Where Eagles Dare A Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Fansite

2010 Season Preview, Part 1

With Spring Training over and the exhibition schedule in full swing (it's actually still snowing heavily here in Sendai as I write this), it's time to clean the dust off of this corner of the internet in anticipation of the upcoming 2010 NPB season.

First, a small note.  When I started up this website last fall, in the midst of the Eagles' first-ever march into the postseason, I had a lot of free time on my hands.  A LOT.  Those days have changed however.  As a result I won't be able to provide the full day-in/day-out coverage that perhaps drew you to this site initially.

My goal for this website this season is to provide previews and recaps on a weekly basis, not a game-by-game one.  I'll also be continuing the Player Reports feature, and will do some weekend Live Blogs as well, using the Cover It Live service.

On to the preview!

My 2010 Season Preview has been broken down into five parts:

1. Who's Staying/Who's Out/Who's In
2. My Batting Lineup
3. Pitching Rotation
4. Bullpen
5. Biggest Questions for the Season

While there are still some cuts and demotions to be made, it's pretty clear who the nucleus will be comprised of, and definitely clear which foreigners will be receiving paychecks from Rakuten Eagles come opening day.

Who's Staying

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Todd Linden (LF): Linden joined the team halfway through the 2009 season, and quickly became a fan favourite due to his hustle and intensity.  With his well-publicized feud with now-retired manager Katsuya Nomura fading into history, all eyes are on the American to see what he's got up his sleeve in 2010.  Nomura had him batting all over the order; leadoff, fifth, sixth, eighth.  Despite the shuffling about, Linden really began to hit his stride down the stretch run last year, and I hope that new manager Marty Brown will lock him into a spot in the batting order where the switch-hitter can be most effective.  When I rolled my 6-sided die, a three came up, so that's where I'd stick him in the lineup.

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Darrell Rasner (SP): To say that this is not the way he wanted to break into the NPB would be an understatement as large as Mt. Fuji.  A 4-7 record and 6.09 ERA are not statistics that usually get you invited back for a second season.  However, Rasner was lucky enough to have secured a two-year contract from Rakuten, which means that the pressure will really be on the right-hander to perform.  Rasner had shown flashes of brilliance ability during 2009 but as always, consistency has been his Achilles heel.  Add to the fact that he's almost guaranteed to surrender a home run every start, one can see how easily he can give up huge innings to the opposing teams.

Who's Out

Fernando Seguignol (1B): I was really disappointed to hear that the big Panamanian wouldn't be re-signed over the off season.  Looking back on the move to cut him though seemed like a logical choice.  Advancing age and poor foot speed were obvious detriments, but what perhaps the most glaring weakness were the power numbers.  They say that power is the last thing to go in a hitter.  Seguignol only hit 14 home runs last season, a shocking number for someone as big as he.  His affable nature will be missed in the clubhouse undoubtedly, and I wish him well wherever his travels take him.

Marcus Gwyn (RP): It's not that Gwyn was terrible, it's just that he wasn't particularly great during the 2009 season.  A performance as average as his can be doled out to a Japanese player, freeing up a roster spot for another foreigner.  The only memory that stands out for me about Gwyn was a mid-summer game where he walked 3 straight batters on 12 pitches.

Matt Childers (RP): Spent almost all of the season with the farm team, and was lit up like an old Christmas tree when he did make a few appearances with the Ichi-gun squad.

Who's In

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Andy Phillips (1B/3B): Replacing Seguignol's foreign roster spot is American Andy Phillips, who played for the Hiroshima Carp (under current Rakuten manager Marty Brown) last season.  Like Todd Linden, Phillips joined the NPB midway through 2009, but still put up some decent numbers (74 GP, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .839 OPS).  While his .265 batting average wasn't anything to write home about, the right-hander had consistently hit over .300 in Triple-A ball, so let's give him the benefit of the doubt in having to adjust to the NPB pitching and strike zone before handing down a final verdict in this area.  Phillips will likely be competing with Daisuke Kusano and veteran Norihiro Nakamura for a spot at either first or third base.

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Juan Morillo (RP): Taking Gwyn's seat in the bullpen is Juan Morillo, who spent last season in the Minnesota Twins organization .  Rakuten hope they've finally found their closer in the 26 year-old, whose fastball has been reportedly clocked at 104 mph.  A typical hardthrowing fastball/slider pitcher, the Dominican Republic native still has control issues which will hopefully work themselves out as he matures.

Well, that's the end of Part 1.  It's gonna take a little while to get this locomotive rolling at full speed again, so let's shoot for Part 2 to be on the site on Friday.

Related posts:

1. 2010 Season Preview, Part 2
2. 2010 Season Preview, Part 4
3. 2010 Season Preview, Part 3
4. 2010 Season Preview, Part 5
5. Hiromichi Fujiwara Out For The Season

About Andrew

Andrew has lived in Japan since 2006, spending time exploring the Tohoku region. He frequently attends Rakuten Eagles games in Sendai. You'll find him sitting along the 3rd base line drinking Guinness wearing a #46 Teppei jersey, next to a Japanese girl in a #5 Seguignol jersey.          You can follow him on Twitter if that makes you happy.