Arrows Updates - July 2026

All-Stars
* Taiki Ono has put together a great swingman season, flitting between starter and bullpen to the tune of a 1.65 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 60 IP
* Colby White has had his rough patches, but 22 saves and a 12.8 K/9 shows his value
* Atsunori Nishiyama rode his hot start to a 167 wRC+ and .289/.402/.564 slash line to date. Our new permanent DH!

Future Stars
* Kikuo Aoki, the Arrows top draft pick last season has struggled a bit, but still has 0.7 WAR as a starter
* Jordan Garza put together a 1.22 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 over 57 1/3 IP in AAA
* Adrian Luna has a 3-3 record with a .567 ERA over 73 IP in Hamamatsu
* Isamu Hiratsuka has 10 saves and an 8.7 K/9 over 28 IP in AA
* Takahiko Arakawa may be earning his roster spot next season with a .292./.360/.494 slash line in 168 AB, good for a 136 wRC+ in his second pro season

In a rare move, Arrows GM tehsuigi stood pat at for the entire month of July. No trades, only the call-up of RHP Michito Nakayama returning from rehab to bolster his squad.

Shizuoka went 12-8 in July, moving to 5.5 games behind Orix for the PL lead, and still tied with Rakuten for second place. More importantly, they're 3.5 ahead of Lotte for a playoff berth. Barring calamity, things are looking good.

The Quiver - Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source
September 1, 2026

It's not just you, we keep refreshing the Arrows' website to see when playoff watch party tickets are going on sale too!

Even if August was a bit of a dud at 12-14, the team's 67-56 and 7.5 games ahead of the Marines for 3rd place. We can do this!! (at least we're not in the CL where there's a 6-team playoff chase)

Welk's had back to back bad months, so Sofu Kawaguchi who was pushing a .400 BA in Shinano is getting a call up to help.

LOAD YOUR BOW - SHIZUOKA ARROWS ARE PLAYOFF BOUND

The first expansion team to break a .500 record is now the first to make the postseason. (even though we went 8-12 in September and kinda slid in butt-first)

The Arrows will be playing in Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the three-game Climax Series First Stage. The Eagles have an 11-6 record against the Arrows. The winner will face the pennant-winning Orix Buffaloes in the Final Stage.

Game Summaries

Game 1: Shizuoka 5, Tohoku Rakuten 3
The Shizuoka Arrows didn't miss their first opportunity in the postseason, knocking in 5 runs on 11 hits to win Game 1. Arrows shortstop Toyoharu Miyake went 3-for-5 with a double, scoring a run and batting one in. Only first baseman Tony Welk didn't get a hit in the parade.
Eagles starter Yuki Matsui left the game in the 4th inning, giving up 4 runs on 9 hits, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Arrows starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings of work, yielding 7 hits and no walks, earning 3 strikeouts.
Arrows right-fielder Malik Collymore was injured throwing the ball to home plate, and left the game in the 2nd inning, but was deemed ready to go for Game 2.

Game 2: Tohoku Rakuten 4, Shizuoka 3
After Shizuoka's second baseman Sosuke Genda tied the game at 3 in the top of the 6th, it was Rakuten's catcher Simeon Lucas with an RBI single against reliever Daichi Ishii to un-tie it for good. The Arrows rapped out 12 hits, but only mustered 3 runs - DH Atsunori Niishiyama went 0-for-5 with 4 Ks and 5 LOB. Genda went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, setting an example. It sets up a winner-take-all Game 3 tomorrow.
Both starting pitchers went 5 innings only - Takahide Ikeda for the Arrows, Shu Sugahara for the Eagles. Shuntaro Kondo earned the win and a blown save with his inning and a third of work.

Game 3: Shizuoka 2, Tohoku Rakuten 1
Arrows shortstop Toyoharu Miyake continued his torrid pace, striking the go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 6th that would stand up and give the Shizuoka Arrows their first ever postseason series victory. This time, ti was the Eagles' turn to outhit the competition but come up short, as rookie Shizuoka starter Michito Nakayama, reliever Kenta Uehara (taking the win with 3 innings of relief), and closer Colby White scattered ten hits while only yielding one run. Eagles starter Shintaro Fujinami did well, with 5 innings of scoreless work, striking out 7, but Jackson Rees blew the save and took the loss.

The Shizuoka Arrows will now head to the Kyocera Dome in Osaka to take on the Orix Buffaloes.

Climax Series Game Summaries
Note that the Orix Buffaloes start the series with a one-game headstart.

Game 1: Orix 5, Shizuoka 2
Buffaloes second baseman Naoki Yoshikawa hit a towering home run off Arrows reliever Colby White in the 8th inning to give the Buffaloes a 3-2 lead, after Shizuoka fought back to tie the game off the bat of Seiya Yamazaki.
Shizuoka starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggled with his control this game, walking 5 but limiting the damage to 2 earned runs on 3 hits over 6 innings. Orix reliever Taisho Tamai (a former Arrow) blew the save but got the win.

Game 2: Orix 9, Shizuoka 8
This one was a barnstormer - Shizuoka exploded for four runs in the top of the 3rd, with 1B Toby Welk getting a two-run knock, but Arrows starter Daichi Ishii melted down, yielding six earned runs on eight hits and two walks, failing to get out of the 3rd inning. The Arrows fought back to tie the game in the top of the seventh, with a throwing error by Orix catcher Xavier Valentin scoring a run and Toby Welk's sac fly adding another. It was Buffaloes LF Masataka Yoshida with an RBI single off left-hander Kakeru Narita to put the Buffaloes back in front, and the Arrows on the brink of elimination.

Game 3: Shizuoka 4, Orix 0
One way to make sure your bullpen doesn't blow the lead in the 8th is to have your starter stay in. Shizuoka's right-handed rookie Michito Nakayama threw a masterful game, going 8 scoreless innings allowing only three singles and a walk, and striking out seven on 85 pitches. Colby White pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.
Orix's starter Andrew Karp went seven scoreless with 9 strikeouts against five hits and no walks, but reliever Taisho Tamai gave up a 2-run shot to DH Atsunori Nishiyama with two outs in the top of the 8th to take the loss. Arrows SS Toyoharu Miyake would hadd a solo home run, and RF Mike Collymore would tack on an RBI as well.

Game 4: Orix 6, Shizuoka 2
That's all she wrote - the Buffaloes are going back to the Japan Series.
Shizuoka's starter Takahide Ikeda failed to get out of the 3rd, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Naoki Yoshikawa's 2-run 2-out triple was a back-breaker, and Shin Hiraoka's 3-run 2-out home run in the 3rd was the death knell for this season.
Arrows CF Shizue Uchino's 2 run home run in the 4th would be the extent of the offense from Shizuoka, as they were limited to only three hits against Orix starter Masonori Koizumi and closer Takahiro Nishimura.

Orix left fielder Masataka Yoshida earned series MVP honours with his 5 hits (2 HR) and 4 RBI over the four game series.

The Orix Buffaloes will play the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Japan Series.

EDIT: The Tokyo Yakult Swallows won their first Japan Series in 25 years by beating the Buffaloes in 5. Buffaloes RF Koji Kimura took home series MVP honours in a losing cause with a .409/.435/.773 slash line over 22 AB.

2026 Season Review

Even if we did lose in the end, we made the playoffs for the first time. Guys like Yudai Furukawa and Malik Collymore - offseason acquisitions - did better than last year's trade deadline gets in Yuki Nishino and Akiyoshi Yamane (who's about to be declined arb). The pitching was in transition, in part because CC Mercedes didn't do as well as I hoped and Conner Greene lost his starting job, but the new kids handled themselves well. Heck, even Yudai Mori did!

All told, we're set up well to contend for years to come. I'm eager to see how this squad develops.

2026-27 Offseason Updates

* The Japan Series champion Tokyo Yakult Swallows added LHP CC Mercedes from the Shizuoka Arrows, yielding RHP Konyo Nakayama.
* The Shizuoka Arrows have declined arbitration with 10 players: RHP Masaya Kyoyama, RHP Jumpei Takahashi, LHP Takeshi Watanabe, C Hideyuki Kuga, 2B Satoru Matsushta, IF Masaki Mimori, LF Motohide Kinoshta, CF Eddy Vizcaino, RF Yuta Takano, and RF Akiyoshi Yamane. They will become free agents.
>> Akiyoshi Yamane would re-sign on a minor league deal.
* The Baseball Federation of Japan (industrial league) announced the addition of 4 new teams: Nihon Seimei, Panasonic, Yamagishi Logisters, and Sumitomo Metal Kashima.
* The Shizuoka Arrows have announced the following personnel changes:

* Brian Schneider has been promoted from manager of Shinano Grandserows to Shizuoka's bench coach
* Kenji Tomura has been hired to take over the Shinano Grandserows club; it is his first managerial experience
* Fumikazu Takanami has joined the front office as an assistant GM - this is his first role
* Andre Ethier, former Los Angeles Dodger, has joined the Shizuoka Arrows as the new top-level manager. His smallball approach will blend well with the Arrows' contact-heavy lineup.

* The Arrows have made a swap of minor league players with the Ehime Honda Comets; notable returns were CF Jutaro Mori and SS Riku Masuda.
* The Shizuoka Arrows have signed right-fielder Soichi Shiotani to a 1yr/705K contract. Shiotani put up 2.0 WAR in his second full year with Yomiuri, but was declined arbitration. He'll compete with Malik Collymore for the starting role in right.

2026 First-Year Draft
The Shizuoka Arrows surprised fans and executives alike with a new uniform set, shown off by their first two draft picks below.
GM tehsuigi explained that it was high time to bring a green road jersey out, and adjust their look to something as unique and bold as their team identity is. That includes keeping the white-panel cap for home games, the only team in *** with one.
1. Kikuo Kawamoto, slugging first baseman from Urawa Gakuin. 5 HRs in 6 pre-tournament games, plus four in three Koshien games over last two years.
2. Tomonori Nitta, high-school third baseman with good defense and speed, plus a future strong bat.
3. Asakichi Shimoda, college catcher with top-notch ability and pretty good speed
4. Ikuma Yokoyama, right-handed reliever with three plus pitches already. If he can figure out how to increase his control and movement, he'll be dynamite.
5. Tsuyoshi Taguchi, high school second baseman with leadership traits and good range. If his bat develops, could be potent!
6. Kouchi Nakaoka, speedy right fielder out of high school
7. Makoto Sato, another big first baseman from high school
8. Masahiko Nishida, best available leftie reliever. His five pitches are all eh, but his movement is already decent
9. Tokuichi Shimabukuro, righty college reliever big on stuff.
10. Katsuki Takeda, switch-hitting outfielder

2027 Opening Day Roster

The Shizuoka Arrows will be starting the season at Okinawa Cellular Stadium against the Kirin Spirit. Here's their roster - notable absences include Malik Collymore, Yudai Mori, and Ryusei Oe, who all had rough springs. Seiya Yamazaki has also lost his starter role with another bad ST, Kono was irrepressible. Top prospect Takahiko Arakawa is ready to go this year.
Pitchers
Rotation: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP Daichi Ishii, RHP Michito Nakayama, LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto, RHP Jordan Garza*, RHP Takahide Ikeda
Bullpen: LHP Kakeru Narita, RHP Taiki Ono, RHP Katsumi Ikeda, LHP Kenta Uehara, RHP Conner Greene, RHP Chihaya Sasaki
Closer: RHP Colby White

Fielders
Catcher: Takateru Toyoda*, Yudai Furukawa
First Base: Toby Welk, Atsunori Nishiyama (DH)
Second Base: Sosuke Genda, Jo Endo
Third Base: Takahiko Arakawa*, Yuki Nomura
Shortshop: Toyoharu Miyake, Kohsuke Sakata
Left Field: Ryuuichi Kono, Seiya Yamazaki
Center Field: Shizue Uchino, Kota Okuyama
Right Field: Seisaku Ishikawa, Akiyoshi Yamane

And Soichi Shiotani will start the season on the IL.

BREAKING: ARROWS TO GET NEW BALLPARK BY 2030

SHIZUOKA - April 1, 2027

With the first two series of the season complete and the Shizuoka Arrows heading home 2-3, there's big news to be revealed. GM tehsuigi, members of the Arrows' ownership group, and members of Shizuoka city council jointly announced a new ballpark for the team to be completed by Kusanagi Stadium's 100th anniversary.

The new park's naming rights have been purchased by one member of the consortium, and will be dubbed Ito En Park (伊藤園パーク). The stadium will have a maximum capacity of at least 35,500, a 10% increase on the renovated Kusanagi.

GM tehsuigi was grateful for the city's support, and appreciative of the old ballpark's history. "We're playing in the same diamond where Babe Ruth did, but it's time for our team to make its own memories in its own home."

The Quiver - May 1, 2027
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source

If that wasn't the hottest April on record, I don't know what is. TWENTY-ONE AND THREE. Shizuoka is an incredible five games ahead of Orix for the PL pennant. It can't just be the new uniforms, can it?

No, no, what's actually driving this? A strong start from Nakayama, a good debut from Jordan Garza, Uchino figuring out how to hit for contact again, Kono finding his power stroke...and Tadahiko Arakawa becoming the best damn bat in the majors.

Arakawa leads the PL in RBIs with 26 (Kono's only 1 back of him), 4th in BA at .333, and 5th in OPS with 1.003. He's fourth in all of *** with 1.9 WAR to date. Oh, and he's won the PL Rookie of the Month and Hitter of the Month awards for April. Totally worth the wait!

Also earning honours is Colby White, whose 10 saves over 12 2/3 IP and 1.42 ERA in April got him Pitcher of the Month for the PL.

Will the heat keep up as we turn into May? Here's hoping!

Shizuoka Volley - June 1, 2027
Arrows updates, quick and direct!

* We still don't know when Colby White is going to return, but the acquisition of RHP Yugo Umeno for LHP Kakeru Narita was perfectly timed to make sure Shizuoka had a replacement
* Daichi Ishii is sticking around long-term; the Arrows bought out two arb years and added three more with a 5-year, 6.3M extension
* Takahide Ikeda earned PL Pitcher of the Month for May! 4-0 in 4 starts, 3.13 ERA over 23 IP, 19 Ks.
* Good to see Malik Collymore and Seiya Yamazaki return to form and tear the cover off the ball; Ryuuichi Kono is worth keeping around for his pop too
* Here's hoping Toby Welk gets off the schneid soon; we could always use his bat. Yuki Nomura's doing a great job at 1B, though...

Interleague play starts soon. With Shizuoka going 16-9 in May and maintaining a lead in the PL (4.5 up on Orix), it'll be a test if this squad has truly changed for the better.

The Quiver - July 1, 2027
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source

We survived interleague!!! 13-11 in June still has the Arrows atop the Pacific League by 3.5 games. Our 52-26 record is also 15.5 ahead of 3rd place, so barring outright calamity, there will be home playoff games at Kusanagi this year!

And speaking of interleague, congratulations to our expansion cousins, the Niigata Komatsu Bears on being co-champions of interleague this year! Their 17-7 record tied Yokohama DeNA for best, and it looks like they're in a playoff fight this year too.

Kudos to 3B Takahiko Arakawa for winning PL Rookie of the Month in June; 8 HRs and a .260 BA to his credit. And to RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who won PL Pitcher of the Month with a miniscule 1.16 ERA and .144 oAVG over 31 IP and a 3-1 record. His one-hitter against Chunichi this month was the stuff of legends.

The All-Star Game is fast approaching - let's make it all green this year!

GM Notes
* Colby White came back from injury and has given up seven earned runs (two HR) over 1 IP of work in two appearances. He's lost the closer role to Yugo Umeno again, and is a likely non-tender candidate.
* Jordan Garza blew out in June; Chihaya Sasaki moves into the rotation to cover for him
* C Yudai Furukawa's been underwhelming and now is injured. Dangit.

Shizuoka Volley - August 1, 2027
Arrows updates, quick and direct!

* Congrats to LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto for winning PL Pitcher of the Month in July! Going 4-0 with a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 IP, striking out 28. He hasn't lost a start since June 4.
* 3B Takahiko Arakawa won another Rookie of the Month award. Positive he's gonna win Rookie of the Year. .307 AVG with 7 HRs and 13 RBI. His 4 WAR so far is ALREADY 10th in the franchise leaderboard in one season.
* Adding RHP Alan Busenitz to bolster the bullpen was a savvy move, especially with Toby Welk turning into a footstool and non-tender candidate
* Oh yeah, Shizuoka went 15-5 in July and is still 3.5 up on Orix for the PL pennant. 20.5 games up on 3rd, so see you in the postseason?

All-Stars
* RHP Daichi Ishii and his 2.51 ERA and 10-1 record thru 100 1/3 IP.
* RHP Michito Nakayama, with a 1.08 WHIP thru 93 1/3 IP
* RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with a miniscule 2.02 ERA and 0.83 WHIP thru 111 1/3 IP. His 3.8 WAR leads all starters.
* RHP Katsumi Ikeda, who's done a bang-up job as reliever with a 10.3 K/9 over 40 IP
* 3B Takahiko Arakawa, in his first season
* CF Shizue Uchino, already cinched his 3rd 20-20 season in 4 years (and could get to 30-30)

Uchino would win All-Star MVP.

Future Stars
* LHP Kikuo Aoki, one of the top starters in the ni-gun league
* LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, with 9 saves and 2 starts to his name
* RHP Yukihiro Machida, potential reliever stud
* 2B Taisei Murakami, slashing .311/.393/.469 in his second pro season (and likely getting a call-up to AAA once AA is finished)
* DH Kikuo Kawamoto, and his 142 wRC+

The Quiver - September 1, 2027
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source

So! Got your playoff tickets yet?
The Shizuoka Arrows have clinched home Climax Series games for the first time in franchise history, guaranteed to finish 1st or 2nd in the PL. A 16-10 August, complete with two series wins against Orix, has kept them ahead of the Buffaloes by 3.5 games still.

Shizue Uchino has his first 30-30 season, Takahiko Arakawa is 8 SB away from his own 30-30 season, and 4/6 of our rotation has been rock-solid.

All bodes well for a postseason run!

Congrats to Takahiko Arakawa for winning yet another PL Rookie of the Month award - that's four out of five months this season!
And a tip of the cap to Yugo Umeno, our new closer, for winning PL Pitcher of the Month. His 0.87 ERA over 10 1/3 IP coupled with 13 Ks made him a valuable component of the bullpen.

ARROWS CLINCH FIRST PACIFIC LEAGUE PENNANT IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

Something magical happens when a team comes together and everyone recognizes it. That was never more true than at Kusanagi Stadium this season, and on September 18, 2027, it was confirmed - the Shizuoka Arrows are winners. They have claimed their first Pacific League pennant in franchise history in only their sixth season, breaking a four-in-five stretch from the Orix Buffaloes.

This means that the Arrows will get a bye into the PL Climax Series Final Stage, and a one-game advantage in that series.

Shizuoka clinched the pennant with a 2-0 victory over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at home, with starter Takahide Ikeda going 8 shutout innings and Yugo Umeno pitching his 24th save. Center fielder Shizue Uchino's 34th home run of the season was a 2-run shot in the first, and it stood up the rest of the way.

2027 PL Climax Series Final Stage Game Summaries
Note that the Shizuoka Arrows start with a one-game advantage as pennant winners.

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles defeated the Orix Buffaloes with a 10th-inning solo shot from first baseman Tomo Mikami in Game 3, upsetting the Buffaloes in their three-game series. The Arrows are 13-4 this season vs the Eagles.

Game 1: Tohoku Rakuten 6, Shizuoka 4
The Eagles erased the Arrows' advantage with a strong showing, including earning four runs off Shizuoka's ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Eagles 3B Yohsuke Yamamoto earned player of the game with a home run and two singles. The Arrows did get four doubles and a home run, but not in the right timing.

Game 2: Shizuoka 5, Tohoku Rakuten 2
The Shizuoka Arrows hit five home runs, all solo shots, to take this one - two each from left fielder Seiya Yamazaki and DH Atsunori Nishiyama, and one from catcher Takateru Toyoda. Arrows starter Daichi Ishii went 7 innings allowing only 2 runs and 4 hits - Yugo Umeno and Colby White locked down the final two.

Game 3: Shizuoka 4, Tohoku Rakuten 2
Arrows catcher Takateru Toyoda continues to swing a hot bat, clubbing another two home runs, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the bottom of the 7th. The Eagles tied the game in the top of the 7th with pinch hitter Ikuo Nikaido's two-run double chasing starter Tetsuya Yoshimoto from the game. It was the only hit Yoshimoto allowed, but he also yielded five walks.

Game 4: Shizuoka 5, Tohoku Rakuten 1
Arrows starter Michito Nakayama is earning a reputation as a playoff performer. He came one out away of a complete game, scattering six hits and one run over 8 2/3 innings, striking out 7. The lone blemish was a solo HR to Rakuten 2B Mineta Ando. Shizuoka RF Malik Collymore's two-run shot in the bottom of the 3rd stood up as the winning hit.

The Shizuoka Arrows will play the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series, as they won their series in five games over the Niigata Komatsu Bears.

2027 Japan Series
The Tokyo Dome will host Games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while Kusanagi Stadium hosts Games 3, 4, and 5.

Game 1: Yomiuri 4, Shizuoka 3
Arrows closer Colby White has struggled when given the 9th inning previously, and that earned the spotlight here. Shizuoka took a one-run lead in the top of the 8th when LF Seiya Yamazaki hit an RBI single, but the Giants tied it with a CF Hirokazu Kikuta sac fly in the bottom of the 8th, and won it on a sayonara single from RF Hiromi Takemiya.

Game 2: Yomiuri 7, Shizuoka 4
This time it was the Arrows' other closer, Yugo Umeno, who lost the game. An 8th inning pinch-hit 3-run home run from 1B Kimitada Muraoka blew this one wide open. Three errors from the Arrows infield, including the usually surehanded Yuki Nomura, added a couple runs to starter Daichi Ishii's day.

Game 3: Shizuoka 7, Yomiuri 2
With the DH back in focus, Atsunori Nishiyama made the most of his time, with two doubles and a 3-run home run. Unfortunately, Arrows 1B Yuki Nomura was injured and will be out for the rest of the series, in spite of hitting his first home run of the postseason. Upshot is, Nishiyama can take over 1B. Shizuoka starter Tetsuya Yoshimoto struck out nine and only allowed two solo home runs over 7 innings.

Game 4: Yomiuri 8, Shizuoka 1
Arrows starter Michito Nakayama was knocked out in the 5th, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits and two walks, as the Giants offense ran roughshod in Shizuoka. Giants starter Daichi Moriki scattered one hit and six walks over 5 1/3 innings to get player of the game honours, with DH Kimitada Muraoka, 1B Kazuma Okamoto, and SS Hayato Sakamoto hitting homers.

Game 5: Shizuoka 6, Yomiuri 3
The Arrows staved off elimination and will be heading back to the Tokyo Dome. Shizuoka blew it open in the 3rd with 1B Atsunori Nishiyama and DH Kenjyu Kuwahara batting in two runs apiece. It could've been ugly had Takahide Ikeda not wriggled out of a jam in the first, where he walked in a run. The Arrows still got 5 innings out of Ikeda, striking out 9 but walking 5 and allowing 2 hits. Yugo Umeno struck out 5 for the save over 2 clean innings.

Game 6: Yomiuri 6, Shizuoka 5
For the first time in 15 years and 23rd time in franchise history, the Giants are Japan's best. The Giants used a four-run outburst against Arrows ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get the lead, with Hirokazu Kikuta's 2-run triple being the defining hit, and survived a late scare when Shizue Uchino hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 8th to bring the Arrows to within one.

Series MVP is Kazuma Okamot, who went /.381/.440/.857 with 3 HRs over the six-game series.

For aging players like Tomoyuki Sugano and Hayato Sakamoto, this may have been their final championship.
(my eyes are drawn to ex-Arrows Jumpei Takahashi and Shunta Wakamatsu getting a ring)

2027 Season Review

We improved our record by twenty games, and came two wins away from our first Japan Series title. I can't be anything other than over the moon with this group.

Hopefully this means we can increase our payroll above 14th in the league. My budget for extensions is completely tapped out, so it may be a bit of a tapdance in arbitration.

2027 Offseason Updates

Before Free Agents File
* Taiki Ono's vesting option failed to vest, and he will be heading to free agency
* Conner Greene's 1.125M team option was bought ought, and arbitration has been declined
* The following other players have been declined arbitration: LHP Yudai Mori, RHP Yuta Nakamura, RHP Azumamaro Masuda, RHP Adrian Luna, RHP Colby White, C Yudai Furukawa, 1B Toby Welk, CF Jutaro Mori, CF Kota Okuyama, RF Akiyoshi Yamane
* The Shizuoka Arrows have locked up another player long-term: CF Shizue Uchino signed a 6-year, 13.92M extension that buys out four arbitration years for the 30-30 batter.
* The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks received LHP Yudai Mori and RHP Yuta Nakamura from the Shizuoka Arrows for RHP Mitsukuni Matsuda.
* Also heading to free agency are LHP Kenta Uehara and RHP Chihaya Sasaki.

Awards Season
* 2B Sosuke Genda earned a Mitsui Golden Glove for his work. A 9.1 ZR and .988 fielding PCT spells the story there.
* 3B Takahiko Arakawa's 40 home run, 94 RBI season earned him a unanimous Rookie of the Year award. He also placed 5th in MVP voting, with Orix RF Ryo Nishimura winning the award unanimously.
* Manager Andre Ethier won Manager of the Year for his efforts to get the Arrows into the Japan Series
* It's an Arrows 1-2 for the Eiji Sawamura Award, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto won the award unanimously, with Daichi Ishii taking second place. Yamamoto's 184 1/3 IP, .93 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, and 5.3 WAR are all league-bests. His 2.64 ERA is his best in 5 years. Yamamoto finished 9th in MVP voting, and Ishii 11th.
* CF Shizue Uchino finished 8th in MVP voting.

First-Year Draft Results
1. LHP Yoshimitsu Ota, who is likely going to be our top bullpen arm in AA this year.
2. RHP Hironori Watanabe, an equally strong bullpen candidate. Rare for any team to go 1-2 pitchers, but we did.
3. RF Reizo Nishimoto, leftie power bat from high school
4. 3B Tomaru Hotta, high schooler with decent Koshien results. Could develop into a 1B too.
5. RHP Shichinosuke Yamasaki, was not expecting him to fall to me here. Likely a reliever, but could be a damn good one with that knuckle curve.
6. C Takekazu Nakamura, adding another high-ability catcher
7. CF Keisaburo Terada, looks like a good defensive outfielder
8. 2B Shinkichi Ihara, leadership and a liner bat
9. 3B Ritsuo Hasegawa, best power bat left in the draft with high leadership
10. 2B Gou Ubai, contact bat who could turn into something

Winter Meetings
Shizuoka GM tehsuigi has a habit of announcing big deals during the winter meetings, and this is a particularly big one that moves the Arrows from contenders to force-to-be-reckonked-with. Left fielder Seiya Yamazaki, left-handed starter Yuki Watanabe, and right-handed reliever Yuma Tamura were sent to the Hiroshima Carp in exchange for right fielder Seiya Suzuki. 50% of Suzuki's remaining contract will be retained by Hiroshima. This gets the Carp's limited financials straightened up, and gives the Arrows a potentially dominant RF/DH. In spite of injuries, Suzuki posted 5.3 WAR over 94 games last year, with a .334/.455/.587 slash line.

Continuing a tradition of trading with the Japan Series champion, the Yomiuri Giants have acquired 1B Sofu Kawaguchi, 2B/OF Kei Kinoshta, and SS Riku Masuda for right-handed starter Ryu Ota. 90% of Ota's 4.1M contract will be retained.

The Shizuoka Arrows announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Yuto Kanakubo to a one-year, 750K contract. Kanakubo picked up 32 saves for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows last season, and made 48 starts with a 13-14 record in the two years prior.

After Winter Meetings

With Colby White and Conner Greene having left the Shizuoka Arrows, there was room for a new foreign pitcher. Shizuoka has signed right-handed reliever Danny Bergeron to a one-year, 665K deal. Bergeron was drafted in 2024 by the San Francisco Giants, but was released by their organization. He says he's eager to join the Arrows organization.

Minor league signings: C Shosei Nakamura, IF Ryuhei Obata, 1B/3B Keita Nakagawa (he's back!), C Ronald Rosario, LHP John Means, RHP Mattia Agnolutto, RHP Kenta Onuma (purchase from industrial leagues), LHP Keiji Takahashi, LHP Kazu Akimoto, C Kenya Wakatsuki (he's back too!)

2028 Opening Day Roster
The Shizuoka Arrows won the Pacific League pennant and PL Climax Series last year - now they're gunning for the Japan Series.
Asterisks denote new faces.

Pitchers
Starters: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto, RHP Daichi Ishii, RHP Yuto Kanakubo*, RHP Jordan Garza, RHP Takahide Ikeda
Bullpen: RHP Danny Bergeron*, RHP Yugo Umeno, RHP Mitsukuni Matsuda*, RHP Konyo Nakayama*, RHP Katsumi Ikeda, LHP Ryusei Oe
Closer: RHP Alan Busenitz

Batters
Catcher: Kenya Wakatsuki, Shosei Nakamura*
First Base: Yuki Nomura, Atsunori Nishiyama (DH)
Second Base: Sosuke Genda, Ryuhei Obata*
Third Base: Takahiko Arakawa, Jo Endo
Shortshop: Toyoharu Miyake, Kohsuke Sakata
Left Field: Malik Collymore, Seisaku Ishikawa
Center Field: Shizue Uchino, Soichi Shiotani
Right Field: Seiya Suzuki*, Kenjyu Kuwahara

RHP Michito Nakayama will start the season on the injured list with a forearm strain.

GM Notebook - May 1, 2028

Huh. That's not supposed to happen. A 13-18 start to the year is not how our pennant defense is supposed to go. We're 7 back of Rakuten for 1st, and 3 behind a 3-way tie for 3rd place.

The underlying numbers still tell a good story - defense and offense are about where you'd expect. The issue is that our pitchers have all started groggy it seems. At least we got Michito Nakayama back from injury to avoid trotting out Jordan Garza anymore.

Traded catcher Kenya Wakatsuki because it's clear he's not handling the staff well. It'll be up to Nakamura and Toyoda (back from the farm) to figure this out.