NPB Tracker

If you happen to be on the site right now, I highly suggest checking out the NPB Live page, where  you’ll have your choice of the Orix v Hanshin game or Lotte v Chunichi game. Orix’s Green Stadium Kobe Skymark Stadium looks great today. I can never understand why the Buffaloes don’t make that their permanent home as opposed to the drab Osaka Kyocera Dome (relative inconvenience notwithstanding).

It’s being widely reported that Hanshin is ready to negotiate with/sign former Seibu Lion Craig Brazell. Brazell hit .234 with 27 homers and 87 rbis. He’s currently playing with the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League. Honestly this comes across as a knee-jerk reaction.

Rakuten manager Katsuya Nomura seems to agree. “Hanshin is really bad at acquiring foreign players,” he said, before adding, “they’re in 5th place and six games under .500? That sucks. When I was there, the media would start with the “quit, quit” articles. Don’t just do that to me, do that to (Hanshin manager Akinobu) Mayumi too”.

Meanwhile, Seibu is also looking to add an import, due the loss of Brazell and now the shoulder injury of relief ace Alex Graman. Graman is hoping to return before the second half of the season, but surgey hasn’t been ruled out as a possibility. Team president Maeda was quoted as saying “it’s not just hitter, we’re looking into pitching too”.

Shingo Takatsu is in the news again, at least if you read Nikkan Sports. The 40-year old former closer took part in a work out for college-level MLB draft candidates, auditioning before scouts from the SF Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. Giants Far East Scouting Director John Cox was gave him a good evaluation: “his breaking stuff and the movement of his pitches was good. He’s not a young guy, he’s a major leaguer. He was very impressive and passed the test”. Shingo’s fastest pitch was clocked at 86 mph, which isn’t that far off what he was throwing with the White Sox a few years ago.

Whether this leads to a contract for Shingo remains to be seen. For his part, Shingo wants to keep playing: “I’m probably being indecisive. But, it’s easy to quit and difficult to continue. As long as I can move my body, and as long there is the possibility, I want to play even at 45 or 46”.

Shingo spent last season with the (Woori) Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization. He had an offer to return before the team pulled it due to foreign player restrictions. He was pretty good in Korea, posting an 0.86 era in 21 innings with an 18/6 k/bb ratio.