THE DANCE CARD - Community Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

[Nigel]

This really is a great blog Ron, I'm fiddling around with the CP scheme in the off season and you can be assured that this blog will be gathering lots of CP's next season. This is the attention to presentation that I always wanted to achieve with first by London blog and then my Marseille one but was always too lazy or busy

[roncollins]

Thanks, Nigel. I think I may over-detail a few things here and there, but what the heck, eh?

[Morris Ragland]

Yet another chapter in the Adachi saga. He hasn't been this productive at the plate in years.

[Simon]

You are shuffling players around at SS position almost as often as i used to in my rotation

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Shin Seiki Sweep Saves Season


July 31, 2023 – Toyama: The Shin Seiki Evas came into town three days ago sporting a 5-game lead in the Rising Sun Division. The Toyama Wind Dancers, despite riding a four-game winning streak and having won seven of their last ten ballgames, were on their last legs. Lose this series, and the Eva would be nearly unstoppable.

Worse, the club’s primary offensive catalyst, Jose Escobido, was still on the shelf nursing his torn meniscus. On top of that, the first game would feature a start by aging vet Tsuyoshi Nishiyama, who was 2-10 on the season and whose ERA has flirted with 5.00 all year.

The results, however, have Toyama faithful back on their feet.

Nishiyama went eight strong innings, and rookie third sacker Ivan Juarez managed a run-scoring single in front of Roberto Cisneros’s sac fly to beat the Eva Empires 2-1.

An 8th0inning two-run shot by journeyman designated hitter Clifford Green staked the club to a 3-2 lead that Raul Cruz (the team’s only All Star) wasn’t going to let slide.

When Green repeated the feat in game three—this time a three-run shot behind a stalwart 7-inning outing by Shinobu Takeuchi, the club had sent their chief Rising Sun competition home with a three game sweep and a message that the season was nowhere near over.


Team Faces Crucial Road Trip

While emotions are high, the path that lies before the Wind Dancers is still long and hard, and their load will get more difficult before it becomes lighter. The squad embarks now on a major 13-game, four-city road trip that will start at Niihama-shi, head to Shin Seiki, then Reno, and Duluth.

The feeling is that the club probably needs to come out of this trip with at least 7 wins to stay in the Evas’ draft in order to have any chance of taking the division as the season moves toward September.


Escobido to Return!

Perhaps the best news of all is that second baseman and lead-off hitter Jose Escobido will be back in the lineup when the team plays the Ghosts.

After June 23, when Escobido suffered his meniscus issue, the club feel into an 11-15 slump that saw their run production drop from 4.6 runs per game to 3.3.

“Jose may be the most under-rated player in the game,” said manager Hirotada Suzuki. “You don’t understand what it means to have a .400 OBP guy at the top of the lineup until the day you don’t have him there anymore.”

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Unsung Wind Dancer Relief Corp Saves the Day

August 1, 2016: Toyama – Yes, we all hear about the rotation, and for good reason. The Toyama starters are as strong a collection as any in the league, and that includes the horribly unlucky Tsuyoshi Nishiyama (3-10). But, with the exception of the team’s only All Star (newcomer closer Raúl Cruz), the Toyama Wind Dancer bullpen is flying under the radar this season

Cruz, of course, has been marvelous. His 35 saves leads the entire PEBA. But the guy makes $11M this year and more for the foreseeable future. So, let’s look at the rest.

First there’s Chad Miller (5-1 3.27), last year’s rookie surprise who has taken his demotion from closer with great aplomb. His 101 MPH fastball is still striking out a hitter an inning, and he’s dropped his walk rate. At 28 years old, the guy may still have upside left to find, and if not, who the heck cares?

26 year-old Isei Makino (3-0, 1.74) is having a career season. He’s a 4-season vet by now, and has gotten better every season. If he keeps that .198 BABIP going, he’s goig to be a very rich man sometime soon.

A long-time starter in Duluth, Davis Sutherland (1-1, 3.19) signed a $16M, three season deal with the Dancers. The goal was to get 100 innings from him in a relief role. To date he’s seen 53 of those innings, and if you take away a shellacking in early July, he’s been lights out (including allowing zero runs in his last ten outings.

Lefty Hyeon-cheong Yong (5-3, 4.17) came to the club with some high expectation that he would hold down a rotation slot. Alas, his control keeps that dream from happening. He’s still throwing 99 miles an hour, though, and he’s K’ed 39 guys in 36 innings, and he keeps the ball in the park. Solid guy to have around.

Which brings us to Burt Johnson (3-1, 4.50). Longtime Toyama fans know Johnson struggles at times, and is brilliant at times. He’s been with the club each of the last three seasons, and this season has been no different. But he’s a gamer. He’s playing now as a replacement for Bill Courtney (more in a moment), and he’s one of those guys who can step up and give the club invaluable innings (like the four scoreless innings he gave the team in a pair of big wins over Aurora in June).

And before we go, we need to touch on injured lefty Bill Courtney (3-0, 2.29). The lefty fire-baller signed out of Mexico last season threw 19 brilliant inning earlier this season, only to fall to shoulder inflammation. Team doctors say he’ll be back in 3-4 weeks, and if so he could be a true wildcard in the final weeks of the season.

Bottom line: take away these guys, and we don’t think the Wind Dancers would be in the conversation.

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Wind Dancers Sizzling in Mid-August


Escobido Hot in Return

49 At Bats, 23 hits, .456 OBP. Those are the base numbers Jose Escobido has posted in August since his return from the knee issue that side-tracked him for a month.

“He’s awesome,” said teammate and captain Shiro Adachi. “You watch him approach the game and just boggle at what he can do.”

Toyama fans couldn’t agree more.


Nishi Coming Out of Funk-Town?

Perhaps the best news the team could receive is the quiet resurgence of veteran hurler Tsuyoshi Nishiyama. The numbers don’t look good for the 34-year-old longtime Lupin pitcher. He’s 4-10 with a 4.22 ERA. But his last five outings have resulted in two wins and only 9 earned runs in 36.1 innings (2.23 ERA). If Nishi is actually a weapon, this staff becomes very, very good.


Dancers Lose Another Outfielder

Fans can be forgiven a bit of trepidation at the news that center fielder John Martin’s injury (sustained in Reno) has been diagnosed as a strained groin, and that the problem will sideline him for up to four weeks. With right fielder Ivan Rosa out for five more weeks, that means the Dancers will be without two thirds of their starting outfield for a considerable amount of time.

“We knew he was a bit prone when we signed him. That’s why we wanted it to be a one-season deal,” said the team’s assistant Takanibu Takahashi, speaking perhaps more bluntly than the club would like.

The club is said to be pondering options now, which include recalling every pitcher’s friend Noriyuki Matsui (whose glove work is stellar) or taking a look at 22-year-old Donald Allen, who everyone says is the franchise’s center fielder of the future, and who has been having a solid, if not spectacular season at AAA. They also could turn to veteran Ben Ray, who was designated for assignment earlier, but is possibly out of gas.

In the short term, however, one has to expect that fan favorite Sadatake Sato will be patrolling center field.


Edmonds Shines in Rosa’s Stead

26 year-old outfielder Willie Edmonds arrived from Yamaguchi this week to fill the shoes of injured teammate Ivan Rosa, and wasted no time getting acquainted with life in the PEBA, collecting six hits in his 17 at bats (.375), and hitting a homer. “It’s been a long and winding road to get here,” Edmonds said. “I’m not here to really win friends or whatever, and given the realities of baseball I have no idea how long I’ll be here. So I’m just trying to help the team and enjoy myself while I can.”

Edmonds was originally drafted by the Palm Springs organization in 2018, then was claimed by Bakersfield in 2020 before being subsequently released and signing with the Acapulco franchise of the Mexican League. Scouts raved about the power stored away in his bat, but whispered about the fact that it rarely seemed to actually make contact with anything. After signing with Toyama (Lupin) last season, Edmonds’ numbers were all over the board—hitting well in AAA, but struggling against PEBA pitching.

“I was tired,” Edmonds said as he sat in the dugout waiting for his BP turn. “It’s hard, you know? The travel, the games in Mexico, the uncertainty of where you might be playing next year, or even if you’ll be playing. It’s just hard.”

The club is playing coy on what his future might be at present. They have journeyman pro Clifford Green on a 1-season deal that they might be willing to cut lose it Edmonds can hold water.

So, yeah, it’s hard.


Wind Dancers Sign Kei Tenno

Looking for extra left-handed help in the bullpen, the Wind Dancers announced the signing of 26-year-old Kei Tenno to a 1-season contract of $1,000,000 prorated to the remaining games of the season.

“Kei is a guy who has been in the middle of things in the PEBA before, and we think he can help us in key spots,” said Wind Dancer GM Ron Collins. Tenno throws hard, and has generally kept the ball in the park. Team insiders also note that the club has struggled at times with Hyeon-cheong Yong as the only lefty in the pen since the injury to Bill Courtney (who is apparently two weeks away).

Yong was recently provided a two-season contract extension, but the club has suggested that if Courtney’s eventual spot might be in the starting rotation. This means Tenno has the opportunity to find a permanent home in Toyama.

The Dancers are expected to option right hander Burt Johnson to Yamauchi to make room for Tenno, who arrives just in time to face the dastardly Shin Seiki Evas.

“What a great time to become a Wind Dancer,” Tenno said. “I can’t wait.”



Home Stand Begins

The club has now just finished its critical road trip, going 8-5 in the 13 games and gaining a game and a half in the standings to arch rival Shin Seiki. Fans are beginning to get excited. Now Toyama returns to the Castle for 14 games, a stint that kicks off with a critical 3-game set with the Evas, then sees Rising Sun foes Neo-Tokyo and Okinawa come in for three games apiece before finishing with a rare 5-game set with Canton.

What happens in these two weeks will obviously set the table.

“We’re looking forward to being in front of our rowdy home fans,” said new manager Hirotada Suzuki. “It should be much fun.”

[Simon]

Good to see Escobido rolling

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Juárez Settles In

August 10, 2023: TOYAMA -- At 24 years old, Cuban-born third-baseman Iván Juárez can perhaps be granted a bit of immunity to the fact that he still boggles at the wonders of baseball in Japan. “I never saw 50,000 people singing like that,” he said when we sat down to talk to him last week. “And the idea of food in the parks here?”

That said, we think you can expect to see Juárez at third base for the Wind Dancers for a long time.

“We’ve had a bit of a rotating door there since I got here,” said GM Ron Collins earlier. “But when we found Iván we were pretty sure we had the guy we wanted.”

The team’s scouts found Juárez in the Mexican league, and gave the third-baseman $2M to join the club last June. He spent 46 games with AAA Yamauchi before getting his feet wet with the big club in a short stint that resulted in a minimally impressive .231 batting average and a bit of an adventure on the field.

“It was good to get out there last year, though,” he said. “Being here gave me a feel for the place, so this year didn’t have any of the strangeness, you know? I mean, I felt right.” Right enough that his .265/.346/.336 slash line to go with a +5.5 ZR in the field has made him a valuable asset.

Team scouts suggest there’s more to come, too. They say he’s still settling in, and that both his patience and his glovework could get better. That said, he’s been mashing left-handed pitching to the tune of a .445 OBP against portsiders (something that makes him even more valuable as an Eva killer), which means that new manager Hirotada Suzuki has been penciling him into the leadoff role in those situations.

“I like hitting first,” the young third baseman said. “It gets me straight into the game, you know?”

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Young “Tiger” Finding His Roar?


August 14, 2023 – Osakasayama: At 17, Pedro “Tiger” Álvarez is not old enough to drive a car in many countries. He’s not old enough to vote. Not old enough to get into a bar. He is, however, old enough to have started his professional baseball career.

Will the Tiger be worth his $2M?

The more fervent fans of the Toyama Wind Dancers know the name quite well. They know he was signed to a $2M big-bonus deal last summer, and spent the rest of the year in the club’s international complex. They know he started the season in the club’s single-A Cagliostro club, and that this start was … uh … inauspicious. They heard of his demotion, and the struggles the young Mexican was having with home-sickness. The Japanese culture can be intimidating to a kid who can’t even drive to get away from it all, after all, and a $2M albatross is a heavy weight to bear at times.

But here’s the thing:

After a tough start, Álvarez was sent to the Short Season A level, and at Osakasayama, has seen his arc change:

June: 43 AB - .509 OPS
July: 75 AB - .663 OPS (1 HR, 6 RBI, .329 OBP))
August: 49 AB - .789 OPS (2 HR, 11 RBI, .340 OBP) *

* August is only half way over!

The Swamp Dragons are riding his surge, and now find themselves at .500, 3.5 games out. With over a month left in the season, things are heating up.

Not surprisingly, team insiders are also getting excited. “We think he’s going to have a real career here,” one scout said. “He’s an interesting defensive athlete—I don’t think he’ll win many gold gloves anywhere, but he’s the kind of guy who can literally handle just about any position in the field and still be okay.”

Regardless, it’s probably truer now than ever that Toyama fans are getting excited about the idea of seeing the Tiger roar.

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Top Prospect Updates!

Mid-August, 2023: Last off-season, various Toyama onedans got together and put out a consolodated list of their views on who the club's top 25 prospects were. We figured this was a good time to take a quick peek on updating how they're doing.

The process will be to re-post the thoughts that were published back then, and then add a small update section.

So, without further, uh, ado ...

#1 LHP Bill Courtney (25) - Key 2022 Numbers: 0-2, 3.97, 6 GS (PEBA)
Last Year: Not in organization

Courtney was signed out of the Mexican League, and promptly went 4-2 in AA Yamauchi, with a 3.19 ERA to earn a September call up with the parent club. He tore his meniscus in the last start of the year, but appears healthy. He throws a 101 MPH fastball and augments that with a circle change that had PEBA-level batters scratching their heads. The club asked him to go to winter ball this year, and focus on improving a smaller arsenal. Reports are that the exercise went swimmingly.

2023 Plan: Courtney will be with Toyama. The only real question will be whether he takes the 5th starter role, or if he comes out of the bullpen.
Top End Projection: Elite starter, closer quality reliever
Most Likely Outcome: Solid PEBA pitcher with the versatility to start or relieve.
Concerns: Was his off-season surgery really successful?

Update: Courtney was brilliant in April and May, striking out 27 hitters in 19 innings and posting a 2.29 ERA to go along with his 3-0 record and one save. Then he told his coach that his should hurt, and the club shut him down. Rumor is that he's set to return at the end of August. At 26, he'll no longer be a prospect next year, but it does appear that Courtney arrived just fine.

#2 3B Iván Juárez (23) - Key 2022 Numbers: .288/.397/.380, 3 HR, 7 SB (AAA)
Last Year: Not in organization

Like Bill Courtney, Juárez came to Toyama via the Mexican League, and showed the ability to get on base with 34 walks in 221 AAA plate appearances. He looked uncomfortable in his time with the big club (.230/.331/.310), but team scouts are still sky high on him. They also expect his defense to improve from the league average level he displayed last season. He’s a wily base runner, also—a guy who picks his spots well enough to steal 11 bases in his 82 combined games, so he could project to a 20 steal kind of guy in the end.

2023 Plan: Expected to start at 3B in Toyama
Top End Projection: All-Star
Most Likely Outcome: Solid player, steady 3-4 WAR kind of guy
Concerns: Lack of power may limit his value.

Update: It took a little while, but it appears to us that Juárez has found his groove in Toyama now. Probably never going to be a top 1-2 guy at his position, but projects to a guy who can drop a 3-5 WAR season on a routine basis, and protect the hot corner well enough. At 24, he's got a bit of growth left.

#3 RHP François Gosselin (23) - Key 2022 Numbers: 3-6, 6.27 ERA, 8.7 K/9 (PEBA)
Last Year: #3

As a Rule 5 acquisition, Gosselin spent 2022 on the big-league roster, and had the kind of season you would expect a 22-year-old kid to have at the big league level. Moments of brilliance scattered among waves of anxiety. He started 12 games and relieved 19. The only thing consistent about him was that big 99 MPH fastball, with which he struck out a lot of guys.

2023 Plan: Expect a full season at AAA, which is where he needed to be last year, too.
Top End Projection: Upper rotation guy
Most Likely Outcome: #4/#5
Concerns: His BB/9 rate at the PEBA level rocketed from the low 3s to 5.0. Did the season at the top level shatter the kid?

Update: A season at AAA appears to be just what the doctor ordered. Gosselin is sitting at 10-7, 3.18. His walk rate is a career-best, and he's keeping balls in the park well enough. At 23 his 99 MPH fastball is mowing guys down.

Insiders suggest Gosselin may be brought back in September for a bit, but regardless, one assumes he is the prime contender for Nishiyama's slot (or gives the club a little flexibility if they want to make another run at dealing Hashimoto or another pitcher.

#4 CF Donald Allen (22) - Key 2022 Numbers: +9.4 ZR 4 HR, 22 RBI, .285/.341/.368 (AA)
Last Year: Not in organization

Allen was the Wind Dancer’s #1 pick in the draft last year (signing for a huge $3.8M bonus), and spent the season at AA. He’s a solid LHB that still needs to learn a bit of plate discipline, but it’s clear that the team’s scouts love his defense and overall package.

2023 Plan: AAA, maybe a late-season call up
Top End Projection: Top 5 CF, All-Star candidate
Most Likely Outcome: Top 10 CF
Concerns: Given the team’s conversation immediately after the draft, it’s clear the front office was hoping Allen was a bit more developed. He clearly handled his defensive assignment, but some wonder if he will develop offensively enough to justify using such a high selection on him.

Update: Allen started at AA, and quickly showed he was ready to play at the next level. With the injury to John Martin, there was some discussion about bringing Allen up to the big club now, though that seems to have settled a bit. Perhaps we'll see him in September. His +6.0 ZR shows he's more than ready with the glove. His .287/.326/.369 slash says he would still struggle a little offensively--though the fact is that those numbers are depressed by a bit of a rugged July.

Barring the ability to find a superstar cheap (ha!) we expect he'll be the Wind Dancer center fielder come April of 2024.

#5 3B Marcox David (23) - Key 2022 Numbers: .318/.403/600, 21 HR, 72 RBI, +5.6 ZR (A)
Last Year: Not rated (Listed in “More to Watch”)

Marcox David is a self-made man who has been bucking the experts from the beginning of time. “He has no power,” they said though he hit 17 homers as a 19-year-old A-baller. “He can’t field,” though he dropped double-digit zone ratings at third base. “He can’t hit for average,” they said when he struggled as a 21-year-old in AAA. The Wind Dancers put him in A-ball where he belonged, and suddenly the numbers exploded. The 5.4 WAR he put up would have been even more, but he agreed to DH when Hector Morales arrived on the scene.

2023 Plan: David will start in AA-Ranma
Top End Projection: Solid 3B with an All-Leather glove
Most Likely Outcome: The glove is already solid, so where David winds up depends on the bat.
Concerns: The numbers are eye-popping at times, but the scouts are still not all convinced.

Update: Marcox absolutely exploded onto the AA scene, dropping 5 HR and a 1.008 OPS in April, and 2 HR/20 RBI/.814 OPS in May. Then the bottom dropped out and for the next two months, he wasn't able to hame contact (registering a paltry .591 OPS during that time). August has been better, seeing 4 homers and a 1.116 OPS.

Defensively, he's been +9.6 ZR brilliant.

So, bottom line with Marcox David is that the magic 8 ball is still reading "Ask Again."

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Wind Dancers Blow Their Big Chance

August 21, 2023: Toyama – The stage was set, the fans showed up, and the team took the field on game one of the biggest series of the year. The big, bad, brutey Eva Empire was in town for three games, toting a 1-game lead over the kindhearted and faithful Wind Dancers.

• A rain delay and some shoddy defense killed the Wind Dancers in the first game.
• The Eva’s young lefty-hander Hideyori Tanaka shut them down in the second game.
• A breakdown by Raúl Cruz leading to a 10th inning grand slam off the bat of Germán Hernández sealed the coffin in the third game.

And just like that, the season that was looking so promising is back in the dumps.

Yes, yes, we know. The kids from Toyama are still in the driver’s seat for a Wild Card position. And, of course, once you’re in the post season, anything can happen. We get it. But the goal is not the post season. The goal is to win the Rising Sun Division.

Fortunately, the individual members of the Wind Dancers are made of strong stuff, and they went on to take two of three games when Neo-Tokyo followed the Shin Seiki into town. But the facts are these: Toyama sits now 4 games behind the Evas with only 39 games left to play. They have no more games with the Evas left to make up the distance themselves (and, in fact, have been a dismal 6-12 against their arch nemesis … as such, one can suggest that the Dancers have sculpted their own grave this year).

They need help.

A lot of help.

And even if they get it, they have some tough teams left on the schedule, so it may not help.

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Quick Update on The Farm

The Toyama farm system had a major overhauls last season, and continues to see the benefits of that effort, even though the off-season saw the team trade away most of it draft class (and lose some of the rest to free agent compensation). Yet, the system is performing quite well, with two of the clubs (AA, and A levels) almost certainly going to the post-season, and a third (SSA) still holding an interesting shot to make that happen.

Here’s a breakdown.

Triple AAA
Yamauchi Plumbers (58-69, 5 games back)

After being in the thick of things for most of the season, the club has hit a tough August, and now find themselves confronting the idea that their three-season streak of being a playoff team may well be coming to its end. Fiery manager Sumitomo Shinohara (who, at 48 years old, has 32 years of experience…so started managing at age 16!), is said to be unhappy, though organizational insides say “it’s just Sumi being Sumi.”

The ultimate problem is that the team doesn’t get on base much, and the pitching staff, with only a few exceptions, is mired in the bottom half of the league. Sure, there are exceptions. Young fire baller One-time Rule 5-er, Francois Gosselin (10-7, 3.16) is benefiting from a season out of the PEBA limelight. Closer Shihei Matsubara is still striking out over 10 guys/9, and Candain lefty Eric Huot (2-3, 2.62 ERA, 18 holds) appears to be ready for a shot at the bigs next year.


Double AA
Ranma Pandas (76-50, 1 game back)

It’s amazing what some talent can do to a manager’s reputation. It is whispered in baseball circles that Luis Mendoza is not well thought of, and his history in Mexico and with the old Kuwana organization doesn’t go a long way to dispel those whispers. But his four season stint with Ranma has seen the team win 57, 58, 71, and now 76 games (with the season not yet over).

Of course, it helps when you receive guys like John Gillard and Ken Thompson from the lower levels. And it helps when oft-maligned Junior Rogers clubs 18 homers and slashes .312/.389/.497, and when Hector Morales blasts 19 homers in a drive-by stint on his way to AAA. Xavier Reyes is struggling with the bat, but he’s becoming the second baseman everyone thought he could be.

At present, Ranma may well manage to steal the division title, and has a magic number of 4 to clinch a playoff spot. Wonder if Mendoza’s rep might get a bump?


Single A
Cagliostro Thieves (71-44, First place, 5 games up)

For the second year running, the Thieves have been pushing talent up the organization, and yet are still looking like a shoe-in for the post season. Gone are Hector Morales, and John Gillard. Gone are Ken Thompson and Marcox David. Center fielder Katsumoto Yamaguchi was recently promoted, as has been Luis Rodriguez.

Yet the rotation, anchored by 22-year-old Mike Miller (12-6, 2.29), 221-year-old Orlando Ramirez (9-3, 1.92), and lefty Ryan Brown (6-1, 2.61) has been stellar, and the offense has been carried on by semi-prospects 1B Mike Patrick (15 HR, 59 RBI), SS Jacob Gallagher (.296/.341/.493), and slick 2B Yoshiaga Endo (20 steals, +9 ZR, decent bat). 22 year-old catcher Blake Nelson has also looked good in his return.


Short Season A:
Osakasayama Swamp Dragons (31-30, 3.5 games back)

Second year manager Glen Wallace took the team to the playoffs last season, and appears to be righting the ship after a tough July to make a run at doing it again. The Swamp Dragons are 11-8 in August, so far, and making a run. Key players are youthful star outfielder Pedro Alvarez (only 17 years old), and 19-year-old outfielder Trevor Tully (whose .256/.365/.347 slash represents a half-step back this season…should we be worried?). The team is excited by the step that center fielder Scott Drew (.292/.342/.486) appears to have made. The most interesting pitching find of the year may be Javier Gonzales (1.23 ERA, 12.3 K/9), who has been promoted to the closer role.

Bottom line, this is an interesting team, but seems to have nowhere near the talent level that last season’s club had. If Wallace finds the post season, the club will have to start looking at him as a candidate to move up the organization chart.

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Escobido Lost Again

After sitting for 6 weeks with a damaged meniscus, Wind Dancer fire plug Jose Escobido is out again, this tome probably through the end of the regular season. "It's plantar fascitis," said the team's medical staff. With rest, there's a reasonable chance the second baseman would be ready it the team makes it to the post season.

Escobido's .331/.401/.444 slash line will be a huge hole to fill, and makes it highly unlikely that the clube will catch Shin Seiki for the division title.


Top Prospect Suffers Career Risking Injury

The Toyama Wind Dancer's scouting team has focused intensely on center field for the past several years, and one of those selections was 22-year-old Katsumoto Yamaguchi, who was selected as an 18-year-old 4th round pick in 2019. He struggled for a season or two, but found his stride a couple seasons ago and had been rocketing through the Toyama organization quickly enough that scouts were getting giddy.

Life is wicked, though.

After posting sizzling numbers in Cagliostro (.290/.377/.500), he was promoted recently to Ranma...where he was completely shredding the competition, but where he has now been reported to have suffered aserious labrum injury that most medical people say is career terminal.

"He's done for," an insider said.

[roncollins]

_*_*_ THE DANCE CARD _*_*_
A Blog of the Toyama Wind Dancers

Dancers Take Two of Three From Shisa
Look forward to Niihama-shi.


September 1, 2023: Okinawa -- The Toyama Wind Dancers dropped the first of three games with their Rising Sun rival the Okinawa Shisa, but rallied behind late-inning hitting to steal the last two games away. This means they leave town still only 6 games back of Shin Seiki.

“We can’t afford to tread water now, though,” said team captain Shiro Adachi, who has been shifted back to second base after Jose Escobido’s injury.

Ricardo Longoria’s 10th-inning homer off newly extended Hyeon-cheong Yong dashed the team’s hopes in the first game after the Dancers roared back from a 5-1 deficit to put the game into extra innings. The Shisa then chased Akira Watanabe early, but homers by Adachi and outfielder Willie Edmonds tied the game up, a single to right off the bat of Ivan Juarez gave the club a slim lead, and relievers Chad Miller and Raul Cruz combined to close out a much-needed 7-6 victory in the second game.

The Dancers then left little in doubt in game three, jumping on Shisa pitchers for 9 runs in the first four innings and never looking back. Starter Shinbu Takeuchi cruised to his 10th win of the season.

Niihama-shi, who at 41-94 is technically the worst team in baseball, comes to town next. It’s a big series, given that the club needs wins like a cactus needs water. With 28 games left in the season, that 6-game gap is a pretty massive cliff to climb.

"We all know what it means," Adachi said.


Endo’s Superior In Second Stint

In July, 25-year-old Yujiro Endo got the big call-up he dreamed of. Go play shortstop for the PEBA’s Toyama Wind Dancers. It turned into a bit of a nightmare, however, as he hit only .203 in 61 plate appearances, and was a little shaky in the field. “That’s the part I didn’t like,” Endo said. “I know I’m never going to hit like [Sadatake] Sato, but I need the glove to make my living.”

Whether he hits like Sato or not, Yujiro got his second chance recently when Jose Escobido went down with his second injury of the season. In two games since he’s been back up, he’s 4-6, with a double, a walk, and two perfectly executed sacrifice bunts--one of those bunts led directly to scoring the winning run at Okinawa. More important to Endo’s pride, he handled all eight fielding opportunities that came his way.

“The guy’s glove is amazing,” one scout said. “He had a +18 ZR in AAA. +18! He'd easily be the top defensive shortstop in AAA if he had stayed down there.” He shook his head and spit on the ground. “The guy is good.”

On the PEBA season, he's now hitting .246, with 5 stolen bases.


Ranma (AA), Caglostro (A) Clubs Clinch Post Season

The kids down on the farm are going to play extra baseball this year. AA

Oft-maligned Ranma Panda manager Luis Mendoza has guided the team to its second straight winning season, and this year will be rewarded with a Great Northern League wildcard. The club is 80-56 with four game left to play in the regular season.

At the A-level, the Cagliostro club has continued to dominate opponents, winning their division for the second straight season with a 79-46 (three games to play). Manager Shoraku Aoki has been with the organization for 14 seasons now, and has made the playoffs three of the last five years (and posted a 130-126 record in the two seasons they haven’t). Despite this success, and despite running a string of top quality prospect through the team, Aoki continues to have only a lukewarm reputation among baseball elite.

“No one calls,” he said, when asked why he’s not leaving and why he agreed to a pay cut when he extended his stay with Cagliostro. “So I guess I’ll just cash my $338K and go to the playoffs every year.