Second baseman Tetsuto Yamada will stay with the Yakult Swallows, multiple news outlets reported Thursday, opting to sign a seven-year 3.5 billion yen deal ($30 million) that will keep him with the Tokyo-based club in Japan’s Central League until he turns 35.
The seven-year deal matches the length of the one the SoftBank Hawks gave to their centerpiece center fielder, Yuki Yanagita, last autumn.
Yamada might not be the best second baseman on the planet as one colleague wrote, but until a few years ago he had be considered part of that discussion with his combination of speed, power, and defense.
According to Sponichi Annex, an official of the penurious club said, “If he had filed for free agency, then it would have been a competition to see who could offer the most money. It seems he didn’t want to be a bother to the team.”
The Swallows have long been one of Japan’s thriftiest teams. They rent their homepark, Tokyo’s historic Jingu Stadium, which prevents them from making much if any profit from the ballclub.
The fate of the ballpark is a little up in the air right now. Until a year ago, it was poised to be replaced by a new stadium on an adjacent lot and then demolished but numerous snags have since o
It will be closed next summer — if the Tokyo Olympics go forward — to be used as a staging area for the new national stadium down the street, while the Swallows play home games a few miles away at Tokyo Dome.
Yudai Ono, who appears to be a lock to win the Eiji Sawamura Award as Japan’s most impressive starting pitcher, will not exercise his right to file for domestic free agency, a source told Kyodo News on Wednesday and will remain with the Central League’s Chunichi Dragons.
The Tokyo Chunichi Sports reports the 32-year-old lefty, who has been on some MLB teams’ radar, has agreed in principle to a three-year extension worth 300 million yen a year ($2.9 million), with additional performance incentives.
Swallows want to ground Yamada
The famously penurious Yakult Swallows have offered star second baseman Tetsuto Yamada a seven-year deal worth 4.5 billion yen ($43 million) a source has told Sponichi Annex.
The 28-year-old was the Central League’s 2015 MVP when he put up one of the most valuable season in NPB history. Three times he’s batted .300 with 30 home runs and 30 steals, something no other player has done more than once.
Yamada is eligible to file for domestic free agency. The Osaka native grew up a fan of the Yomiuri Giants, who one assumes might be happy to match that offer in order to have him hold down second base — not that manager Tatsunori Hara would be happy with anyone at second base, but that’s another story.
JBF moves to qualify youth coaches
The Baseball Federation of Japan announced Monday it will introduce a “certified baseball coach” qualification system for those coaching children under the age of 12 in either hardball or rubber “nanshiki” leagues according to the Nikkei Shimbun.
The certification will require applicants study — among other things, sportsmanship, training methods, and injury prevention. Japanese youth ball, with its focus on intense year-round practice and weekend tournaments, has long been a concern for reformers, who say many of Japan’s most talented players are wiped out as youngsters after suffering injuries that could easily have been prevented.
In its first guise, the qualifications will be voluntary, but the federation hopes they will become mandatory in the future, while expanding the qualification courses to other age groups.
Fujinami hits high note
Shintaro Fujinami had a good night at Koshien Stadium, striking out nine over five innings in a pitching duel against the DeNA BayStars’ Shinichi Onuki, who wrapped up his solid season with nine strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. The Tigers won 1-0, with former ace Atsushi Nomi getting the save.
Nomi, whom the Tigers said they will cut, got a farewell ceremony, while DeNA manager Alex Ramirez, who will be stepping down, received flowers from classy Tigers skipper Akihiro Yano.
Yanagi comes oh so close
Yuya Yanagi’s bid for a shutout crumbled in the ninth inning after he issued a two-out walk. The Chunichi Dragons right-hander surrendered two runs over 8-2/3 innings to improve to 6-7 in a 3-2 win over the Hiroshima Carp at Mazda Stadium.
Carp right-hander Allen Kuri (8-6) ended a solid season with a complete-game loss, while the Carp’s Ryosuke Kikuchi became the first second baseman in Japanese pro baseball history to make no errors in a season.
Active roster moves 11/11/2020
Deactivated players can be re-activated from 11/21
