(May 6, 2019, Niihama City) — The 2019 Niihama-shi Ghosts debut tonight with the first of three games against the always-reviled Evas in Shin Seiki.  And diehard fans hope this series proves to be a harbinger of a season more successful than ’18.

 It was a season ago that the Ghosts made the playoffs for the first time in seven years, winning the Shining Star Group wildcard before losing to the Empire in first round.  Then came the bizarre incident in which GM Mike Dunn was abruptly fired by mysterious owner Akane Kenkyusham Jr., only to be rehired several days later after massive street protests.  The LRS has never seen anything quite like it.

 Dunn apparently got right back to the job of getting the Ghosts ready for 2019.  While the Evas’ Kevin Vail was busy making an astounding number of trades, Dunn made just one deal — and that was to move a veteran off the roster.  That said, he did make two big free agent signings, and the 25-man roster on opening day will feature several rookies who are deemed ready for the show.  So lets take a look:

KEY ADDITIONS:

–3B Yasuyuki Hashimoto signed as a free agent.  Hashimoto is the big bat that Dunn needed to replace the departed gaijin 3B António Coronado (who just signed on over in the BBG with the Celestial Warriors).   After five years with Kure and four with NeoTokyo, Hashimoto knows the SSG well and Ghosts fans will be glad not to see him chewing up NII pitching.  Unfortunately Hashi has limited range at third and will most split time at first and DH.

 –MR Sakutaro Ishida signed as a free agent after spending his entire career in the pretender league PEBA, most recently with the Alleghenies.  Should be a nice addition to the bullpen.

 –SP Manuel Arroyo has made the club after two seasons in AAA Namuko.  Arroyo will be the fourth starter and the fourth gaijin on the club.  Dunn is hoping that with a velocity hitting near 99 MPH and five excellent pitches, Arroyo could prove a reliable mainstay in the rotation.

 –LF Masayuki Tada has made the club after five seasons in the minors.  The 14th overall pick in 2013, Tada truly seems ready, and lead the club during spring training with …………….

 KEY SUBTRACTIONS:

 –LF Tokugawa Hirano.  Tada was ready but blocked by longtime Ghost Hirano, who stole 219 bases over five seasons in Niihama City.  Hirano at 30 is clearly slowing down, and while fans questioned the necessity of shipping him, Dunn wanted to get some younger talent while the LF still had some value.

 —3B António Coronado.  The expectation that gaijin Arroyo would become part of the rotation meant that another gaijin had to go, and so Dunn chose not to re-sign Coronado even though the slugging infielder was one of the team’s most productive hitters.  Like Hirano, Ghosts fans hated to see him go (but they’ll see him again now that he’s signed with Fushigi Yugi.

 QUESTION MARKS:

 –Will All-Star second baseman Eisaku Ito, whose ’18 was lost to a torn labrum, regain his old form?

 –Will young closer Takejiro Daikawa, whose second half was lost to a torn labrum, regain his old form?

 –Will the offseason turmoil that the front office endured affect the players on the field, particularly the youngsters?

 –With the Evas looking more dominant than ever, is there any point in actually playing the games?

 Of course there is!  That’s the great thing about pre-season predictions.   They don’t mean nuttin’!