NPB Tracker

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-2… http://bit.ly/b0RS43 #
• if you dig vintage video games… http://tokyo.japantimes.co.jp/post/en/216/Video+Game+Walhalla.html #
• Something for any Taiwanese followers I may have: Yi-Hao Lin's (林イー豪) debut: http://bit.ly/d5tS4k #
• Hanshin Reps to Visit the States: Alright, here we go. Multiple reports have Hanshin sending their international g… http://bit.ly/cQTycs #
• today's NPB scores: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/index.php #
• Today's NPB games: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #
• Today's NPB games: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #
• gotta say my favorite twitter user is @NickSwisher #
• A Look Ahead at This Year’s FA Class: Only the most eagle-eyed readers will notice this, but I just updated the na… http://bit.ly/dx8Ntz #
• ありがとう、フォローされて 711人目 @KY063071 #
• Today's NPB games: Darvish, Maeda lose http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #
• Hanging out here for a bit: http://japanesebaseball.com/jchatbox/login.jsp #
• today's npb games: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #
• The 30 Worst Baseball Cards of All Time (30 pics) http://bit.ly/9YKlGx #
• "The Mets put Rodriguez on the restricted list without pay for two days, costing him more than $125,000. He is due back in court Sept. 14." #
• live npb: http://www.justin.tv/iammatrix #
• Today's NPB games: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #

Only the most eagle-eyed readers will notice this, but I just updated the navigation bar, retiring last year’s free agents page, and replacing it with (surprise) an updated page for this season.

This year I’m going to start with a small list of players, and build it up over time. Here’s what I have so far:

International Free Agents

Hiro Kobayashi (RHP, Chiba Lotte Marines, Data): Kobayashi had a lengthy career as an underrated starter before moving to the bullpen in 2010, where he has been very effective. Kobayashi doesn’t have a power arm, but attacks the strike zone.

Chang Yong Lim (RHP, Yakult Swallows, Data): Certainly the top arm available in the international pool, the 34 year-old reliever had flirtations with MLB prior to moving to Japan. It would be interesting to see how his unusual combination of a low arm angle and velocity play at the MLB level.

Brian Falkenborg (LHP, SoftBank Hawks, Data): Falkenborg has dramatically improved his control in Japan (61:7 K:BB in 2010 as of August 12; 61:9 in 2009), and shown good velocity. SoftBank will want to bring him back, but he’ll be a candidate for MLB teams need righty bullpen depth.

Synopsis: the year of the righthanded reliever.

Domestic Free Agents

Seiichi Uchikawa (IF/OF, Yokohama BayStars): The best bat on the domestic market, Uchikawa downplayed his free agency when he qualified, saying he’d need time to think about it. If he decides he wants to play elsewhere in Japan, he’ll have the usual suitors (Hanshin, Yomiuri).

Tsuyoshi Wada (LHP, SoftBank Hawks, Data): Wada has qualified for free agency, but has already commented that “there’s absolutely no reason to exercise”. We’ll see what happens when he qualifies to move to MLB.

Munenori Kawasaki (IF, SoftBank Hawks): Kawasaki is eligible for NPB free agency after the season, but according to Sponichi, wants to hold out for a chance at MLB after next season.

Hisasahi Iwakuma (RHP, Rakuten Golden Eagles, Data): Iwakuma has qualified for domestic free agency, but is already under contract for 2011. He’s one to watch next year.

Synopsis: wait ’til next year.

Posting Candidates

Wei-Yin Chen (LHP, Chunichi Dragons, Data): Chen is an interesting case – he’s registered as a foreign player, but doesn’t have contract language allowing him to become a free agent if he chooses, as the MLB veterans that play in Japan typically do. As such, he subject to the posting system as his only means to move to MLB prior to hitting free agency. He was outspoken about wanting to be posted after last season, and hired Alan Nero to represent him, so I expect him to ask again this offseason. He’s 25, lefthanded, and has an electric arm, so I would expect him to command a healthy transfer fee.

Kyuji Fujikawa (RHP, Hanshin Tigers, Data): Japan’s best strikeout reliever has talked for years about being posted; Hanshin has insisted that Kei Igawa was an exception and that Fujikawa won’t be posted. I profiled Fujikawa way back in June 2008.

Yu Darvish (RHP, Nippon Ham, Data): The rumblings that Darvish wants to be posted have picked up this year, but then again every year there are rumors of an imminent posting and it hasn’t happened yet. I’d say there’s maybe a 1% chance that Darvish gets posted this year. He’s still about four years away from full, international free agency.

Synopsis: I think we see Chen posted, at the most.

Alright, here we go. Multiple reports have Hanshin sending their international guy, Toshihiko Yamanaka, over to the US to gather information on Japanese major leaguers and new imports for next season. Sanspo and Nikkan Sports are speculating on a couple names that Hanshin could be after. I didn’t bother to write about this earlier in the season when rumors about Hanshin being interested in Hideki Matsui again cropped up, but this time I’ll bite.

Pointing to last year’s signing of Kenji Johjima, Sanspo speculates that Kosuke Fukudome and Kenshin Kawakami could be acquisition candidates. While both players have fallen out of favor with their current employers, both are under contract for next season and I would expect them to find MLB takers. It’s worth noting that Hanshin was reportedly interested in Kawakami when he was a free agent following the 2008 season, and supposedly willing to offer him 600m yen ($6m give or take) per season. They may have been talking tall as I don’t think such an offer ever materialized. In any event, as my FanGraphs bud Dave Cameron points out, Kawakami hasn’t been as bad as his superficial numbers indicate and deserves a shot at regular MLB work. Fukudome would be a great fit for Hanshin, with 42 year-old star leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto a shadow of his former self, but I just don’t see it happening.

Meanwhile, Nikkan Sports offers somewhat more reasonable speculative names: Hiroki Kuroda and Koji Uehara. Both have contracts expiring after this year, and I would guess they have clauses requiring their teams to release them if they can’t work out deals, which would get them out of their arbitration years and into free agency. I don’t see either as a realistic target for Hanshin though; I think the Dodgers will hang on to Kuroda, and Uehara talked openly about wanting to play in MLB to give up this quickly.

Two guys that weren’t mentioned are Kazuo Matsui and Akinori Iwamura, who are both in 3A and candidates to head back to the Far East. Neither fits with the current Hanshin speculation, but either one could help Yakult, for example, who badly wanted Kaz after he was released by Houston.

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-25: Murton's 10th HR this year: http://w... http://bit.ly/ci6Q99 #
• On Guillen comments: Oney didn't have a teammate from Korea. Ozzie probably meant Taiwanese pitcher Po-Yu Lin http://bit.ly/aGW7x #
• non-baseball awesomeness of the evening: http://6.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ku0jfeaoeM1qzu6nxo1_500.png #
• sure rt @MukaPYS can u kindly post us a plug http://www.spiritstranslation.com we translated an awesome Yakyu game to Eng. ur readers will luv it #
• That's a great song. @jorgearangure @keithlaw Piazza New York Catcher…oh wait that's an actual song #
• Sri Lanka vs Cuba in World College Baseball: http://www.justin.tv/yakusen_hometown #
• … just in time to see Sri Lanka exit the field after getting pounded 14-0. #
• Archival footage of that Cuba/Sri Lanka game: http://www.justin.tv/c/yakusen_hometown/b/267804125 #
• Cuba vs Korea in world college baseball; Cuba stomped 'em last time
  http://www.justin.tv/yakusen_hometown #
• Twitter is suggesting new people for me to follow, fairly accurately. wondering if @npbtracker is showing up in anyone's suggestion list #
• A Couple of Plugs: It’s been a busy week for me… so this downtime is the perfect opportunity to introduce a couple… http://bit.ly/dvIjpn #
• Follower #700 is is @CamdenDepot #
• Aug 6 NPB scores: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #
• Today is the 65th aniv of the Hiroshima bombing; first time US sends an envoy to the commemoration ceremony http://nyti.ms/aKlo7U #
• this highlight is really making the rounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYdpBNonxA4 #
• Koshien is underway: http://www.justin.tv/pinkzonbi #
• or Japan-Korea in college ball if you prefer: http://www.justin.tv/donsen2 #
• Japan vs Korea, College Championships: Watch live video from どん専2 on Justin.tv http://bit.ly/cSnhaj #
• NPB Bullet Points: Koshien, College Ball, Auctions: Lots going on tonight, let’s jump right in. With Koshien under… http://bit.ly/9jzsRx #
• Aug 7 NPB scores: http://www.npbtracker.com/data/ #
• we may have a new slowest pitch of the year: Yuji Yoshimi's 54.38 mph curveball: http://bit.ly/9PTtFv #

Lots going on tonight, let’s jump right in.

• With Koshien underway, I’d like to once again endorse the Goro Shigeno blog as the premier English destination for Koshien coverage. Video is available online here (requires MS Windows), and since many games are played early in the day it should be a little easier to enjoy them on this side of the Pacific.
• If you’re unfamiliar with Koshien and Japanese high school baseball, I recommend checking out the film Kokoyakyu, which can be purchased on dvd or viewed via Hulu.
• As I type this, Japan is playing Korea for the bronze in the World University Baseball Championship. Yuki Saito surrendering a grand slam in Japan’s last game against America cost Japan a shot at the gold. I tried to get into this tournament, but the number of blowouts made it hard to follow. As I type this, Japan is holding a 9-0 lead over Korea.
• NPB is auctioning off signed, game-worn All-Star jerseys for charity. I haven’t looked through all of them, but Yu Darvish’s jersey figures to fetch the highest sum, with a current bid of 524,000 yen ($6130 at the current, awful exchange rate). If loyal reader EJH wants to purchase Masataka Nashida’s jersey, he’ll only have to beat a bid of 71,000 yen.
• Mac Suzuki is making a return to Calgary Vipers of the independent Golden League.

And on a final, non-baseball note, August 6/7 marked the 65th anniversary of the World War II atomic bombing of Hiroshima. I was glad to learn this morning that for the first time, the United States sent an envoy to Hiroshima’s annual memorial ceremony. I visited Hiroshima and the Peace Memorial Museum in 2003, and it was a moving experience that really cemented my already strong opposition to armed conflict. Despite the fact that the conventional firebombing of Tokyo caused more damage than the atomic bomb, Hiroshima is certainly the more striking example of the cost of war. Today it’s one of the nicest cities in Japan, and I’d recommend visiting to anyone, for both the historical significance and the civic beauty. Today is also a good day to remember Langdon Warner, the American Harvard historian who is credited with convincing the US government to spare Kyoto and Nara from serious attacks.

Watch live video from どん専2 on Justin.tv

It’s been a busy week for me… so this downtime is the perfect opportunity to introduce a couple of NPB Tracker-sanctioned pro yakyu sites.

• Takeshi Yamasaki’s recent blast off Yasuhiko Yabuta reminded me that Gen of yakyubaka.com fame has built a home run database for this season. Tokyo Dome appears to be playing to its reputation as a hitter’s park.
• I got an email last week from a guy who’s developed a batter-by-batter game simulator, which includes NPB teams. NPB and MLB teams are grouped together, so you can simulate match ups between teams from the two leagues. Here’s a shortcut to a Nippon Ham-Yomiuri simulation to check out.
• Finally, this one game my way via Twitter. A group of gamer yakyu fans (including a couple of names I recognize from JapaneseBaseball.com) have published an extremely thorough English guide to the PlayStation game Pro Yakyu Spirits. I haven’t played the game, but this looks like a great resource for anyone who wants to check out the game but doesn’t have the requisite language skills. And for the record, my favorite NPB video game is Powerful Pro Yakyu.

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-25: Murton's 10th HR this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-fGMUAZN2A # Tw… http://bit.ly/bbuwYi #
• Frank Thomas: New Chicago White Sox ambassador – chicagotribune.com http://bit.ly/cLof3i #
• Thrilled that the White Sox are honoring Frank Thomas, who was my favorite player along with Harold Baines growing up. #
• 2010 At The Half: This post is a little late — we’re officially in the second half of the season as the first post… http://bit.ly/bJKPtt #
• saying hey to @levarburton http://ffffound.com/image/5df1f8a0be76264407c59908371f0787e9870b50 #
• Tryouts: Yabu, Ballestas: Updates on a couple of recent NPB tryouts… Chiba Lotte has passed on Keiichi Yabu after … http://bit.ly/aOYF3b #
• World College Baseball Championship — Korea vs Cuba: http://www.justin.tv/yakusen_hometown #
• Yikes, Cuba is pounding Korea 14-0. #
• grand slam for Cuba, 18-0. Cuba's coaches look embarrassed #
• let's switch over to Seibu vs Nippon Ham: http://www.justin.tv/iammatrix #
• Wakui does not have his best stuff tonight. #
• this year's deadline reminded me of this classic http://bit.ly/bM579g #
• A Flurry of Trades: With the July 31 player aquisition deadline passed, all the trades for this season are in the … http://bit.ly/axMOq2 #

With the July 31 player aquisition deadline passed, all the trades for this season are in the books. I didn’t cover them closely this season, so here’s a recap, roughly in reverse chronological order:

Masafumi Togano to Rakuten, Hideki Asai to Yomiuri (Sponichi): In the final deal of this year’s trading season the Giants and Eagles swapped righties. I haven’t seen enough of Togano to have an opinion on him, but Asai has gottne a long look at Rakuten and apparently no longer fits into their plans.  Verdict: even.

Koji Mise (RHP) to Chunichi, Masaumi Shimizu (C) to SoftBank (Sponichi): SoftBank needed catching depth after Katsuki Yamazaki went down with an injury, and found it in Shimizu. Shimizu has yet to appear in a game for SoftBank as Hidenori Tanoue is doing all the work behind the plate. Mise holds the distinction of being the oldest RoY winner in recent memory (of all time?), bu hadn’t done much lately for the Hawks. He has a 15.00 ERA in six appearances with Chunichi. Verdict: draw.

Yuya Kamada (RHP) to Rakuten, Koki Watanabe (LHP) to Yakult (Sanspo): A swap of two guys with similar career numbers who are about the same age, but throw with different hands. Watanabe has seen action as a LOOGy for Yakult, while Kamada languishes on Rakuten’s farm. Verdict: I’ll give Yakult the edge here.

Tomohito Yoneno (C) to Seibu, Minoru Yamagishi to Yakult (Daily Sports): Another deal necessitated by an injured catcher, this time Seibu’s Ginjiro. Yoneno has so far provided unused catching depth for Seibu has Toru Hosakawa and Tatsuyuki Uemoto carrying the load. Yamagishi hasn’t made an appearance for Yakult’s ichi-gun team. Verdict: a carbon copy of the Mise-Shimizu deal.

Masayuki Hasegawa (RHP) and Go Kida (PH) to Orix, Yuichiro Mukae (OF) to Hiroshima (Daily Sports): I’ve already written about what a good deal this was for Orix. To reiterate: Orix gets a potentially serviceable starter and an established bench bat for an outfielder whom they were never going to use. Verdict: Orix wins by unanimous decision.

Yuji Yoshimi (LHP) to Lotte, cash to Yokohama (Sanspo): When this deal happened, I thought it was an inspired pickup up for the Marines. Yoshimi is once-promising lefty who bounced back from injuries to eat up 88+ average innings last year for Yokohama. That might not sound like much, but a similar performance would have been a big help for Lotte. Verdict: Lotte had the right idea.

Kenji Sato from Lotte to Nippon Ham in an uncompensated (musho) trade (Nikkan Sports): Here’s another inspired pickup. Nippon Ham found a 21 year-old kid who wasn’t getting at-bats with Lotte’s ni-gun team and got him for nothing, and so far he’s hit .344/.469/.442 at Kamagaya. Sure it’s a limited number of at-bats, but Nippon Ham found some upside at a cost of zero. Verdict: small win for Nippon Ham.

Takehito Kanazawa (RHP) to SoftBank, Hisao Arakane (OF),  Keisuke Kaneko (IF) to Orix (Nikkan Sports): The story here is Arakane, who is currently sporting an .888 OPS through 159 PA’s with Orix. Nothing in his statistical track record hinted at this kind of ability, so we’ll see if he keeps it up. Kanazawa, who Orix wasn’t using, is getting regular work with SoftBank. Kaneko is with Orix’s farm team. Verdict: Orix wins by split decision.

Teruaki Yoshikawa (RHP) to SoftBank – Shotaro Ide (OF) to Yokohama (Sponichi): Not much to say about this one. Yoshikawa has gotten six innings of work in for the Hawks, Ide is hitting .200 for the BayStars. Verdict: incomplete.

Shintaro Ejiri (RHP) to Yokahama, Yuya Ishii (LHP) to Nippon Ham (Sponichi): I had the impression that Ejiri was pretty good, but he’s been pedestrian by the Bay. Ishii’s only pitched 9.2 innings for Nippon ham, but he has an 8:0 K:BB ratio and is lefthanded. Verdict: my gut still says Yokohama on this one.

Yusuke Kawasaki (LHP) to Hanshin, cash to Lotte (Sanspo): I figured this was a budget reduction move for Lotte, since Kawasaki has had some success in the past. But I guess they knew something I didn’t, because Kawasaki’s has a 5.06 ERA for Hanshin and has been injured since June. Verdict: I’ll call this one in Lotte’s favor, since they wound up getting a different lefty (Yoshimi) who can start. But if Kawasaki returns to his previous form, Hanshin wins.

So quite a bit of activity this season, with every team making at least one trade. None of these deals are going to have any impact on the pennant race in either league, but Orix managed to acquire some interesting options for expendable players.

Updates on a couple of recent NPB tryouts…

• Chiba Lotte has passed on Keiichi Yabu after a two-day audition. Things were looking good for Yabu when he hit 146 km/h (91mph) on the gun in day one, but topped out at only 136 km/h (85 mph) on the second day. This was problematic for Lotte as they were looking at Yabu as a middle reliever who could pitch on consecutive days.
• Freddy Ballestas’s trial with Orix went better, resulting in an ikusei contract. Ballestas has low minors experience in the Phillies system, and played Indy ball in the States this year. The righty pitcher is the eighth foreign player, and fourth Venezuelan, that Orix currently has under contract.