect--also a shortstop--in earlier days of Japanese baseball until an off-field injury shut down that path.

"I think Shiro felt that the Gurabukin meant he had arrived," said the insider, "that he was a real baseball player. And I'm pretty sure that his father wore the number 6."

If the above it true, and we see no reason to discount it, it would just be one more stitch in the fabric that has been holding this team together for the past couple seasons.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Pepe Joins the Cliff Hangers

Team Declares "The Cup is Ours!"

February 1, 2020: Toyama – The Lupin front office took another major step in upgrading the team's bullpen, releasing news that they have come to an agreement with major free agent Pepe Rico today. While specifics were not available at the time of the announcement, the deal is reported to be in the area of $14M for two seasons, and is laden with bonuses.

"Pepe is a true star," said GM Ron Collins. "He's respected by everyone, and given that he's had time both in the LRS and the PEBA, we thought he would be a great influence on our younger guys as we go through the transition."

Rico registered 214 saves with three LRS ballclubs before moving on to spend three seasons in the US with the Kentucky Thoroghbreds, where he scored 116 more. He's a 5-time LRS All-Star and a 2-time PEBA All-Star. While he's been a closer everywhere he's been, it's likely that he will throw in the set-up role, with Jo Kichida handling closer duties.

"I'm good with that," Rico said in a phone interview from his home. "I'm 37 years old. I've only got so many years left, and I want to win. That's why I'm here. (GM Ron) Collins told me he was dedicated to taking home the crown, and I'm all for that."

Indeed, the team was clear as to their goal this season.

"Combined with recently signed veteran lefty Jorge Aguilar, the Rico signing makes a bold statement to fans that we're serious about winning this last Neo-Tokyo cup," the news release explained. We beleive we have a healthy and deep organization as we moive into world-wide baseball, and we will use whatever financial leverage we have to bring winning baseball to the big club, too. As such, we've given this year its own catch phrase: "The Cup is Ours!"

If early returns are to be believed, the signing has already had its desired effect, as fans across the country globe have taken to the Twitterverse to argue the merits of the deal. "You've got to admire the passion," one tweeter said. "Or laugh at it," replied another. Either way, the team suggests they have already had calls to the ticket office, looking to lock up season passes.

[Cole]

Ahhh, his good popularity, another reason I'm sad I couldn't sign him

[richard_v]

I was in early on him and dropped after a bit, I needed to fill other spots. I think it is a great signing!

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Lupin GM: “PEBA Free Agents are a Bunch of Greedy Guys”

February 1, 2020: Toyama – This is the third installment of a multi-part series that documents a conversation between the Cliff Note staff and Ron Collins, the General Manager of the Lupin Cliff Hangers. Today we pick up with questions about the inner workings of the Lupin front office as they deal with new uncertainties in this emerging financial world of merger and acquisition..

PART III: 2020 & Beyond – An Interview with the Lupin GM

C-Notes: The team has been making some bold moves this off-season. Has it all gone according to plan?

RC: According to plan? Yeah, right.

C-Notes: Okay. How far off have you been?

RC: Actually, I was probably just being a bit sarcastic. In reality we’re doing about what we planned on in the big picture. We decided during the post-season that we would work hard to improve the farm system’s depth, and that we wanted to improve our situation at first base. Then when the big hubaloo happened we got together and agreed we would use that process (the contraction draft) to add to the big-league club where we could. The names have been different than we expected, but in the end we’ve pretty much gotten that done.

C-Notes: What names have you missed out on?

RC: Specifics? <laughing> You want specifics?

C-Notes: I think we deserve specifics.

RC: You can’t handle specifics.

C-Notes: <smiling> try us. We can take it.

RC: Let’s just say that agents of players from the PEBA seem to think us folks from Japan have just fallen off the turnip truck. They’re as greedy as lawyers in an emergency room. Of course, those are just the ones who will talk to us.

C-Notes: You mean you’re getting the cold shoulder?

RC: True enough.

C-Notes: Now we’ve got to have a name.

RC: I suppose we’ve already burnt a bridge, so I’ll say that early in the Free Agency period we had decided to make a premium first baseman a real target, and touched base with Jaime Boyd’s people. We told them we were serious about bringing him across the pond, and “showed them the money” to back up our words. Then we just sat there for weeks.

C-Note: No call-back?

RC: Notta call, notta text, nottan e-mail.

C-Notes: Seriously?

RC: Everything worked out for us, though. We picked up enough quality from the contraction draft to be able to deal for a great young firstbaseman (Tenno), and that left us with a lot more money to spend on other guys. And, man, if you wanna fish in the big-boy tank, it’s clear that you BETTER bring the big-boy bucks. These PEBA free agents are a bunch of greedy guys.

C-Notes: And that’s different than in the LRS?

Very very different. The revenue stream is changing so rapidly for us that it’s hard to describe the difference. For example, the deal we have (star centerfielder) Sadatake Sato starting this year was massive for us under the LRS caps, but it’s going to look like a great deal as we go forward. Best investment of our lives, eh?

C-Notes: Do you expect this to settle down?

RC: No. Not really. I think we’ll see some wild fluctuations for the next couple years. PEBA squads were on a growth path already, and we expect attendance to be good early this year. But we predicting the future is tough. The owners of us LRS franchises are struggling with it all. They are in real Jekyl and Hyde modes. Understandably so. And player agents are paid to make the most of this kind of thing.

C-Notes: How so?

RC: Take our case. We’re cash rich, and we can project this year’s revenue pretty well. SO spending this season is not too difficult to project. But Paul (Lupin owner Paul Walker) is struggling with what’s going to happen in 2021, so our early budgetary constraints for next year are pretty tight.

C-Notes: Your payroll is certainly growing.

RC: This year. Yes. And I expect it will next year, too. But Paul’s actually put us on a $10M diet for next season until we get closer and can get a better handle for what’s really going to happen. I understand exactly why he’s doing that, but it makes it hard to go fast when you’ve got a pop-off valve on the throttle. But, yeah, I expect a bigger budget for 2021. I just can’t go out and write checks against it right now.

C-Notes: So, what can we expect for the rest of the off-season?

RC: We’ve been doing a lot of work on the organization’ depth, making deals and signing guys to minor league deals. [Ed: the team has signed over a dozen such deals in the past couple weeks]. In addition, I’ve asked our scouting director to spend a lot of time in Canada and the Domincan, and that’s added some real depth to our international complex. We’ll keep that focus.

C-Notes: And at the big-league level?

RC: It’s probably about the bullpen for us there. We wouldn’t mind a bat, too, but I’m not sure we can afford the guys we would be interested in adding. [Ed - a month after this interview, the team made news by signings that fans are calling the Putt-Putt and Pepe Double-Header, dropping about $14M a year for two seasons each on 37-year-old veterans Putt-Putt Aguilar and Pepe Rico. It is notable based on the comments above that Collins negotiated that the last year of both contracts be activated at the team's option.]

At the end of the day, though, we’re getting close to the time when we’re going to start turning our attention to longer-term planning.

C-Notes: It sounds like an exciting time to be a GM.

RC: It is. It really is. You can probably say that most of the time, but I can speak for my entire team when I say that the front office of the Lupin Cliff Hangers is really energized right now. I haven’t seen such energy in a front office before.

C-Notes – Good luck. And thanks for spending your time with us.

RC: Thanks. It’s been great fun.



This brings us to the end of our long discussion with the Lupin GM. It’s a fascinating time to be a baseball fan, and an even more exciting time to be a associated with the Cliff Hangers. What will the future bring? Will we see a Neo-Tokyo Cup in Lupin? Or a Rodriquez Cup the following season? Such are the questions of our time. Yes, indeed. Such are the questions of our time.

[richard_v]

Great read and you are 100% correct . I had to do a ton of adjusting due to that life in PEBA is far different than LRS.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Cliff Hangers Shuffle Leadership Deck

Team Coaching Ranks Set Through 2022

March 1, 2020: Toyama – As the 2020 season draws close to Spring Training, the Lupin Cliff Hangers have announced changes to their minor league bench staff, hiring a new hitting coach for their new short-season A-level team and promoting several others.

"We are letting Isoruko Ito go to pursue other opportunities," a spokesman said. Ito had been "drafted" in the league's contraction process after having been a bench coach for the contracted Kure franchise last season. "He wants to be a manager," the press release read. "And quite honestly, we don't expect that kind of role to open up for him in the near future in the Lupin organization, so we think it's only fair to leave him to pursue his dream." Ito had been assigned to the team's AA organization at Ranma. This action comes as a bit of a surprise, as the club remains responsible for Ito's $700K contract.

His replacement will be Jeff Hutchinson, a 48-year-old who has held that same post for four seasons in Cagliostro, the team's single-A franchise. "It's always nice to be promoted," Hutchinson said. "It makes you know that your work is appreciated." The team's press release noted that Hutchison has produced some excellent minor league results, and it was thought that with many of the players he's coached for the past few seasons moving the new AA level, that it would be a wise more to move him up.

To fill Hutchison's role in Cagliostro, the organization will move Travis Taylor up from their Short-season-A club. Taylor has been on quite a merry-go-round ride this off-season, as his services were also acquired through the contraction draft. He has been a hitting coach for the past four seasons, and brings bot PEBA and LRS experience to the table. "We think he's a great fit for our team," the press release said.

The final domino in the chain is 54-year-old Cuban Manny Durango, who will be working with hitters in Osakasayama. "I can't wait to get to work," Durango said during a phone interview. "This is a really exciting time to be in baseball."

In addition to these moves, the team also announced contract extensions for new Ranma manager Luis Mendoza, who is due to make $800,000 dollars this season, and will now make $850,000 for four more seasons (tying him up through 2024), and for new Osakasayama manager Kijuro Imai, who will make $750,000 a season through 2022. Mendoza has experience as a manager in Mexico, and as a hitting coach in the LRS (having served in that role with Kumana). Imai was Kuwana's bench coach for the past four seasons. "We are excited to know that people like Luis and Kijuro will be in the organization for several years," GM Ron Collins said. "These guys are great for us, and represent key pieces of our player development strategy."

The moves solidify the Cliff Hanger field personnel for the next three seasons.

"We've got a great organization, top to bottom," Collins said. "That's the foundation, you know? We're in this to be the best team we can be, to bring our fans a Neo-Tokyo Cup, and then a Rodriguez Cup. We know they like hardware, and we plan to do everything we can to bring it to them."

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Lupin Inks Munakata

Brings End to Catcher Controversy

March 2, 2020: Toyama – After rumors of the ball club dallying signing PEBA catcher Samuel Kettley circulated throughout the LRS, the Lupin Cliff Hangers signed current catcher Shigekazu Munakata to a 1-season extension rumored to be worth something in the range of $700,000. The move will keep him with the club through the team's inaugural season in the greater PEBAverse.

The 28-year-old Munakata, who has been with Lupin his entire career, will be completing his sixth season in the league, and would likely have been due for free agency this off-season, given the league's merger with PEBA. Prior to the merger, the catcher would not have been eligible for even arbitration until 2022. Munakata hit .299/.405/.873 last season, adding 15 homers and 77 RBI. Many consider it to have been his best year.

"I like the organization," Munakata said, when asked why he didn't hold out for more money, or decide to wait to sign who probably could have been a more lucrative contract later. "I have kids here. I saw no reason to go anywhere else for now."

Fans were generally pleased at the news, but some questioned why team officials had no comment as to why they chose to extend the veteran only a single season.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Lupin Extends Three

Spring Training Goodie Baskets Arrive for Takeuchi, Watanabe, & Yamada

March 16, 2020: Toyama – After a remarkable season in 2019, and a whirlwind of a hot stove league, Lupin fans and players were understandably teetering on the edges of their seats as Spring Training camps started. The team's front office fueled those flames this week by signing long term pacts with three of their young stars.

Shiobu Takeuchi (25), the man who stands at the top of a pretty solid rotation received the strongest deal, a five-season pact rumored to pay him something in the range of $45M. Takeuchi has been brilliant when he's remained healthy, posting a 38-16 record and a career 2.75 ERA. He has had both elbow and shoulder troubles the past couple seasons, however, and some league observers suggest he may not play long enough to make the contract pay out for the Cliff Hangers.

GM Ron Collins discounted those concerns. "Shinobu is a critical part of our organization. The fans love him, and we need him to be in Lupin as we move into the most critical part of our team's history."

Tackeuchi came to the club in 2013 as the first pick in the amateur draft.

The team also inked fellow rotation mate Akira Watanabe to a five season deal, this one reported to be for somewhere between $35m and $40M. Watanabe, who will be 25 in May, has been nearly as impressive as Takeuchi, registering a 29-26 record and a 3.29 career ERA.

"Akira showed the world what he was made of by his on-field leadership during our playoff run last season," Collins said about the signing. "With both him and Shiobu in the fold for the next five seasons, our fans can rest assured that we'll never have a long drought.

Finally, the agent of the team's beleaguered second baseman Kazuma Yamada released notice that his client has agreed to a three year extension that should pay Yamada something in the area of $10M. The team had been rumored to have been considering several options for upgrading themselves defensively, but Yamada is happy to be back. "I love this club," he said. "The guys are great. I think we can win the whole thing."

Collins was also pleased to keep Yamada with the team, saying that rumors of other personnel in the role were over-blown. "Kaz and I go back to my Kawaguchi days. He knows I love him like a son. The fact that he gets on base 40% of the time he comes to the plate is just icing on the cake."

At 28 years-old, Yamada's contract will take him through age 31.

These deals come as LRS clubs begin to look forward to the time when the merge with the PEBA. Each of the three agreements essentially take the players in question out of their arbitration periods, which will be three seasons earlier than they would have been under the LRS reserve contract.

It goes to show exactly how under-paid LRS players have been over the years, one agent who asked to remain nameless told us upon hearing of the signings. These guys were kept around for dirt-cheap for so long, but now that teams are going to have to pay them what they're worth that rabbit is out of the hat.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Lupin Makes First Cuts

March 31, 2020: Toyama – With three games left to play in the 2020 spring training season, the Lupin Cliff Hangers made their first "cuts" today, sending fifteen players back to minor league camps to re-acclimate with their new teammates.

"It's always difficult to send guys back down," said General Manager Ron Collins. "You know they want to stay, and inside you know it's breaking that dream they have. But we try to be up front with them as best we can. Everyone gets that math, you know?"

In this case, the math is that the club brought a full 60-man squad to camp, and that only 25 will stay with the club when it breaks next week. Today's moves leave Lupin with 45 players in their big-league camp. "That number is a bit artificial, though," Collins said, indicating that several players had already been informed of their assignments, but that they were being retained through the last three games of spring training as a perk for their efforts.

"It's nice to have everyone here," Collins explained. "The staff has done a great job getting everyone the reps we need to start the season, and we can't wait to get going. But it's fun to see these guys in Lupin uniforms, you know? It's easy to forget that this is the dream life."

Players reassigned include:


Pitchers: (All three sent to AAA Yamauchi)

Toyokuni Matsumura (CL) - At 24, the young pitcher raised some eyebrows this spring, posting four solid outings before getting bounced around a bit n his last stint. He throws 99 MPH, and has a very rosy future. "I expect you can expect to see Toyokuni in Lupin before the year is out," a team insider said.

Yasuoko Takahashi (RP) - Takahashi is 28, and was in camp primarily as a spot inning eater.

Yosuke Kono (SP) - Team insiders expected Kono to start the season in AA, but they were admittedly hoping to see something more from the 26-year-old than they did. Kono struggled in four games, posting a 6.75 ERA.


Catchers:

Eitoku Hirano (Sent to AA Ranma) - Hirano is one of the club's better prospects, and came from the contraction draft. He was invited to spring training so the staff could get a better view of who he was. He appeared in two games as a defensive replacement, and did fine. He was never a serious contender to break camp with the club. The team plans to use the 23-year-old Hirano at the AA level where he can get full reps before introducing him to AAA.

Sosa Kiyomizu (Sent to AAA Yamauchi) - This was a bit of a surprise move, as Kiyomizu spent all of last season with the big club. He had a poor spring with the bat, though, hitting only .111, and the coaching staff has not been enthralled with his glove.


Infield:

Takechi Yoshida (1B) - Yoshida was last season's starting first baseman before an injury side-lined him, and with the arrival Hirusu Tenno in an off-season deal, it's not a real surprise to see the 25-year-old returned to AAA. The team knows he can hit, though, and you can expect to see him in a Lupin uniform if injury problems arrise.

Tadasuke Hagiwara (1B) - The 24-year-old right-handed batter was acquired in the contraction draft. He's an interesting prospect, but didn't have a remarkable result this spring. Wasn't expected to break with the club, but is one to keep an eye on. Sent to AAA.

MuraiTakahashi (2B) - He's a 28-year-old minor league veteran who was brought to camp to keep Kaz Yamada from playing to many innings. Mission accomplished. Back to AAA you go.

Tom Wilson (SS) - Similar story as Takahashi, Wilson is past the age of true prospect-dom, but he did give Shiro Adachi and Tsunesaburo Sugimoto the opportunity to ease into the spring. He'll likely start the season in AAA.

Katai Nomura (3B) - The 23-year-old put himself on the radar screen with a solid set of appearances before turning an ankle. He's on the DL now, buy the team expects to have him start the season at AA.

Ikemoto Nakamura (2B) - At 30 years old, Nakamura is a solid player with LRS experience. He hurt his ankle early in camp, and will start the season on the DL. Expect him to be assigned to the AAA level when he returns next month.


Outfield:

Ton Iwamoto - After registering a .385 OBP and playing solid defense in centerfield, the 24-year-old had what team insiders are calling a "good camp." Of course, with Sadatake Sato firmly affixed to the Lupin centerfield role, a "good camp" gets you sent to AAA.

Stanton Bryant - A 24-year-old the team brought into the organization into the contraction draft. He'll start the season in AA, but has some buzz inside the Cliff Hanger front office.

Nobuhito Ohayashi - A 23-year-old acquired in the contraction draft. The team is hoping they got quite a steal here, and merely wanted to see him play a bit in the spring. Ohayashi has been slated to start at AA for some time.

Kenshin Hirata - The 29-year-old switch hitter is viewed as organizational depth, but he can hit a little. Will be adding that depth in AAA now.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Opening Week Notables

April 15, 2020: Toyama – THe first week of the season is now passed and we can see the Bright Blade group is turning into the knife-fight it was projected to be. Edo leads the group at 4-3, Naha and Lupin next at 3-3, with Fushigi Yugi only 3-4. Of course the biggest news of the week in Lupin's court was the remarkable outing of Akira "Four Eyes" Watanbe, who no-hit the Shisa in game two. It was a dominating performance that included nine strikeouts. There were a few other notables, however:


- Left hander Diego Rubio, who was a surprise addition to the major league roster out of spring training, made his big league debut against the Naha Shisa, and struck ou tthe first four men he faced (two swinging, two looking). Of course, the fifth hitter he faced (Antonio Perez), deposited a fastball into the left field bleachers. "It was a good outing, though," manager Kinnosuke Iwasaki said. "I was glad to see those first four."

- Lupin committed five errors as a team through the opening week of the season, three of them by right fielder Kuniyoshi Kato.

- With three stolen bases, leftfielder Okakura Ishikawa is on a pace to steal 81 for the season. Last year, Sadatke Sato led the team with 18.

- Baseball in Japan drew a combined 1,011,661 attendees in the first week of the season (238,502 came to the newly renovated Castle to watch Lupin's opening week alone). This is a remarkable total, given that the overall attendance of the entire LRS was just north of 21 million people last year. With close races expected on all fronts, this could be a landmark season for LRS faithful.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Cliff Hangers Shake Up Roster

April 27, 2020: Toyama – The first month of the season is nearly in the books, and competition in the League of the Rising Sun has been everything it was advertised to be. Amid the firefight in the Bright Blade Group, our Lupin Cliff Hangers hold onto a scant half-game lead over the dastardly Edo Battousai, and are two games above Fushigi Yugi, two and a half over Naha. Injuries or a streak of bad or good spirit luck may well tell the tale. And in that light, news that Kuniyoshi Kato's knee strain earlier this week was as bad as feared may cause Lupin fans pause.

As a result, the team announced they would use AAA Yamauchi's Kohei Sakai as Kato's replacement. Sakai is a 26-year-old who appeared with the team during the last month of 2019, and was used mostly as a part-timer an defensive replacement. He has made a habit of feasting on AAA-level pitching for the three previous seasons (.886, .852, and 1.004 OPS values), and his 7 homers and 1.011 OPS so far in Yamauchi this season suggest he will be able to hold his own.

In addition to replacing Kato, the team has sent third-baseman Dan Stewart to Yamauchi and recalled steady veteran Shoichi Koyama. After a remarkable feel-good story season that saw him take home the group's Shinjinshou award as best newcomer last year, Stewart has struggled mightily this April, and team insiders are worried he may be over-thinking things. Perhaps a few weeks in Yamauchi will help. In the interim, the team expects veteran infielder Tsunesaburo Sugimoto to play third base, and will likely use Koyama as the utility man. Sugimoto was acquired last off-season from Neo-Tokyo along with first baseman Hirotsugu Tenno and reliever Shinji Kichida.

The team faces a stiff challenge this week, facing sleeping giant Shin Seiki (currently third! In the SSG standings) at the Eva's home field, and then hosting the dastardly Edo Battousai before heading to Okinawa to face Naha for three ball games.

[roncollins]

Written by Fujiko Shusay

Tenno Leads Embattled Cliff Hangers

June 20, 2020: Toyama – Hirotsugu Tenno had grown used to being invisible. This past December, he had just finished his second season with the Neo-Tokyo Akira, posting 27 homers and a .913 OPS, but he could go out on the town and no one knew who he was. “My agent couldn’t get me an interview anywhere,” he said. To be fair, he was playing alongside Koko Muikami, a first baseman who was in his fourth season of hitting homers with the Akira.

Then came the trade.

It seems that Tenno was invisible to everyone except the Lupin Cliff Hanger front office. “We needed to address our situation at first base,” GM Ron Collins said. “I asked Tomasatu (Tomasatu Yoshida, the team’s scouting director) to come back to me with one name, and he said Hirotsugu Tenno. From that point on it was really just a matter of figuring out what the Akria needed for him.”

In the end, the deal cost Lupin a first rate reliever in Yashushi Yamasaki, and a solid second baseman in Toshiro Okamoto (as well as two prospects). But, holey, moley ... the facts are clear right now, and those facts are that whatever they paid wasn’t enough.

“This season is very exciting, and very competitive. But the truth is that without Hirotsugu we would be nowhere,” said starting pitcher Akira Watanabe.

How good has Tenno been? Well ...

Sixty-eight games into the season, Tenno leads the LRS with a .404 On Base Percentage, and a .545 Slugging Percentage (all in a down season for offense). He leads the LRS in WAR (3.3), VORP (31.3), Runs Created/27 (7.91), and Runs Scored (51). His 38 walks lead the Bright Blade Group (who do not get the pleasure of feasting on Kawaguchi pitching nearly so often). He’s been so good that the team has been able to weather a rash of injuries to other star players and remain at the top of the Bright Blade Group heap.

“It will be great to get some more of our guys back,” Tenno said, when asked about his service.

The club lost right-fielder Kuniyoshi Kato for six weeks early in the season, and then in quick order lost star shortstop Shiro Adacci for three weeks, outfielder Kohei Sakai for a couple weeks, and catcher Shigekazu Munakata and reliever Pepe Rico for 1-2 weeks each. Several other Cliff Hangers have suffered through lesser bumps and bruises that have limited their availability or their performance.

Through it all, Hirotugu Tenno has showed up and played ball.

If he keeps it up, we project he won’t be invisible for long.