Saburo is Chiba Lotte's Top Hitter?
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Saburo was a #1 draft pick by the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1995 and came from the infamous PL Gakuen. His first full season as a regular was in 2002 when he hit .286 with 9 home runs and 43 RBIs. The next season, he hit .273 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs in only 80 games. Last season, he was a bit of a disappointment by batting .256 with 5 homers and 33 RBIs.
Valentine took a bit of a gamble by putting Saburo in as the #4 batter when Benny was sent down. He could've used Lee, Franco, Fukuura, or Pascucci, but he used Saburo. This was a move that baffled most people, but made Chiba Lotte fans happy. So far, Saburo has been amazing as the #4 batter. Here is how he's been recently:
8/17 (vs. Seibu) 3 for 5 with a solo HR
8/18 (vs. Seibu) 2 for 5 with a walk
8/20 (vs. Rakuten) 2 for 4
8/21 (vs. Rakuten) 4 for 6 with 1 HR, a triple, and 3 RBIs
8/24 (vs. Softbank) 1 for 3
8/26 (vs. Orix) so far he's 2 for 3 with a double for the night
Sometimes it's good to have a manager like Valentine shake things up. Who knows what psychological effect putting Saburo at #4 has done to improve his batting?