Tigers season - pitching

Once again we look at Tigers pitching perfomance, this time with abbreviated statistics. Pitching is divided into two categories starting and relief.

STARTERS

13. Satoru Kanemura
Games: 22, Wins: 1, Losses: 1, ERA: 2.76

Failed as a starter - his first start against the Giants was brilliant but he didn't pick up the win. His next start was poor and after that he didn't figure. However, a conversion to relief gave him a new lease of life and he pitched nicely. This is good as Tigers need all the relief pitchers they can get at the moment. Picked up his first Central League win as a relief pitcher.

14. Atsushi Nohmi
Games: 28, Wins: 13, Losses: 9, ERA: 2.62

The though in most people's heads at the beginning of the season was, why Nohmi? At first he seemed his usual self - full of unfilfilled promise but he got better and better and turned into a very accomplised pitcher. By the end of the season he was clearly our best pitcher and had an awesome display of pitches at his best. One must give credit to the coaches for persevering with him.

16. Yuya Andoh
Games: 28, Wins: 8, Losses: 12, ERA: 3.90

Ostensibly Tigers 'ace' he didn't pitch well at all. Lacked confidence and location and even though he did well enough when paired with Kanoh he didn't look secure. When paired with Yano he completely collapsed and was pretty poor looking like the mediocre pitcher he had been before.

17. Naohisa Sugiyama
Games: 2, Wins: 0, Losses: 1, ERA: 5.40

Pitched one game in relief to prepare him and one start. He was a complete failure as before and why the coaches persist with him is a mystery. He really needs to be traded as soon as possible as he has no hope of recovering his form of 2005.

21. Minoru Iwata
Games: 16, Wins: 7, Losses: 5, ERA: 2.68
Iwata suffered from injury and so didn't throw as much as he could. He was erratic - his ERA was good but he threw some poor games. When he was good he was very good and he was the only one of Tigers young pitchers to get much playing time. Mayumi's policy with pitching was a complete failure as other young pitchers were not given enough playing time.

28. Shinobu Fukuhara
Games: 14, Wins: 3, Losses: 10, ERA: 4.84

His figures say it all. Why Tigers persist with this guy is a mystery. He pitched dismally in the first half of the season and was dropped down to ni-gun. When he came back up he pitched dismally again. He is keeping young pitchers from getting playing time and will never amount to anything. He is due free agency and he should be encouraged to look for another team.

29. Tatsuya Kojima
Games: 1, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 0.00

Another of Tigers young pitchers who suffers from coaching stupidity and prejudice. He pitched in one game against the Swallows (which was lost by the relief) and had a quality start. He was then sent down to ni-gun and never appeared again. This is when the coaches were persisting with Fukuhara. Surely with a quality start it would have been a good idea to give him another outing at least? However, our pitching coaches are useless and we do need to get rid of them quickly.

30. Tomoyuki Kubota
Games: 1, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 15.43

Here if Kojima wasn't proof enough of coaching stupidity and lack of awareness is the pièce de résistance. Tigers coaches have long held that you can convert a relief pitcher to a starting pitcher. This was tried with poor results, last season with two imports from MLB (Atchison and Resop). This season it was tried with Japanese pitchers and was a complete failure. Kubota was chosen to become a starter but sat out the early season with injury due to overpitching the season before. When he finally did make his debut he was appalling and lasted just over two innings. He returned to ni-gun and was never seen in the top team again. Kubota is a relief pitcher and needs to pitch in relief - when will the coaches realise this simple fact?

34. Yasutomo Kubo
Games: 26, Wins: 9, Losses: 8, ERA: 3.75

Traded with Lotte for Hashimoto in what has got to be one of the most one sided trades in recent history Kubo did very well. Pacific League pitchers generally take a year to adjust to Central League conditions so his pitching was very good. Initially he was paired with the disappointing Okazaki (as they had played together at Matsushita Denki and Okazaki called like they were still there) but blossomed out once he was paired with Kanoh. He often looked like he was enjoying his pitching and frequently pitched very intelligently.

41. Keji Uezono
Games: 1, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 4.76

Finally appeared for one game but didn't figure in the result. He actually gave up a three run lead but showed some very good stuff. However, he is not old enough to be pitching in the first team and refuses to kiss Kubo's arse. This means he will stay in the second team while rubbish like Fukuhara is given plenty of starts. If Tigers can work with Nohmi, they can certainly work with Uezono who is also very talented. Tigers cannot develop their young pitchers despite the ability they have to select talent. For this they need to sack Kubo who has overstayed his welcome and bring in a coach who understands and nutures the talent he has. Uezono is far too talented to be in the second team and someone needs to remind idiots like Kubo of this fact.

42. Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi
Games: 22, Wins: 8, Losses: 8, ERA: 3.62
Age has clearly caught up with him and his control is going. He relies on finesse but without control this is difficult. Pitched well with Kanoh who had to work hard though. With Yano it was a different story and he showed an alarming capacity to disintergrate suddenly in late season. His style of pitching does not suit relief and so one suspects he will not pitch much in 2010 and maybe retire at the end of that season (at least I hope that is what will happen).


48. Shunsuke Ishikawa
Games: 3, Wins: 0, Losses: 1, ERA: 7.20

A nice young pitcher who needs more pitching time. Tigers young pitchers are constantly having to look over their shoulders at the coaches and thus can't develop their own styles and abilities. No allowance is made for nerves and no attempt to nuture the younger pitchers. Ishikawa should be in the rotation and should be encouraged.

64. Cheng Kai-wen
Games: 13, Wins: 1, Losses: 1, ERA: 5.46

One of the most talented pitchers to emerge from Taiwan in recent years this young man was wasted by conservative and unimaginative coaches. He is a starting pitcher but after his first two starts was used in relief (for only some games). When he did get back to being a starter he was excellent but then went back to relief. The coaches were really clueless and their handling of this talent a disgrace. One only needs to look at Dragons and how they handle their pitchers to see what can be achieved with talent. However the general opinion on Tigers pitching coaches is that they have no ability and no knowledge of how to nuture young pitchers. Hopefully, Cheng will persevere as he is a real asset.

RELIEF

12. Ryo Watanabe
Games: 46, Wins: 1, Losses: 0, ERA: 3.40

A nervy pitcher who repays careful handling, this is just what Watanabe didn't get. He still has the talent but misuse by the cack-handed Mayumi caused lots of problems. In general the relief was mishandled badly by the team management.

15. Taiyo Fujita
Games: 2, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 6.75

One of Tigers real failures but because he has no talent, not because of the coaches. Thankfully, he was traded to Seibu mid-season in exchange for Mizuta.

20. Kazuya Tsutsui
Games: 45, Wins: 1, Losses: 2, ERA: 3.71

A talented relief pitcher of considerable potential, he was victim of a failed experiment to convert relief pitchers into starters. This piece of idiocy continued from 2008 and really was stupid. If Tigers were short of pitchers then why not give the young pitchers the starts. They wouldn't do any worse. Tsutsui did well in relief but was another one who got no support from the coaches.

22. Kyuji Fujikawa
Games: 49, Wins: 5, Losses: 3, ERA: 1.25

Tigers star closer, even he was misused by Mayumi who pitched him when it wasn't necessary. Still because Mayumi's team wasn't winning Fujikawa had a more relaxing year. He wasn't so good this year and was a bit arrogant when he needed to follow his catcher rather than what he thought. Eventually, he reached a good working relationship with Kanoh in which he accepted the latters authority.

26. Hirotaka Egusa
Games: 62, Wins: 4, Losses: 5, ERA: 2.71

A fine middle reliever, Egusa was overused and his pitching suffered. Normally, very secure with runners on, in late season he could not get out of the situation and was clearly tired. Once again misuse caused problems with a relief pitcher. It was rumoured that he would be converted to a starter but thankfully he escaped this folly.

27. Scott Atchison
Games: 75, Wins: 5, Losses: 3, ERA: 1.70

One of Tigers gems - a superb relief pitcher who worked very hard. His performance was nothing less than excellent and he had a great career in Japan ahead of him. However, he has just announced he will not be returning next year for family reasons. This blows a huge hole in Tigers relief and really is a serious loss.

40. Masashi Sajikihara
Games: 15, Wins: 0, Losses: 1, ERA: 1.89

Brought up late season when Mayumi's misuse of the bullpen was becoming apparent. He did well and despite looking rather behind or unaware was a very effective and useful middle reliever.

43. Ken Nishimura
Games: 6, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 5.63

He did not prosper in relief and could not have said to have been effective.

46. Naoto Tsuru
Games: 1, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 0.00

He was the poor guy who was dropped into a game as starter and couldn't cope last season. Here he played one innings in relief and walked one and gave up a hit. He got out of the innings safely.

54. Jeff Williams
Games: 31, Wins: 1, Losses: 1, ERA: 3.58

Struggled last season and this season as well. Williams time with Tigers is finished and unfortunately he has reached his sell by date. Left mid-season for America and surgery. There has been no news on whether he has had the surgery but it is unlikely. Do not expect him back next year.

56. Kenta Abe
Games: 19, Wins: 0, Losses: 1, ERA: 3.27

A very talented pitcher seriously misused by Mayumi. He was not used in relief enough and then was used as a starter. This shattered his confidence and he was dropped to ni-gun. Given Tigers struggles with relief one would have thought that he would have been needed. Another waste and more evidence, if evidence was needed of the failings of the pitching coaches.

61. Daiyu Kanemura
Games: 1, Wins: 0, Losses: 0, ERA: 0.00

Appeared in one innings in which he walked two batters but got out of the innings without damage.

Chris Resop (69) was released mid-season without making an appearance in the top team.