Gary Trundleburry, Shin Seiki Post

10/24/2018: Nagoya, Japan — On the eve of their showdown with their surging division rival Niihama-shi Ghosts in the LRS Wasei Junkesshou series, the Shin Seiki Evas announced their minor league batter and pitcher of the year. At the noon press conference, GM Kevin Vail made the following statement:

“It is my distinct pleasure to be able to honor two top notch young talents today with the Shin Seiki Evas’ 2018 Minor League Players of the Year awards. Both Eioku and Kiyohisa are primed to make a big impact in the LRS and to be significant contributors to the Evas continued tradition of excellence. I look forward to the day in the near future when I can see both of them in Eva blues.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the exciting progress that both of these young stars have made would not be possible without the continued efforts of our scouts and the exceptional personnel in Kyoto and Marduk. The work that they do day in and day out helps to ensure the continued success of not just our prospects, but the entire Shin Seiki Evas organization. Without a strong and productive farm system to supply fresh talent, our LRS club would soon wither. Thank you all. Your efforts are deeply appreciated.”

The Evas 2018 Minor League Hitter of the year award went to 2015 3^rd round draft pick Kiyohisa Kudo. Kudo is currently considered by OSA to be the top 3B prospect in the LRS, the second best prospect amongst batters, and the 4^th best overall prospect. But, as is often the case, OSA’s scouting reports don’t seem to match their rankings. They have him projected to as something like a .250/.300/.450 hitter, which hardly seems like elite prospect material. One has to wonder what goes on inside the OSA. Do the list makers even talk to the scouts?

The Shin Seiki scouts, in contrast, are a little more coherent on Mr. Kudo. According to our sources, the Evas think that while he doesn’t project as a super star, he does look primed to be a solid starting caliber third baseman with .280/.360/.480 level production. They are generally pleased with the steady development he has shown over the past four seasons as the starting 3B on the Marduk Nerv. Four years at one level might seem excessive to some, but their view that the length of his stay in A ball is due to the young age (18) at which Kudo was drafted and the fact that the LRS only sports two levels of minor league ball, not that was Kudo has been too slow to develop.

On the other side of the ball, the Evas 2018 Minor League Pitcher of the year award went to 21 year old SP Eitoku Tamura of the AAA Kyoto Rodan. This is the second season in a row that the 4^thoverall pick in the 2015 draft took home the award. Tamura is currently ranked as the 6^th best SP prospect in the LRS by the OSA and the 19^th best overall prospect. Unlike Kudo, Tamura seems ready to live up to the high ranking. He has delivered 2 very solid seasons in a row in AAA with ERA+ scores of 140 and 145 in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Shin Seiki scouts view him as being on the edge of LRS ready with the stuff of a potential ace. Some critics have suggested that because he only has two pitches, he is destined to be a reliever. The Evas do not agree with that. They believe that because both of the pitches he throws are have top notch potential, he should be fine in an LRS rotation. His 101mph fastball has them especially excited.

Due to the relative depth of the Evas’ LRS rotation (and players there still being evaluated) Tamura will likely be given more time to refine his game in Kyoto to start the 2019 season. Team officials are looking for him to continue to work on his improving his control and consistency to improve his somewhat mediocre 54.5 QS%.

Tamura was drafted with the pick acquired in the 2014 trade with the Hyakujuu Shinkansen for legendary LRS SP Jesús ‘Evil Ways’ Luna. Luna, who was available because HYA was looking to dump his high salary from the massive $104,615,000 contract he signed in 2008, delivered nicely for the Eva Empire in 2014 regular season. He produced an excellent 146 ERA+ in 15 starts in the regular season before going down for the year with “ulnar nerve irritation” in early October. Many in the Shin Seiki organization still blame their defeat in the 2014 playoffs on that injury. The Evas had been heavy favorites in 2014 after winning a franchise record 100 games during the regular season.