August 18, 2019: Toyoma — After suffering a twisted ankle that resulted in a six-week stint on the Disabled List, Cliff Hanger third baseman Dan Stewart is ready to return.  One would think this would be heralded as good news–and it is.  Stewart was performing well with the bat (7 HR, 33 RBI, .272/.351/.444) and the glove (.982 F%, +3.7 ZR) when he was hurt.  There was even some buzz around the Lupin front office that an All-Star campaign may be in the offering.  But then Stewart hit a double and slid awkwardly into second base, and that was all she wrote about that.

 We now move time up to the present day, and find Stewart ready to go, but alas, the team’s fortunes have continued to grow, and General Manager Ron Collins now finds himself in the not so unpleasant position of … well … finding Stewart a position.

 The options:

 1)  First, the team could just send Stewart to Yamauchi, and leave things alone.  This is unlikely, as Stewart is an off-season Free Agent signed to a contract worth millions.

 2)  Shoichi Koyama — Koyama was acquired in the Kichida deal with Hyakujju. Since arriving, he’s been exactly what Lupin needed, filling in at third with a .814 OPS and a glove a hair above league average.  Koyama could be sent down and retained as insurance, but that would be a rough call for a solid veteran, and the team can still use him

 3)  Kevin Arnold — Arnold is 25 years old, and was projected to be with Lupin on Opening day.  The front office decided, however, that he needed to be able to grow one more season at AAA–a decision that was, perhaps, justified by his solid .810 OPS in Yamauchi, and a very poor 19 AB stint (.105, 1 HR, 6 K) with the Cliff Hangers when he was called up to replace the injured Sadatake Sato in May.  But with several other injuries occurring since then, Arnold has received a second stint in Lupin, and responded with a bat on fire (.409, 3 HR) in July and August.  It would be tough to send him down again, especially as he’s been filling in for the injured Takechi Yoshida at first base.

 4)  Kichibei Kumagai — Kumagai’s early season difficulties have been oft-discussed, and in that light, perhaps sending him to Yamauchi would be the best idea.  But let’s not move too fast.  Yes, he struggled in May and June as he returned from two seasons of devastating injury.  But the fact is that since the Yoshida injury,  Kichibel Kumagai has stepped up and served his team well.  The past six weeks have seen him hit a respectable .263 with 4 homers, 16 RBI, and an OPS of about .815.  This kind of production would almost certainly get him an extended stay with the team in normal circumstances.

 5)  Mashashi Yano — We include the option of sending Yano to the minors merely for completeness, as Collins can’t really do this, right?  Yano is the team’s fourth outfielder, and it could be (and is being) argued that he should be starting in front of Keisuke Takahashi.  Yano is 30 years old, and has seen his highs and injury-laden lows, bit through it all he has been deeply loyal to the team, and has diligently worked to get himself ready to play every day.  With 8 homers and a .923 OPS in his 154 AB, he’s having a bit of a resurgent season that has some of the team’s closer followers recalling his breathtaking rookie season.

 So, fans, the lens of attention has turned again to the Lupin front office as it struggles to find the magic elixir that will bring the season to a successful head.  The team is 55-33 as we speak, leading the best group in the PEBAverse by two games over the Shisa of Naha.  Make the right call and the team soars to our most deserved of victories.  Choose unwisely, and the fans of Lupin may again find themselves crying in their deepest of woes.

 What to do, what to do…