The Hope of a Season
TransmitterTalk, Official blog of the Kawaguchi Transmitters.
Written by: Tabito Matsushima
May 4, 2018 – Kawaguchi.
I am extremely excited because the ownership group has named me as the exclusive media outlet to announce some very special news; but let us wrap up spring training first since opening day is here. The Transmitters first game isn’t until tomorrow, but I was able to sneak into BIAO CI’s office and with what I gathered from his notes, I would like to announce your 2018 Transmitters’ opening day lineup!
- 1.Kazuma Yamada, 2B
- 2.Shun’ichi Onodera, RF
- 3.Kazuyoshi Higashi, 1B
- 4.Alberto Flores, CF
- 5.Roberto Cuevas, DH
- 6.Taheiji Kiyomizu, LF
- 7.Ton Nakamura, 3B
- 8.Félix Lima, C
- 9.Shoichi Koyama, SS
Lima gets the nod for the starting job at catcher. After breaking his kneecap in his third at-bat of 2017, CI hopes that he can rebound this year. Lima’s career numbers are .315/.359/.464 dating back to his debut in 2012. There were numerous trade rumors revolving around Lima, and one trade almost went through but fell apart in the end. That really speaks on behalf of the organization as to how highly they view Lima and are betting on his full return to his former self. Other than having our catcher back, the only other major change from last year will be Koyama, with the much stronger arm, moving over to short stop full time. Yamada will then settle in at second base. Onodera will be starting in RF instead of DH and Cuevas is back up from AAA to start the job at DH. Juan Mota will hopefully be a nice addition to the team later in the year, but due to a subpar spring, he will be starting the season in AAA. Mota’s defense isn’t as good as our other three outfield starters and would most likely DH once called up.
As far as pitching, the Transmitters will need to improve in this category from last year. In 2017, they allowed 913 runs, which is fourth in the all-time list of most runs allowed by a team in a single season. The first move the new GM made was signing Greg White, who will help the pitching considerably, but much more will be required than just the help of White. The Transmitters need Kensaku Gato and Yakamochi Suitani, who are the #1 and #2 prospects in the LRS and are close to being ready. They started off in the Transmitters’ big league spring training camp, but after a disappointing spring, they will start off the season with the Taito Invaders in AAA. The organization has stressed not rushing those two, but the hopes of a good season hinge on them starting for the Transmitters.
Now comes the news that hopefully none of you skipped to the bottom to read first. It brings me great pleasure to announce that the Kawaguchi Transmitters have reached a deal with the city of Sapporo to build a stadium and have also acquired league permission to move there! Hoso Kyokai Jr. came into my office yesterday and told me all the details. Kawaguchi lies in the shadows of Tokyo, and, like most Transmitter fans, our owner detests seeing a Neo-Tokyo Akira ballcap on every other person walking around Kawaguchi. This move brings some big changes. Not only is the city of Sapporo the fifth largest city in Japan, but with no teams even close to that far north, the team will have an easier time capturing the hearts of that baseball starved populace. The team nickname will also be changing, to the Brewmasters. The logo is not yet finalized, but Mr. Kyokai Jr. said it will be similar to the star shaped logo of his newly acquired company. Mr. Kyokai Jr. does understand that this move will hurt some of the local fans. He wants to thank all of you for being loyal through these rough years, and as a token of appreciation, current season ticket holders who come to Sapporo will be able to drink free beer on the house for as many games as they travel to. Those fans who do not want their free beer tickets can exchange them for a one-time package of paid hotel and tickets to a weekend of baseball in Sapporo. In addition to this, everybody who has ever purchased season tickets in the organization will be given a free LRS gameday audio code for the first 5 seasons in Sapporo so that they can continue to follow their favorite team from the comfort of their own home.