by Jim Bouton, Naha Shisa Correspondent

10/22/2013: Naha, Japan — As is the case every year ever since this lowly franchise came into being in 2007, the Naha Shisa players packed up their equipment for a long playoff-less winter.  Yet this clubhouse did not have the feel of a hangdog team running off the grounds with their collective tails between their legs.  To a man, they were proud of the significant step that the team took this year (+11 wins) and are eagerly looking forward to 2014.

“This is a special group of players,” manager Kijuro Yoshida observed.  “The team I had in 2010 had far more talent and didn’t win as many games as these guys did.  This team has athletes with integrity and the spirit of teamwork.”  Thus implying, as indicated in Shisa Toons, that the playoff contender in 2010 was a gaggle of Morgan Pressel clones.

Two of the team’s top prospects are now at the major league level, though they are now mere shadows of what GM Fees thinks they will become.

“We will be able to seriously compete with Edo, Kuwana and Fushigi Yugi when Kimi Fujita and Yoritomo Masuda take their rightful places as our #3 and #4 hitters.  This will free Razan (Sanu) to bat either #2 or #5, places in the order for which he is far better suited,” Fees said.

“2015 has always been our target year to become serious competitors,” Fees continued.  “By that time, hopefully the rest of our key prospects will be in place at catcher (Yo Horiuchi), shortstop (Yukinaga “Gigolo” Komatsu) and centerfield (Yosai Ikeka).”

This brings up the issue of finances.  Despite increasing attendance by over 150,000, the team lost over $1,000,000.  This occurred because of the ill-advised free agent signing of catcher Masamune Matsui and the trade for pricy setup man Haruki Sekiguchi.  Both players will become free agents at the end of the year.  Despite the outlay of around $5,000,000, these players did not do anything to help Naha to overtake the far more talented Kuwana Steel Dragons for a playoff spot.

“Yeah, it does come down to that,” Fees admitted.  “If the investment didn’t help us to reach the playoffs, then it was a bad one.  We did finish only five games back of Kuwana this year after trailing them by 20 games last year, but what does that really matter when we’re going to our collective homes right now while Kuwana is about to start their playoff series with Edo?  Hindsight being 20-20, if I had to do it over again, I probably would have stood pat and let things play out.  We will be more fiscally conservative next year so that when the team is truly jelling, we can afford to make those kinds of moves when it really counts.”

The team has indicated that it will not make offers to two of its key players, Shunsen Kakuta and Francisco Martínez, during arbitration and allow them to become free agents.

“I have nothing against Kakuta personally, but he wants $8,500,000 next year to stay with us.  He must think I’m Charles Manson crazy.  He’s been injured six times during the last two years and is lazier than the Hee Haw dog.  I know full well that he will not repeat this year’s production once he’s got the money in the bank, so it’s, ‘Sayonara, Shunsen Kakuta.’,” Fees stated bluntly.

“Francisco is another matter,” he continued.  “He’s a great guy in the clubhouse and can really go get the ball in centerfield, but he missed over half the season with injuries last year.  His agent is looking to get him $7,000,000 for 2014, so it appears he’s played his last year in Naha unless his agent lowers his price after he becomes a free agent.”

The problem is that Naha has no real replacements for those players in the system right now.  Trade acquisition Jungi Yoshida was meant to become the stopgap second basemen, but was an unmitigated bust, hitting only .164 in 281 at bats.  Unless Naha signs a free agent, this position looks to become a disaster area next year.

“I can’t imagine what the deal with my namesake is,” wondered manager Yoshida about “hitter” Yoshida.  “He hit .349 in AAA in 2012, so you figure he will hit at least .250 in the majors based on that.  We’ll give him another shot to turn it around next year, at least as a utility player.  I don’t think I’m comfortable penciling him in as my starting second baseman after watching him struggle so much this year, though.”

There are also no other true centerfielders in the system besides Ikeda, and he is slated to play in AAA next year.  If Naha wants to continue to take another step towards playoff relevance, they will have to shell out some coin during the off-season or else take a step backward.  Okinawa has tasted a better brand of baseball this summer, so I don’t think Fees dares to leave a sour taste in the team’s fans’ mouths during 2014.  It will be an interesting off-season for the Naha Shisa.