Hiroshima Carp

The Hiroshima Carp are Japanese baseball’s rags to riches story, the under-capitalized franchise of a city emerging from the world’s first nuclear attack who became the Central League’s first post-draft dynasty.

The team sought micro investments in its early years, often as little as people willing to throw money in a barrel at the stadium entrance. They won their first pennant in 1975. That year, a confluence of new management and new thinking touched off the club’s latent talent base and began establishing “the Carp style.”

  • Manager: Shinji Sasaoka
  • 2019 Finish: 4th, ending Hiroshima’s three-year reign as CL champions.

Previous manager’s record: Koichi Ogata

YearCurrent Teams::Team R shortM GM WinsM LossesM TiesM win pctTeam Results Same Year::Finish
2015Carp14369713.4924
2016Carp14389522.6311
2017Carp14388514.6331
2018Carp14382592.5811
2019Carp14370703.5004
Total71539830314.568
Prev. 3 yrs43220421117.4924,3,3

By winning three pennants in five years, Ogata comes in as one of the franchise’s most successful managers, but he did have help. The team’s move into new Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium in 2009, saw the club take the marketing and licensing chops it had used to stay afloat for years and turn the team into a cash cow.

The new money meant foreign stars could be offered generous long-term contract extensions, and money could be pumped into development both in Japan and in the team’s academy in the Dominican Republic. There, the focus shifted from training amateurs to finding players who had washed out of the low minors as teenagers and giving them another chance.

Sasaoka was one of several pitchers, who though basically starters, were given spells as the team’s closer until their arms could once more handle the strain of the starting rotation. He began working with the team’s minor leaguers in 2015, was promoted to first-team pitching coach in 2019, and got the managing job when Ogata abruptly quit after the 2019 season.

Key players

Ryosuke Kikuchi 2BSeiya Suzuki RF
Ryoma Nishikawa CF, LF
Takayoshi Noma CF, LF
Tsubasa Aizawa C
Ryuhei Matsuyama LF, 1B
Xavier Batista 1B–released following doping suspension
Kosuke Tanaka SS
Tomohiro Abe 3B
Kaito Kozono SS

Strengths and weaknesses

Team offensive rankings

  • Best in the league: GDP

Rankings against opponents’ offense

  • Best in the league: stolen bases,
  • 2nd best in the league doubles, triples, home runs, SB pct, BABiP, Avg, Slug
  • Next to worst in the league: walks
  • Worst in the league: strikeouts

Other rankings

  • Best in the league: complete games, quality starts
  • 2nd best in the league: ERA
  • Worst in the league: holds
  • And… the Carp have led the league in sacrifices for the last three years, were second in the league in intentional walks issued for the second-straight season

Roster

Notes: Names in all caps are imported players; names with asterisks still qualify as rookies, hyperlinks are to the player’s English language page.

PosNameNo.Prev years
PAllen Kuri126
PTakuya Kato*132
PDaichi Osera146
PTakeru Imamura1610
PAkitake Okada174
PMasato Morishita*180
PYusuke Nomura198
PShota Nakazaki219
PKazuki Yabuta235
PRen Nakata2611
PHiroki Tokoda283
PMakoto Kemna*292
PRyuji Ichioka308
PKoya Takahashi*343
PAtsuya Horie365
PYasunori Kikuchi3912
PKoya Fujii415
PKRIS JOHNSON425
PSotaro Shimauchi*431
PMikiya Takahashi464
PSho Yamaguchi*472
PMakoto Aduwa483
PHiroto Suzuki*520
PTakaya Toda538
PNorihiko Tanaka*571
PDJ JOHNSON5809/21 Sold to Eagles
PKyohei Nakamura649
PShogo Tamamura*650
PAtsushi Endo662
PYuta Nakamura676
PTakato Hiraoka*682
PTAYLER SCOTT700
PGERONIMO FRANZUA972
PEMAILIN MONTILLA981
PTakamasa Une*1200
PReira Fujii*1210
PKen Sasaki*1220
PALFREDO MENA1441
CShosei Nakamura*222
CTsubasa Aizawa2713
CYoshiyuki Ishihara3118
CYuta Shirahama3216
CYoshitaka Isomura409
CShogo Sakakura613
CTomoki Ishihara*620
CTaiki Mochimaru*1230
IFKaisei Sone*003
IFKosuke Tanaka26
IFTetsuya Kokubo412
IFTomohiro Abe612
IFShota Dobayashi710
IFRyosuke Kikuchi338
IFTakumi Miyoshi359
IFKota Hayashi*441
IFTatsuki Kuwahara455
IFKaito Kozono511
IFYuya Nirasawa*540
IFTakuto Nakagami*561
IFRyoma Nishikawa634
IFRyutaro Hatsuki*691
IFALEJANDRO MEJIA962
OFSeiya Suzuki17
OFHisayoshi Chono510
OFJOSE PIRELA100
OFTakayoshi Noma375
OFKoki Ugusa*380
OFYuya Shozui*491
OFHiroki Takahashi507
OFRyuhei Matsuyama5512
OFMinoru Omori*590
OFAtsushi Nagai*602
OFMotohide Kinoshita*1240

2019 team data

Batters

NameBatsGPAABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOAvgOBPSlugwOBA
Ryosuke KikuchiR13861954777143362134814541102.261.313.406.317
Seiya SuzukiR1406124991121673102887251610381.335.453.565.437
Ryoma NishikawaL138585535701592331664673281.297.336.441.337
Tsubasa AizawaR126447376381042121263215881.277.387.439.365
XAVIER BATISTAR1034233725410011126640045108.269.350.513.370
Kosuke TanakaL973553113360130327833289.193.268.264.243
Takayoshi NomaL12335331452781052161422756.248.317.331.287
Ryuhei MatsuyamaL1103272942176141649002942.259.327.374.313
Tomohiro AbeL1142952642367120828522360.254.315.390.314
Kaito Kozono*L5819718817409041610642.213.241.324.248
Hisayoshi ChonoR72197180134571520021540.250.310.383.303
ALEJANDRO MEJIAR56173162134260717001146.259.306.426.315
Tetsuya KokuboR511251145283015001019.246.306.298.271
Yoshitaka IsomuraR6511710810309042101524.278.307.472.338
Takumi MiyoshiR439277914102710928.182.267.273.239
Yoshiyuki IshiharaR316756311201500518.196.258.286.247
Shogo Sakakura*L516461414401700319.230.266.344.272
Daichi OseraR26604736100000631.128.226.149.189
Hiroki Tokoda*L25493915100100416.128.209.154.179
KRIS JOHNSONL27484415000300215.114.152.114.128
Hiroki TakahashiR274843512111301411.279.340.419.330
Allen KuriR27413611000000123.028.054.028.043
Shota DobayashiR2838341701020029.206.250.265.225
JUAN SANTANAR1334331600050015.182.206.182.179
Yusuke NomuraR18322401100100110.042.080.083.080
Kaisei Sone*L643125175000252310.200.310.200.236
Makoto AduwaR19282522000100019.080.080.080.072
Takashi UemotoR3122215300000105.143.143.143.129
Sho Yamaguchi*R9550000000005.000.0000000.000
Ko ShimozuruR2440000000002.000.0000000.000
Akitake OkadaL3210000000010.000.5000000.350
Kazuki YabutaR4220000000002.000.0000000.000
Atsuya Horie*L11220100000000.500.500.500.450
Atsushi Endo*R34220000000002.000.0000000.000
Takuya Yasaki*R5110000000001.000.0000000.000
Sotaro Shimauchi*R25100000000000.000.0000000.000
KYLE REGNAULTL52110000000001.000.0000000.000
Kyohei NakamuraL43110000000000.000.0000000.000
Yuta NakamuraR2110000000000.000.0000000.000
CASEY LAWRENCER1110000000001.000.0000000.000
Takahiro IwamotoL1110000000001.000.0000000.000
EMAILIN MONTILLAL2110000000001.000.0000000.000

Pitchers

NameThrGCGSOWLSHW PctIPHHRBBKRERERA
Daichi OseraR266211900.550173 1/3176223513672683.53
KRIS JOHNSONL271111800.579156 2/3132125813250452.59
Hiroki Tokoda*L25107600.538139 2/3131174810154462.96
Allen KuriR27118803.50011810711419650463.51
Yusuke NomuraR18006500.54595 1/3966346552434.06
Makoto AduwaR19103500.37591 2/310114275252444.32
GERONIMO FRANZUAL6700861218.57171 2/3558329429222.76
Yasunori KikuchiR580013015.25061394234321192.80
KYLE REGNAULTL520063015.66759 1/3537346725223.34
Kyohei NakamuraL430001012.00044 1/3315175816132.64
Atsushi Endo*R34001116.50042 2/3361253819153.16
Shota NakazakiR36003395.50035 1/3443172324164.08
Ryuji IchiokaR330000016.00031291101811102.90
Sotaro Shimauchi*R25000000.00028 2/3191193315144.40
Sho Yamaguchi*R9001300.25026253132114144.85
Takeru ImamuraR27003114.75025 1/318291710103.55
Atsuya Horie*L11000100.00020 2/3204142314146.10
Kazuki YabutaR4000200.00012 2/317410613139.24
Takuya Yasaki*R5000000.0008102611555.63
Akitake OkadaR3000200.000792114121114.14
Koya Fujii*R4000000.0006 1/313098101014.21
Ren NakataR8000000.0005 2/381641169.53
Yuta NakamuraR2000000.0005 2/3113548812.71
CASEY LAWRENCER1000100.000541436610.80
EMAILIN MONTILLAL2000200.0004 1/3111488714.54
JOHNNY HELLWEGR50010011.000.0003 2/32012000.00
Makoto Kemna*R1000000.00011011000.00
Katsuhiro NagakawaR1000000.0000 1/30000000.00

writing & research on Japanese baseball

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