Hanshin's Depth

- [...] what will happen with Fujimoto, Kataoka, and Hiyama? Any ideas?

I think that today's Nikkan Sports (Jan. 7, 2004) might hold a clue. In it, new manager Okada-kantoku is quoted as saying:

"Those who lose the battle for a regular position will become pinch hitters. But pinch hitters have got to hit homers. Since a picher's biggest fear is a free swinging batter, ya' know? A pinch hitter who just get hits is, well, one is enough."

Kataoka and Hiyama could both well fit Okada-kantoku's ideal pinch hitter scheme, but Fujimoto hits for average (.301 last season), not the long ball.

Personally, I see Okada-kantoku's statement as a liability for Hanshin. They won last season on putting base hits together not the long ball. Hoshino-kantoku knew how to leverage the players' strengths. It looks like Okada wants to mold the team into something it isn't. I hear the warning bells.

I think you're right about Okada-kantoku's statement. I read an article earlier in the off season that he expected Hanshin's 3-4-5 guys to combine for 100 home runs. That seems far-fetched to me.

I just hope they actually let the players battle it out for positions in spring training, instead of just handing jobs to Kinkade and Hamanaka. I suspect that Fujimoto will open the season as the starting shortstop, but will lose his job to Toritani as soon as he has his first slump.

Kincade hasn't done anything yet. Giving him the starting job at 3rd base is disrespectful to Kataoka's achivements. Same with Toritani, Fujimoto will be working his a** off during the spring camp to win the starting short position.

Okada, was the shinjin oh in his first season with Hanshin. He might want Toritani, herald rookie from, from, from some big university, to get the rookie award, just like he did.

In regards to his 100 HR total, he was part of that when Hanshin won in 1985, half of it came from Bass hitting 54. 100 might be possible, but it won't come from 3 guys, but from all batters. At least20 each from Hiyama, Arias, Kataoka, Imaoka and Kanemoto.

My opinion this is...

That sounds more rational to me.

Almost certainly the Tigers' aim is to have Kataoka and Kincade, Fujimoto and Toritani (and Kentaro Sekimoto and Shuta Tanaka, for that matter) play ever better so as to beat their rival to their respective positions. And you can't blame the Tigers for taking such an approach: it worked with Fujimoto and Akahoshi at the beginning in 2003 (remember Akahoshi was being tipped to lose his place to Hamanaka, but he really impressed, and so Hiyama ended up being bumped out of the line-up to accommodate Hamanaka until Hamanaka injured himself).

So even if Kincade and Toritani don't get many opportunities to play in 2004, it's conceivable that they could still have a positive effect on the team's performance.

I have a feeling that Kincade/Kataoka and Toritani/Fujimoto will be involved in later-inning replacements that we saw a lot of in 2003: Yagi often replaced George Arias, Shuta replaced Fujimoto, and Sekimoto replaced Kataoka in the 7th and 8th innings of many games last season.

Kinkade is a good player. He was hitting over .350 with good SLG in the Minor and Major league in 2002 and early 2003 as a Dodger. Too bad that the manager at the time, Jim Tracy, was so perverse and/or so stupid and kept him benched, even though his team had a serious offensive slump. Thus Kinkade's hot streak ended. But the guy can hit!

I'm not a Hanshin fan, but I think he can succeed and help the Hanshin Tigers win.