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CL Rookie of the Year Race

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CL Rookie of the Year Race
It's a dead heat race in the Central League by two pitchers for the Rookie of the Year award, Yokohama's Yuuji Yoshimi and Yakult's Masanori Ishikawa.

Yoshimi has been one of the brightest spots on the BayStars' pitching roster. After showing a great deal of control coming in in long relief when 'Star starters had trouble going three innings, he was moved to the starting rotation where he's performed well enough to live up to the number 22 on his back (formerly ace closer Kazuhiro Sasaki's number). Yoshimi has won 9 of Yokohama's 41 wins, almost 1/4th of the team's wins! He's also the only pitcher on the team that qualifies for a pitching title (* Daisuke Miura is listed on this page as of September 15, JST, but he has since gone under the minimum required innings as he's been out nursing his right elbow - should be back next week). Yoshimi has struck out 109 batters in 150 1/3rd innings while walking just 37 batters. Of his four complete games, Yoshimi didn't walk a single batter in three of them. What's more, while facing his rookie rival Ishikawa yesterday (Sept. 14), Yoshimi threw his first shutout.

Ishikawa, while getting the loss yesterday, reached 9 wins just a little ahead of Yoshimi and has struck out an impressive 146 batters in 145 innings while only walking 24. His ERA is 3.29, currently ranked 10th to Yoshimi's 13th ranked 3.41 ERA.

These two look to go neck and neck down to the end, either could get it.
Comments
Re: CL Rookie of the Year Race
[ Author: Guest: JinguLover | Posted: Sep 16, 2002 6:37 PM ]

I am quite sure that your data for Ishikawa striking out 146 batters in 145 innings is wrong. From what I know, Ishikawa is a pitcher who gets hitters to hit grounders which the infielders can get it. Please recheck your data....
Re: CL Rookie of the Year Race
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Sep 16, 2002 7:48 PM | YBS Fan ]

You're right! Thanks for the correction. It was 146 hits given up, not strike outs. He's only struck out 87 for a strike out percentage of 5.40 per nine innings. Yoshimi's is 6.53.

Well, then, that tips the scales a little more toward Yoshimi's favor.

Thank you again for the correction.
Re: CL Rookie of the Year Race
[ Author: yakult toughman | Posted: Sep 17, 2002 5:56 AM | YAK Fan ]

If Yoshimi wins this year's CL rookie of the year, will he become the first rookie of the year from the last place team in the history of Japanese baseball?
Re: CL Rookie of the Year Race
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Sep 17, 2002 1:01 PM | YBS Fan ]

Nope. I only had to go back to last year for an example:

2001 Norihiro Akahoshi - last place Hanshin Tigers

Doing a quick visual comparison of last place teams and RoYs, I see that Akahoshi wasn't the first either. But my lunch break is over and it'll take too long to find translations of the names. I can put together a list later if anyone's interested.
Re: CL Rookie of the Year Race
[ Author: Guest: Gary Garland | Posted: Sep 18, 2002 5:20 PM ]

More on Yoshimi: With his win the other night, it was the second straight complete game he threw and in both of those he didn't walk anyone. The last time a Yokohama pitcher pulled off two consecutive walkless CGs was in 1987, by a pitcher named Endo (who is now a Stars' pitching coach).

Yoshimi seems to be getting more consistent as the season has worn on whereas he was pretty up and down the first half. If Miura flies the coop, it will be interesting to see how he deals with the pressure of becoming the number one starter.

I'm not all that high on Ishikawa's future potential, especially since he throws a screwball (though I am surprised how long Masahiro Yamamoto has lasted using the same pitch) and he is rather small, but he has done a reasonable job this season.

Last year, my pre-season pick for Rookie of the Year was Shinnosuke Abe of the Giants, who ended up having a pretty miserable season, but he has exhibited much more of the ability I thought he had at the plate this time around. I don't think much of Akahoshi as an all around player, and I think he'll prove to be a flash in the pan. But I do like Hanshin's Kentaro Sekimoto a lot and think he has a ton of potential, even if his appearances at the ichigun level this season have been a bit erratic. They should give him the starting third base job next season and let him run with it.

Next season, with an array of very promising college pitchers coming into the pro leagues (Hiroshi Kisanuki, Yuhei Takai, Tsuyoshi Wada, Tomoyuki Kubota, etc), you will probably see the Rookie of the Year coming from that class. Outfielder Mitsuru Tanaka would have a chance in Yokohama if Mori gives him substantial playing time.
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