A Cup of Coffee to Go: The Top SSG Call-ups of 2013
By Clarence Kukyama, Nipponese Baseball Prospectus
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Who were the key call-ups during 2013? Will they be back in the bigs come 2014? After previously examining the Bright Blade Group, we shift our attention in this installment to the ever-competitive Shining Star Group.
Shin Seiki Evas
3B Shigenobu Narita
Drafted: Round 4 in 2008, 46th overall; traded by Transmitters to Evas.
Called up: Narita is not your usual September call-up. He was given extensive major league time with Kawaguchi in 2011 and 2012. The Evas acquired Narita late in 2013. He spent time at AAA before the call-up.
The Line: In 44 games, Narita hit .263 with 21 RBI.
GM’s Take: “He was sent down to AAA to continue his final development after he was acquired from Kawaguchi. We considered him pretty much LRS-ready but wanted him to get more playing time in AAA than he would have gotten in the LRS. We planned on using him for depth and to rest Akira Sakurai and Ton Nakamura down the stretch. But the way he played in the last few weeks of the season won him a spot on the playoff roster at the expense of SS Tom Sherriff.”
2014 Outlook: Narita will continue to shoot the Sherriff and will likely be a mainstay for the defending champs in 2014.
CF Kenzaburo Ikarashi
Drafted: Round 4 in 2010, 38th overall.
Called Up: Ikarashi spent time in the bigs at the end of 2012, but spent most of 2013 crushing the ball in AAA. Called up in the thick of the pennant race on September 8th.
The Line: Ikarashi had a rough promotion, playing in just 10 games and hitting only .100 before tearing ligaments in his ankle.
GM’s Take: “Ikarashi had a great year for us in Ikari. He led the team in Triple Crown categories even though we brought him up at the beginning of September. He struggled some with the bat, then tore some ligaments in his ankle and was done for the year. But he’ll be back for spring training next year and we expect him to compete for a starting job in our outfield.”
2014 Outlook: As indicated by the GM, a spring training invite is a certainty. Ikarashi will be motivated to prove to the brass that he doesn’t need any more trips to AAA.
MR Shigenobu Imamura
Drafted: Round 10 in 2010, 116th overall.
Called Up: September 22.
The Line: Imamura appeared in 11 games, giving up five hits in 6.2 IP.
GM’s Take: “We added Imamura to the bullpen for some much-needed help down the stretch. He’ll be back in the spring and will have a chance to win a setup job in the bullpen. He’s put together two solid years as our closer in Ikari. Now it’s time for him to bring his skills to Kure.”
2014 Outlook: Again, the GM’s words say it all. A major league job is his to lose.
SP Takiji “Eager Beaver” Mizutani
Drafted: Round 1 in 2011, 2nd overall.
Called up: The Eager Beaver, currently the 5th-ranked pitching prospect in the league, was eagerly awaited all season. But the patient Akira front office held off on his call-up until September 8th.
The Line: Mizutani appeared in 13 games – starting two of them – with inconsistent results. He recorded a 4.46 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.
GM’s Take: “The super spec has less than two years of professional experience but has shown great improvement in the minors. His debut was less than stellar, though; Takiji was roughed up in his first few appearances. He had solid showings after that and was given the starting nod for the first-ever LRS play-in game. He pitched well, but not good enough and was tagged with the loss. Takiji should be a big contributor to next year’s staff.”
2014 Outlook: Nothing like trial by fire for Mizutani, getting handed the start in that play-in game. Expect him to remain in the Akira rotation, hopefully more mature and secure after the pressure-packed fall.
MR Sojuro Nishimura
Drafted: Round 5 in 2011, 50th overall. Traded twice in the off-season prior to 2013, ending up in Hyakujuu’s system.
Called Up: September 1st, making his major league debut with two scoreless innings against the Transmitters.
The Line: 13 appearances, including one start, yielding a 1.06 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 12 innings. Small sample size, but impressive.
GM’s Take: “I called up Nishimua and Ine because my bullpen was imploding and giving away games in the late innings. Nishimura held down his position for the 13 games he was around for.”
2014 Outlook: The Shinkansen front office has stated unequivocally that Nishimura is in the bigs to stay.
SP Shoichi Ine
Drafted: Round 5 in 2010, 49th overall by Neo-Tokyo; traded July, 2013 to Shinkansen in the Yasukazu Takahashi deal.
Called Up: Made his major league debut on September 8th by starting against the lowly Ghosts. The manager had him on a short leash that day. After yielding two runs, including a home run in three innings, Ine was out.
The Line: Ine was in for 12 innings over just 5 games, including a second start. Final tally: a 3.65 ERA and a 1.146 WHIP.
GM’s Take: “Ine started a couple of games and had a good win against Shin Seiki in the final series of the season. Both he and Nishimura will be on the major league squad from here on out and will play a role with the team in the future.”
2014 Outlook: You heard it. Ine is in.
C Naosuke Sasaki
Drafted: Round 2 in 2011, 17th overall by Seoul. Like Nishimura, traded twice in the 2012-13 off-season, coming to Hyakujuu by way of Shin Seiki.
Called Up: Made his major league debut on October 1st as the starting catcher against the team that last dealt him, the Evas.
The Line: Solid at the plate, great behind the plate. In 14 games, Sasaki hit .283 and handled himself well with the pitching staff.
GM’s Take: “Sasaki took over the starting position from Kawanari Nakata. Sasaki is a shutdown defender and had a great season with Gojira. He will have a role on the team as a backup when Samuel Finn gets promoted to the bigs.”
2014 Outlook: Sasaki will be drinking sake with the Shinkansen.
LF Kiyomitsu Kichikawa
Drafted: Round 1 in 2011, 11th overall.
Called Up: September 22nd. Made his major league debut against the Transmitters as the Ghosts’ starting LF, going 0-4.
The Line: Kichikawa remained in the starting lineup the remainder of the season and managed to do what few other Ghosts could: hit for average. In 26 games, he hit .303, though tallying only 10 runs and 5 RBI.
GM’s Take: “Kichikawa proved he won’t be overwhelmed by LRS pitching. But we feel he still has room to grow and another season in Namuko might be beneficial.”
2014 Outlook: With the Ghosts trying to be patient with all prospects, expect Kichikawa to spend most of the season in AAA.
SP Iemochi Chikuda
Drafted: Round 3 in 2011, 35th overall.
Called Up: Also Debuted on September 22nd, starting against the Transmitters. He lasted 6.2 innings, giving up just six hits and two runs. Though he caught the “L” in the Ghosts’ 2-1 loss, it was an impressive debut nonetheless.
The Line: Chikuda started five games, ending with a 4.88 ERA and 1.53 WHIP.
GM’s Take: “Chikuda also could use another season in AAA to better develop his third pitch, the changeup.”
Outlook: The Ghosts have next to no pitching left at the major league level, so depending on their free agent signings and injuries, don’t be surprised to see the front office roll the dice with a mid-season promotion for Chikuda despite their protestations to the contrary.
SP Kazushi Chikafuji
Drafted: Round 3 in 2008, 33rd overall.
Called Up: After an amazing five full seasons in AAA, Chikafuji finally made his made major league debut on October 9th against Kure. And what a debut – eight innings, no earned runs.
The Line: Chikafuji made just one more start, so his October line was 14 IP, 1.29 ERA, 1.36 WHIP.
GM’s Take: “Kaz is just 24 but we doubt he has much more to learn at AAA. Baring some major regression, he is likely to be part of the Ghosts’ rotation in 2014.”
2014 Outlook: You certainly can’t say he’s been rushed. Whether his rock-solid control will be enough to offset his mediocre stuff will ultimately determine whether the Ghosts’ other “Chik” can succeed in the bigs.
MR Shinji Watanabe
Drafted: Round 1 in 2013, 4th overall. The first, and thus far only, member of the 2013 draft class to reach the majors.
Called Up: September 18th; closed against Kure and earned his first major league save.
The Line: Shinji made six relief appearances, yielding four hits and four earned runs in 5 IP. His WHIP was 2.00.
GM’s Take: “The Transmitters are high on him – and why not? He throws 99 MPH. He’s got two super pitches. And in his 50 innings (spread out over college, AAA, and the LRS), he struck out 71 hitters.”
2014 Outlook: Watanabe is still young and raw, and scouts believe he needs to boost his control at least slightly at AAA before he can be considered ready. But it may not be long.
CF Shohei Araki
Drafted: Round 3 in 2007, 25th overall; traded by Kure to Kawaguchi in August 2013.
Called Up: September 15th. He had call-ups in previous seasons with Kure. Like Kichikawa with Niihama-shi, Araki immediately was placed in the team’s starting lineup.
The Line: Batting in the eight spot, Araki hit just .203 in 23 games. But he was there for his glove.
GM’s Take: “We brought Araki up to give him more games in centerfield. At 23, Araki’s still no rookie. He appeared in 48 games over three years with the Kure organization. He’s showed progress; his -2.6 zone rating in 191 LRS innings was better than his -10.9 ZR in 270 AAA innings. The team thinks he’s got the defensive skills to make the conversion.”
2014 Outlook: As long as the Transmitters brain trust is not expecting much at the plate, look for Araki to be patrolling centerfield for Kawaguchi going forward.
MR Kazunari Oka
Drafted: Round 3 in 2010, 25th overall. Traded to the Transmitters in 2011.
Called Up: His September 24th call-up was by no means Oka’s major league debut. He appeared in six games in 2012 at age 19 and was in the bigs to start 2013.
The Line: In just over 14 innings after the 9/24 promotion, Oka gave up 18 earned runs.
GM’s Take: “The 21-year-old was rushed to the bigs by the previous regime, throwing 35 LRS innings last year. He started the 2013 season in the bigs and got beat around to the tune of a 7+ ERA. Ultimately, the team brought him up for a few more innings (he managed 133 IP between AAA and the LRS). Oka needs to find the plate more often if he’s going to stay up next year.”
2014 Outlook: In a word: questionable.