Signing of Three Key Free Agents Heralds the Beginning of a More Aggressive Era
By Kijuro Yoshida, Naha Shisa Manager
Transcribed from a recording

1/30/2013: Naha, Japan – Okay, I like what I’m seeing.  The stadium construction crew is adding a bunch of bleacher seats and then a few fancy toilet room seats.  I guess that’s what one expects when the owner is a toilet magnate.  That’s okay.  I really like the bathroom in my managerial office.  The toilet has a nice adjustable lamp so I can sit on the pot while I fill out the lineup cards and read all the volumes of reports from our most enthusiastic scout (Daisuke Wakabayashi).  The darn thing’s more like a recliner chair than a toilet and I could be tempted to spend way too much time there.  I really like to be around my boys, chatting it up, so I don’t think there’s really any serious danger of that happening.

Anyway, I’ve heard some people say that putting in more seats in Shisa Stadium is pointless considering that we only drew more than 35,000 fans only once all last year on opening day.  So why do we need 40,000?  Well, I can feel the enthusiasm in all of Okinawa starting to rise about this franchise.  People are starting to talk more and more about the Naha Shisa and the volume of my mail is also growing.  People are excited about the talent that is developing right in front of our eyes.  It won’t be long until we get our two most promising bats to the majors in Kimi Fujita and Yoritomo Masuda.  Both of those guys are already developing a fan base and neither one has played a single game in the majors yet.  Yeah, I can see us filling this place up in a couple of years.

I also like the free agents that we just signed.  That new shortstop we got, Hogai Kito, is a great addition.  Nobody covers more ground at short than he does and our hitting coach Takuya (Seki) thinks he can get Hogai back into the hitting form that led him to being an all-star during his first two seasons in the league.  If anyone can do it, Takuya can.  I’m dreading the day he retires.  Bottom line: Our pitchers will be delighted to have a perennial Garabukin award-winner behind them.

Hey, how about that catcher we just got?  I’d never heard of Tsuneari Horiuchi before since he’s been with the Connecticut Nutmeggers all this time.  Where the hell is Connecticut?  Some American backwater, I’m sure.  Anyway, Daisuke claims this guy is as fast as Razan (Sanu).  A catcher that can run that way – that’s unheard of!  I’m told that he’s also great defensively and while he’s never hit for anything in the PEBA, he may find the home cooking pitching more to his liking.  I’m sure he’ll feel more at home with his own kind and that can’t help but add more than a few points to a batting average.  Daisuke thinks we might get about .240 out of him with some decent power, but that speed out of the catching position just blows my mind thinking about it.

Finally, we got that great lefty pitcher Shosuke Taniguchi on our staff.  He was once a twenty-game winner, if I recall.  Oh, yeah, here’s his report.  He was 67-32 with Shin Seiki.  I’ll bet Yaji (Shin Seiki manager Yajirobei Takahashi) was sorry to see him go.  Yeah, he’s getting long in the tooth at 36, but he’s a control/finesse pitcher, so he’ll be fine.  I got him pegged to come out of the bullpen as our number one setup man and I’ve heard he’s okay with the switch.  That will save a lot of wear and tear on his arm, which is a good thing for him at this point in his career.  Plus, in a pinch, I can pop him into the rotation.  We thought Kensaku (Fujita) was going to be our southpaw out of the pen, but it seemed clear to me he was dogging it last year.  Maybe this will be his wakeup call.  I have little use for lazy players.

Looks like I have a bit choice to make when it comes to my fifth starter this spring.  All I know for sure is that it’s going to be another gaijin.  I’m leaning toward giving Tomas (Castillo) the first shot.  He won 15 games for this franchise once back in 2008 and there’s nothing wrong with his arm.  That lefty José (Nieves) seems to have a lot going for him.  He has good stuff, fields his position well and has a wicked move to first, but it’s like pulling teeth to get him to work with the pitching coach.  I’ll never understand a lack of desire in a player.  Our third option is to go with that flamethrower guy, León (Fernández).  He’s managed to get some movement on that scorching fastball of his, so that will help him out in our small ballpark.  I’ll see how he does during the spring and make a decision about him then.  If he’s ready, I don’t have a problem with going with a rookie.

I don’t think we’re quite ready to get past Edo or Kuwana for a playoff spot yet.  You never know, though.  Baseball is a funny game and strange things can happen.  I just know I like having guys that have a lot of tools to work with.  I get my most satisfaction out of winning the close ones.  Now if we can just get that shutdown closer, we’ll be in a great position to do just that…