If the Giants are still in B class next season… Surprising candidate for manager emerges “next to Hara” for the Giants

On October 4, Giants manager Tatsunori Hara (64) reported to owner Juichi Yamaguchi at the Yomiuri Shimbun’s Tokyo headquarters in Otemachi, Tokyo, after the season ended.

I have a new passion, a burning in my blood, that says, “I can’t let it end like this.

This season was the first time in five years that the team was in the B class, and for the first time under the Hara administration, it failed to advance to the Climax Series. According to the Hochi Shimbun dated October 5, he submitted his resignation request in August, but after repeated discussions with owner Yamaguchi, he was asked to continue.

This season was the first year of a three-year contract, but if the team had fallen to the bottom of the standings, he could have resigned midway through the season. Next season will not be a safe one either. If the team finishes in the B class for the second year in a row, there is a possibility that he will be asked to step down again.

The “Insecurity” of the Leading Candidate

Next season will mark the 17th year of the Hara Giants’ long-term reign. During that time, Hara has been focusing on developing the next generation of players.

The right wing is Shinnosuke Abe (head and battery coach). However, his ability as a leader is uncertain, although he has worked as a manager of the second team since his retirement in 2007, and his strong words of encouragement to the players for the fall camp in November, such as, “I want you to be prepared to destroy yourselves,” are also a cause for concern. Hara has been urging the players to “be a much better leader than I am,” and he has been saying, “I have to be a much better leader than I am.

The next most likely candidate is Daisuke Motoki, who is also the strategy and infield defense coach. Like Abe, he is a hot-blooded man who does not hold back when it comes to players. He is famous for his “devil knocks,” which he continues to do even when the players are screaming. I think Hara intends to put them at the center of his coaching staff so that they can compete with each other to be the next leader of the team.

Abe and Motoki are Hara’s “favorites. If the front office intends to dilute the “Hara color” of the next administration, other options may emerge. One name that has surfaced is that of an unexpected person.

It is Masumi Kuwata, who will take over as general manager of the farm. He seems to have been demoted from chief pitching coach this season, but as general manager, there are hopes that he will train his leadership skills by looking at the whole team, not just the pitchers. Unlike Abe and Motoki, he is soft and trusted by the players.

He also has a clever mind, having studied sports science and physical exercise at Waseda and Tokyo University graduate schools. He has a solid theory and a good teaching style. If he can make a mark on the farm, he could be a strong candidate for Hara’s next manager.

The Giants’ next coaching candidate has already been named in concrete terms. We are waiting to see who will be able to break through the stagnant atmosphere caused by the long-term administration.