Perfect...Tigers? An all-Japan theme team diary

[tehsuigi]

This was something I was looking to do for weeks - build a theme team around the available Japanese players in the game. I was originally planning on doing that with my main squad, but I like having the card collection (and a Silver ranking) in that account.

So instead of tehsuigi, it's テスイジ as manager and GM of the most beloved (and hapless) team in Japan.

First order of business after getting my opening 6 packs was to auction off the Golds and Silvers in my opening packs, along with any historicals in demand to get a head start on PP.

Next was to get some of the key components of my Japanese squad, in particular my shortstop Kazuo Matsui. I also added some live cards in Yoshi Tsutsugo, Shogo Akiyama, Yoshihisa Hirano, and Yusei Kikuchi. Adding Kosuke Fukudome finished up my historical gets at the outset.

I completed the Mariners live mission, then sold the Buhner to get enough PP to add live Shohei Ohtani to head both the rotation and batting lineup, with Tsuyoshi Shinjo at center field for defense.

Got the AL West Live Mission for Ichiro, selling the SEs I got along the way and the Corey Kluber from the Gold Pack. Bagwell in particular will net a lot of dough.

KEY SALES: Steve Bilko (+1,665), Sandy Consuegra (+405), Kevin McGlinchy (+630), SE Jay Buhner (+1,000), SE Wally Joyner (+1,000), SE Eddie Plank (+4,000), SE Ian Kinsler, (+1,000), Corey Kluber (+1,000), SE Jeff Bagwell (+11,112)

I'm spending my Entry Pool time training guys at a better position to fit my roster - Akiyama's got the range for LF, and could probably add 3B later too. Tsutsugo started as a corner IF in Yokohama, so he's learning 3B now and will move to 1B next. Kaz Matsui definitely can handle SS, and leave 2B to someone else (like Iwamura!). And I've got Iguchi trying his hand at 1B to try and do better at 2B with someone else. Probably not going to last.

The Plan
P: Darvish, Maeda, Ohtani (DH), Tanaka, Kikuchi, M. Suzuki, Yoshii, Otsuka, Hirano, Takatsu, Yabu, Yamaguchi
C: Higashioka
1B: Iguchi
2B: Iwamura
SS: K. Matsui
3B: Tsutsugo
LF: Akiyama (Matsui goes here in due time)
CF: Ichiro, Shinjo
RF: Aoki, Fukudome

EDIT: and added Kyle Higashioka as a "close-enough" backup catcher. I may end up other "close enough" guys for the other slots, like Warren Cromartie or Kevin Youkilis, guys who played over there.

[tehsuigi]

Added Kenshin Kawakami and Junichi Tazawa to bolster the bullpen, with Koji Uehara at 3,500 PP the big get.
Still trying to get my mitts on a Hideki Matsui to patrol 1B. And searching for him...I realize I way overspent on my Kazuo Matsui.

Ah well. At least the team's doing better - 2-14 in April, 17-9 in May, and now back to 7-11 in June. Gonna be a tough slog, I can tell.

[tehsuigi]

The team's really come together nicely, we're 99-79 at the first Friday of November.
Still a few (expensive) pitchers and the better Hideki Matsui to get, but I'm liking where this squad is. Put a bid in on Shigetoshi Hasegawa; getting him will help out the bullpen in a big way.

When we start up in Rookie League next week, I'll probably tune some strategies and see if we've got enough pitching power to get promoted. Either that or spend the whole week training guys out of position to build some lightsabres.

[tehsuigi]

After Entry Pool, Into Rookie League

There's a term in Japanese for "enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity" called Gaman. That's going to be my squad in Rookie League because I have a serious dearth of infielders with this squad.

I'm saving my PP at the moment to get POTM Matsui to be the new DH/1B for the squad, even as Takeshi Saito 89 is calling my name.

So the plan for next week is a bunch of training outside of position for the squad.

• Iguchi is going to pick up 1B in the first week
• Kaz Matsui goes to SS permanently
• Iwamura is going to try his hand at 2B
• Tsutsugo will start at 3B, but will likely shift to 1B afterwards
• Akiyama will move to the infield, trying him at 3B, 2B and maybe SS too (yes, it's that bad)
• Aoki should be better at LF than he's started as
• Ohtani's going to learn RF with that cannon arm of his

The rotation of Darvish, Kuroda, Maeda, Ohka, and Iwakuma (moving Ohtani to RF full-time that is) should be able to hold up, and adding Saito to the backend of the bullpen to help Uehara and Hasegawa is next on the docket.

Over 15K PP in the Entry Pool, so that's solid. Not the best, but after tweaking the park dimensions to max offense for RL, I should have a larger haul.

[tehsuigi]

Rookie League Update

Got my POTM Matsui! Sold the Snapshot one for a 500 PP loss (aigh), and now I have my shiny new DH. First game he already went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The problem with training everyone out of position is that my defensive efficiency (0.635) and zone rating (-23.1) are hysterically/historically BAD thru 48 games. After using Davey's calculator, I think I've got a handle on the plan, though.

• Tsutsugoh will finish his training at 3B then move to 1B, possibly full-time
• Iwamura will float between 2B and 3B depending on how the next guy does
• Akiyama will get trained up at 3B after Tsutsugoh

I also added Keston Hiura as a "close enough" Japanese heritage player to add some middle infield depth if Akiyama can't cut the mustard.

Next player acquisition will be Takeshi Saito to give Hasegawa and Uehara some help in the 'pen.

EDIT: Forgot to mention earlier - three of the players in the historical cards are still playing in ***! Nori Aoki's the left fielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (and career batting average leader in ***), Tsuyoshi Wada's still pitching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Kosuke Fukudome has been with the real-world Hanshin Tigers since he returned from MLB.

[tehsuigi]

BANZAI! WE WIN ROOKIE SERIES

We finished the season as the top team in the NC with a 99-63 record, earning them a pennant and a rematch against their divisionmate, the Spokane Cadets, in the Division Series.

It almost ended in disaster, as the Cadets posted 8-2 and 8-3 wins in the first two games of the series. We got a gutsy complete game win from Hisashi Iwakuma in Game 3, taking that one 7-3, then 8 gutsy innings from Masahiro Tanaka in Game 4 to tie the series, before a 2-run home run by Ichiro gave us the lead in the bottom of the 6th inning that stood up thanks to Yu Darvish and Koji Uehara. Reverse sweep complete, and off to the Sub-League Series.

The Auburn Doubledays traded wins back and forth in a seven-game series high-lighted by DH Hideki Matsui absolutely crushing everything in his path. Games 3 thru 7 all had a Matsui home run (Game 7 had two for a 6-RBI day), and "Godzilla" finished with a .500/.531/1.167 slash line to win series MVP. Other notable performance include catcher Kenji Johjima's pair of home runs and bases-clearing double in a 5-RBI Game 1 win, Tanaka's 7 shutout innings in Game 3, and RF Shohei Ohtani's 3-run blast in the 12th inning of Game 5 to get us the win.

In the Rookie Series, it was firepower vs firepower as the North Woods Skeeters lead the AC in offense themselves. Game 1 went to the Skeeters, before we reeled off three straight wins. 3B Yoshi'tomo Tsutsugo and H. Matsui both went yard in Game 2, Ichiro and Ohtani launched one each in Game 3 as Kenta Maeda pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, and Game 4 was a 14-1 clobbering; Tanaka coming one out away from a complete game, H. Matsui with another two-HR day. Game 5 was a comeback win for North Woods, as they erased 2-0 and 6-3 deficits to win 9-6. All signs pointed to another seven-game series, but our offense had better ideas, backing starter Hiroki Kuroda (also coming one out away from a CG) with 5 runs in the 2nd in a 12-1 victory.

After the win, manager Tesuiji was given the traditional どあげ celebration by being tossed into the air. The faithful crammed into trains back into Osaka, leaping into the Dotonbori river in rapturous joy.

What a year, what a team.

Addendum
16,235 PP earned this season. Next year's gonna be a bit tighter for PP unless I keep my field dimensions as bandbox-y as they are now. Getting Takashi Saito was a solid acquisition, with his 3.04 ERA over 23 2/3 IP in the finish, and his 9 scoreless innings in the postseason run. Not sure if he'll be a closer next year; Uehara may still fit that role better.

Prep for Stone League
I added Daisuke Matsuzaka yesterday on a bargain, but I don't think he's going to make the team unless something goes wrong. Ohtani joins the rotation, at least at the outset.

Iwamura's done trash at 2B, but the alternative is Iguchi (even lower-rated) or Matsui (then who plays SS?). Tsutsugo's played bad enough at 3B to justify never playing him there again; he moves to 1B next season unless he gets a ratings bump tomorrow on the Live update. Which means my 3B is...Shogo Akiyama? Guy's never played a game on the infield but has 56 range, 71 arm, and 30 error.

Next card I'm getting is a certain tornado-windup pitcher. After that, it's a Saito upgrade, and I'm back to debating if foreign players should get playtime on this save.

[tehsuigi]

Mid-week Stone .144 Update

Well, we're in the thick of it! We sit 42-33 near the end of June. We're 5 back of the division leaders, 4.5 back of the first wild card, but we ARE the second wild card with a 2 game cushion.

The team's offense is distinctly pop-gun, with Tsutsugo our only home run threat (14th in the league in HRs). Our four batters above 100 OPS+ are Godzilla, Shinjo (?!), Ichiro, and Iguchi (who may need more than just partial playing time).
Pitching's strong, with Maeda sporting a 2.67 ERA (Ohtani's also looking good at 3.54), and Takashi Saito's claimed the closer role with 16 saves and a 2.15 ERA.
Defense is still not the greatest, but at least Akiyama's finding a taste for 3B. Iguchi may need to not play second as often with a -4.9 ZR.

All told, it's going to be close for the playoffs. Here's hoping Hideo Nomo drops into our price range soon...

[tehsuigi]

Miss on Wild Card by 2 Games

We were competitive, if nothing else. 85-77 the final record. July and September were sub-.500 months, but not by much. We landed 8th in the subleague, and just wound up in a tough division.

Akiyama is now the second-best 3B on the team after that season of training, so between him, Iwamura, and Iguchi, I've got some semi-competent infielders. Tsutsugo's done well at 1B too, so he'll stay there.

Shinjo and Iguchi both struggled down the stretch, so our four batters above 100 OPS+ are Hideki Matsui, Aoki, Ichiro (league batting champ!), and Ohtani. Might be worth converting Shohei back into a full-time RF and let Ohka back into the rotation. Or maybe once I get the last 10K PP to get Nomo...

Going to be spinning up another theme team tomorrow, so look for that soon as this one's close to capping out. At least I'll be reducing post frequency to once weekly.

EDIT: and after completing the Colorado and Pittsburgh Live missions, QSing the results, Hideo Nomo will lead our rotation next season.

[tehsuigi]

Okay, may have to bend the theme rule a smidge if I'm stuck in Stone for too long, to include players who played in *** and MLB and aren't Japanese. Looking at you, Bob Horner and Leron Lee...

[tehsuigi]

WASSHOI! We Win Stone Series!!

Amazing what one pitcher can add to a team - Hideo Nomo's 6.1 WAR season took us from missing a wild card to winning their division by 2.5 games, and then through three grueling series to capture their second championship.

Some key players took a step back, such as Hideki Matsui and Yoshi Tsutsugo, and Shogo Akiyama was a disaster at 3B (40 errors!!), but the pitching more than made up for it.

We swept the Ebensburg Jettas out in three games to open the postseason, with Hideo Nomo going 8 innings in Game 1 with 10 Ks, and Hiroki Kuroda and Takashi Saito combining for 10 innings of shutout ball to win Game 2. First baseman Tadahito Iguchi's 6 hits in 12 at-bats and .917 slugging earned him series MVP honours.

The Sub-league series was a hard-fought set against the Carrolton Stampede, the best offense in the subleague. We were shut out in game 1, before reeling off three straight wins. Shohei Ohtani picked up 5 RBIs on 2 HRs in Game 2, and it was Kazuo Matsui with a 2-run home run off Aroldis Chapman to send Game 3 to extras, where Shogo Akiyama won it with a sayonara single in the 13th (Takashi Saito pitched FOUR innings in relief to get the win). The Stampeders pushed back with a pair of wins to force a deciding Game 7, which we won by a 10-3 score. The Stampede got three solo home runs, but that's all. Center fielder Ichiro Suzuki got series MVP honours with his .394/.412/.576 slash line (I think Ohtani's 3 HRs and 11 RBIs got ripped off).

That set up a Stone Series against the Possum Spring Smelters, the best team and best offense in the entire league. The Smelters traded wins in the first four games of the series, but then the Possum Springs offense got stifled and quieted. The Smelters scored 17 runs over their two wins...and 3 over their four losses. Game 6 was a Hideo Nomo 12-strikeout masterpiece over 8 innings, finished off by Takashi Saito (a perfect 5-for-5 in saves and 0.00 ERA over 11+ IP). Series MVP was Tigers RF Shohei Ohtani, with another 3-HR series, this time with a .381/.458/.905 slash line.

Next week, the Iron League beckons, and the Akiyama-at-3rd experiment's end. These guys are hanging in there; question is, can they succeed there without foreign help?

[tehsuigi]

Iron League

Well, that was humbling. Either I ran into a whole bunch of squads with live cards, or the Japanese guys have peaked. 51-111 and dead last in most offense stats. The pitching was bottom-three in all categories, and the defense 12th. At least we led the league in stolen bags?

So back to Stone league we go. I've reset the park factors back to auto-calculated to see if that helps.

Not going to bother with pictures because it's just bad news.

That said, there's a bunch of Diamond PEAK Saitos on the auction house. Gonna snap one of them up by selling my current one. Then it's time to look at foreign help on the infield and outfield - I've meticulously put together a list of all foreigners who've played in Japan that are in PT, and after filtering out the guys who've only had a season or two in ***, these look like the best candidates:

• Leron Lee, who spent 11 years toiling with the Lotte Orions
• Jim Lefebvre, who spent 4 years with Lotte as well
• George Altman, whose 8 seasons in Japan were mostly with Lotte and one with Hanshin
• Roy White, who had 3 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants
• Tony Bernazard, who had three years with Daiei
• Ken Aspromonte, who had 2 years with Chunichi and one in Yokohama
• and Clete Boyer who spent 4 seasons with the Taiyo Whales

[tehsuigi]

Stone League - Rebounded

101 wins and a division title by 7 games, in part thanks to Reliever of the Year Takashi Saito (32 game save streak!).

We pulled off a reverse sweep over the Fiji Iguana in the Division Series, complete with a 12th inning sayonara single from Hideki Matsui in Game 5. Unfortunately, our luck ran out in the Subleague Series, where we lost in 5 games.

So! In order to gird ourselves heading into Iron, it's high time to get some suketto. We've added George Altman to be our new 1B, benching Tsutsugo's frustrating bat. Was hoping there'd be more on the AH tonight, but we'll make do.

[tehsuigi]

Iron League - Didn't get yo-yoed!

Altman didn't help any, but Leron Lee (in LF), Jim Lefebvre (at 2B), and Matt Keough (in the bullpen) did. We avoided relegation!

Pretty sure this is where my team is capped out, so I'm going to pause updates going forward unless something happens.

[tehsuigi]

Iron League 2

Adding Clete Boyer gives us an intriguing defensive option at middle infield, at least better than Akinori Iwamura or Shogo Akiyama. Problem is, we've capped out our four foreign players with Lefebvre, Lee, Keough, and Kurt Suzuki.

So Lefebvre moves out, Boyer moves in, at least for this week.

[tehsuigi]

Relegated Back to Stone

Oof. Was one game away from avoiding that fate, but the increasingly-gaijin team couldn't cut the mustard. I'm going to be changing the theme of this team if it gets stuck in Stone, although to what I'm not entirely sure.

Clete Boyer had a rough season last year, but still delivered positive WAR while learning a new position. If he falters, Jim Lefebvre is right there. Bobby Thigpen joins the bullpen replacing Kazuhiro Sasaki. And Altman is back to try and win his 1B job back.

[tehsuigi]

One Last Time in Iron

This team is changing themes after this week, especially if we get relegated back to Stone again. Still, Altman did well, Ohtani rebounded, Lee and Boyer were solid, and we won 101 games to take the division. Got bounced in the DS, but still, promoted into Iron...and the same division as the Privateers. WELP.