Seibu Lions

The Seibu Lions are coming off back-to-back Pacific League championships, but have not been to the Japan Series since they won it in 2008.

  • Manager: Hatsuhiko Tsuji
  • 2020 Finish: 1st, lost to SoftBank Hawks in final stage of PL Climax Series 4-1, including 1 win as league champs.

Manager’s record: Hatsuhiko Tsuji

YearTeamGWLTPctFinish
2017Lions14379613.5642
2018Lions14388532.6241
2019Lions14380621.5631
Total4292471766.584
Prev. 3 yrs43019622212.4675,4,4

Tsuji, an eight-time Golden Glove winner at second base during the Lions’ golden era, was brought in as manager to rectify the club’s defensive woes, and though the PL league ERA increased from 3.65 to 3.74 in 2017, the Lions’ dropped from 3.85 to 3.53, largely with the help of rookie shortstop Sosuke Genda.

In 2018, however, Tsuji gave considerable playing time behind the plate to Tomoya Mori, a big-hitting catcher who had become a prodigious hitter, and made Hotaka Yamakawa his regular first baseman. That year, Seibu became the second NPB team in history to win a pennant while finishing last in ERA. In 2019, after letting their best starting pitcher, Yusei Kikuchi go to the majors, they did it again, this time with Mori as MVP.

Key players

  • Shogo Akiyama CF > Cincinnati Reds
  • Yuji Kaneko RF, LF
  • Fumikazu Kimura RF
  • Shuta Tonosaki 2B
  • Hotaka Yamakawa 1B
  • Sosuke Genda SS
  • Tomoya Mori C
  • Takeya Nakamura 3B
  • Takumi Kuriyama LF, DH

Strengths and weaknesses

The Lions have no glaring offensive weaknesses. They are Japan’s best base-stealing team, they get on base, they hit for power, they stay out of double plays, partly because they hit the ball on the ground less, steal bases better and have great team speed.

Team Offensive rankings

  • Best in the league: runs, doubles, stolen bases, walks; Highest SB Pct, Avg, BABiP, OBP, Slug, Iso P
  • 2nd best in: triples, home runs

Their primary defensive strength is the ability to turn ground balls into double plays. Last year was the first full season in which Genda at short was paired with Shuta “Name a position and I can play it” Tonosaki at second, and they were pretty darn good — even with Genda having an injury-plagued off year.

Rankings against opponents’ offense

  • Best in the league: Fewest triples allowed, most GDP
  • Next to worst in the league: Walks allowed
  • Worst in the league: Runs, doubles, home runs, Avg, OBP, Slug allowed

Although the pitching and defense as a whole has been the Lions’ weakness over the past two seasons, the pitching side has been far more culpable — despite leading the league in errors for three of the last four seasons. According to Delta Graphs, Seibu opponents had the highest percentage of hard contact in NPB last year (33.5%).

Other rankings

  • Worst in the league: Errors committed, wild pitches, passed balls, holds; ERA
  • The Lions used the fewest relievers (463), issued the fewest intentional walks (10), tied for the fewest sacrifice hits (78) with Nippon Ham.

Roster

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

PosNameNo.Prev years
PTatsuya Imai113
PYutaro Watanabe*121
PKona Takahashi135
PTatsushi Masuda147
PTetsu Miyagawa*150
PDaisuke Matsuzaka1613
PWataru Matsumoto171
PHiromasa Saito*192
PShota Hamaya*200
PKen Togame218
PShogo Noda234
PKatsunori Hirai253
PKaito Awatsu*261
PTetsuya Utsumi2716
PRyosuke Moriwaki281
PRyuya Ogawa2911
PDaiki Enokida309
PREED GARRETT330
PYasuo Sano345
PSho Ito362
PIchiro Tamura*403
PHiroki Inoue*410
PKaito Yoza*441
PKeisuke Honda454
PKoki Matsuoka*470
PShota Takekuma4812
PSEAN NOLIN490
PShunta Nakatsuka*503
PZACH NEAL541
PTsubasa Kokuba*574
PKaima Taira*612
PTowa Uema*640
PMakoto Aiuchi667
PKoki Fujita*674
PToshihiro Idei*1200
PTomomi Takahashi1236
PAoi Tono*1250
PJiyu Okubo*1260
CMasatoshi Okada26
CTomoya Mori106
CSena Tsuge*370
CShoya Makino*381
CHitoto Komazuki628
CMasato Saito*780
CDaichi Nakaguma*1270
IFDaichi Mizuguchi05
IFHotaka Yamakawa36
IFKakeru Yamanobe*41
IFShuta Tonosaki55
IFSosuke Genda63
IFRyusei Sato311
IFKyohei Nagae328
IFWu Nien-ting394
IFHaruka Yamada525
IFRyota Kawano*560
IFYuto Morikoshi599
IFTakeya Nakamura6018
IFRyusei Tsunashima*632
IFERNESTO MEJIA996
OFTakumi Kuriyama118
OFYuji Kaneko77
OFFumikazu Kimura913
OFCORY SPANGENBERG220
OFShohei Suzuki*463
OFManaya Nishikawa*512
OFAito Takeda534
OFMasato Kumashiro589
OFDaisuke Togawa*654
OFJunichiro Kishi*680
OFSeiji Kawagoe*724
OFWataru Takagi*731

2019 team data

Batters

NameBatsGPAABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOAvgOBPSlugwOBA
Shogo AkiyamaL143678590112179314206212878108.303.392.471.380
Hotaka YamakawaR14362652493134200431201086142.256.372.540.388
Shuta TonosakiR14362153396146276269022663132.274.353.493.364
Sosuke GendaL135609540901482362413094067.274.324.350.301
Tomoya MoriL1355734929616234223105327289.329.413.547.413
Takeya NakamuraR13555749669142300301232154123.286.359.528.380
Yuji KanekoB133524463601168133341104981.251.324.292.284
Takumi KuriyamaL123466409351032107540048100.252.333.355.310
Fumikazu KimuraR1304413914686123103816924101.220.270.343.269
ERNESTO MEJIAR75147128132790631001546.211.286.422.306
Masatoshi OkadaR367861816311700912.262.375.393.344
Ryusei Sato*R526359613602700314.220.258.424.297
Aito Takeda*R42575378100300311.151.196.170.154
Shohei Suzuki*L1628264400011116.154.185.154.159
Kyohei NagaeL27262142100111412.095.240.143.200
Daisuke Togawa*L1025233410110124.174.240.348.260
Kakeru Yamanobe*R918141110011024.071.278.143.228
Masato KumashiroR3317155410002115.267.313.333.294
Haruka Yamada*R413122200000014.167.231.167.192
Daichi Mizuguchi*L2011105000002014.000.0910000.064
Shota NakataR2980100000004.125.125.125.113
Hitoto KomazukiR7771100000001.143.143.143.129
Kona TakahashiR21550000000004.000.0000000.000
Wataru Matsumoto*R16420000000001.000.0000000.000
Tatsuya ImaiR23330000000002.000.0000000.000
Shogo SaitoL3330000000003.000.0000000.000
Ken TogameR19220000000001.000.0000000.000
Keisuke Honda*R16220000000000.000.0000000.000
ZACH NEALR17220000000000.000.0000000.000
Katsunori HiraiR81110000000001.000.0000000.000
Ryosuke Moriwaki*R29110000000001.000.0000000.000
Daiki EnokidaL13110000000000.000.0000000.000
Wataru Takagi*L1110000000000.000.0000000.000

Pitchers

NameThrGCGSOWLSHW PctIPHHRBBKRERERA
Tatsuya ImaiR23117900.438135 1/3127167210574654.32
Kona TakahashiR211010600.625123 2/314413479077624.51
Ken TogameR19005600.45510210612315756514.50
ZACH NEALR170012100.923100 1/31038155138322.87
Keisuke Honda*R16006600.50091 1/38813285348474.63
Wataru Matsumoto*R16007400.63685 1/38711466547434.54
Katsunori HiraiR810054036.55682 1/3776326633323.50
Tatsushi MasudaR650041307.80069 2/3515107415141.81
Daiki EnokidaL13004300.571698612213354506.52
Yasuo SanoL44002202.50067 2/3684323934334.39
Shinsaburo TawataR12111600.14366 1/3848253747435.83
KYLE MARTINR410025110.28641 2/3402283625173.67
Ryuya OgawaL550041115.80038 1/3354122812112.58
DEUNTE HEATHR34002327.40031 1/3262143415133.73
Ryosuke Moriwaki*R29002102.66731293202417174.94
Kaima Taira*R26002116.667242929231393.38
Shogo NodaL230020021.00019 2/3141910883.66
Hirotaka KoishiL8000000.00015 1/31525610105.87
Shota TakekumaL10001101.50014 2/314112511106.14
Tsubasa Kokuba*R150010021.00014 2/313372663.68
Hiromasa Saito*L9000001.00010 2/312467986.75
Kuo Chun-linR2001100.500107167654.50
Makoto AiuchiR2000100.0009 1/317365121211.57
Ichiro Tamura*R6000000.0007 1/39143556.14
Sho Ito*R6000000.00067132446.00
Naoaki Matsumoto*R4000000.00059213447.20
Liao Jen-lei*R3000000.00034104113.00
Tatsuya OishiR2000000.0002 1/341054415.43
Hayato TakagiR2000000.0002 1/34141727.71
Kaito Awatsu*R1000000.00024010229.00
Tadasuke Minamikawa*R1000000.0000003011inf

writing & research on Japanese baseball

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