Gary Trundleburry, Shin Seiki Post

04/06/2036: Nagoya, Japan

Another year, and yet another coaching project in the Shin Seiki coaching ranks. The Evas are known for their tendency to bring former stars back to the organization to coach. They’ve stayed very on-brand with that concept by bringing home the biggest possible Eva – Yakamochi “Zoom-Zoom” Suitani. Suitani will be taking over as pitching coach of the Rookie ball  Santo Domingo Decepticons.

Suitani needs no introduction. The former Eva great is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer and unquestionably the greatest player in the history of the franchise. He is the all-time Shin Seiki leader in, among many things, Wins (248), IP (3,175.0), SO (2948), and WAR (73.1). His career spanned the Evas’ LRS to PEBA move. Prior to the move, he won the 2019 Neo-Tokyo Cup LRS Championship and the SSG Sawamura pitching award in both 2019 and 2020. In PEBA, he was a 6 time All-Star, 2 time Golden Arm Winner, and a 2 time champion. Like I said, an all-time great.

Beyond his on the field achievements, he was a Captain in the truest sense of the word. He led fearlessly, adapted to every possible circumstance, and no body ever out worked or out smarted him. Not to mention the fact that he gave the Evas major discounts on multiple extensions, and had the good grace to retire when he became ineffective – even though he could have just kept cashing checks. To call him beloved in the SS front office is an understatement.

It is no surprise then that the Evas front office leapt at the opportunity to bring him in to share his wisdom in Rookie ball. Evas’ GM Kevin Vail on Suitani:

Yakamochi is irreplaceable to the Shin Seiki organization. The depth and breadth of his impact on the franchise is hard to overstate. We are thrilled to be able to continue our professional relationship with the most professional player to ever put on an Evas uniform.

In the past, we erred on the side of stocking our big league roster – sometimes at the expense of some levels of our minor league system. But from here on out, you can be sure Zoom-Zoom will always have a flock of promising young arms to soak up his wisdom.

Suitani, a man of few words, had the following to say:

I am honored to continue to be a part of the Shin Seiki Evas organization and to have the opportunity to help some of our youngest players. I will do my best to help them each achieve their potential, and pass on any wisdom I might have.

The Decepticon roster isn’t exactly overflowing with talent going in to the draft this season, with SP Lúcio Suárez being the only significant prospect. Expect that to change. The Evas are betting big on Suitani. That worked out in the past, and I would wager it will again in the future.