Who’s next for Hanshin’s Yano? Surprising candidate for manager who is not Okada

“Of course!

A memorial service for Katsuya Nomura, who passed away last year at the age of 84, was held at Jingu Stadium on December 11. Yohji Yano, 53, manager of the Hanshin Tigers, raised his voice when asked by a member of the press if he would like to report to Mr. Nomura next year that he had won Japan’s top prize. Yohdai Yano, 53, the manager of Hanshin, raised his voice.

The difference between first place and second place is much bigger than I imagined. I myself was lacking something. We’ll look back and do our best to make up for it.

This season, Hanshin held onto the top spot until the end of the season, when they were upset by Yakult and finished in second place, missing out on the league championship for the first time in 16 years since 2005. But I don’t think they can afford it.

In June, they lost to the second place team by seven games. The fans and the team executives are disappointed because they had high expectations for the team, and the team must win the championship next season after completing the three-year contract and getting a one-year extension. If the team fails to win the championship, manager Yano will be held accountable,” said a team official.

The main target is ……

In the baseball world, there are already rumors about Yano’s “next” candidate. The rightest candidate is the manager of the last time Hanshin won the championship in 2005.

He is Akinobu Okada. He can formulate a precise strategy based on data. The biggest obstacle to Hanshin’s winning the championship is its archrival, the Giants. This season, Hanshin has won a lot of games (13 wins, 9 losses, 3 draws), but until last year, Hanshin had not won a game in 13 consecutive years.

Tatsunori Hara, the manager of the Giants, and Mr. Okada are the same age and have been rivals since their college days, so they know each other’s personalities (Hara is 63 years old and graduated from Tokai University, while Okada is 64 years old and graduated from Waseda University). They know each other’s personalities (Hara is 63 years old from Tokai University and Okada is 64 years old from Waseda University), and they are the perfect candidates to be the manager to beat the Giants and win the championship. I’ve heard that he’s very positive about his reappointment.

The drawback is that he speaks very clearly to the front office. Most of the executives of the baseball team were transferred from Hanshin Electric Railway. They want to drive safely and don’t like trouble. They may shun Mr. Okada, who expresses his opinions on matters such as organization. Masayuki Kakefu, who was the manager of the second team until 2005, is highly regarded by the front office. He was well received by the players for his soft guidance under the motto of ‘developing the strong points.

However, the leaders of the professional baseball world are getting younger. However, the leaders of the professional baseball world are getting younger. Tsuyoshi Shinjo of Nippon Ham, Kazuyoshi Tatenami of Chunichi, and Daisuke Miura of DeNA (……), all in their 60s, seem to be going against the trend of the times. It is unlikely,” he said, “but there are some surprising names among baseball insiders.

Toritani retired from Lotte this season. Toritani, who retired from Lotte this season, joined Hanshin in 2004 after graduating from Waseda University and had more than 2,000 hits by 2007. He is still immensely popular in the Kansai region. He is not a man of many words, but young people sympathize with the way he silently practices, and his centripetal force is overwhelming. His youthfulness at only 40 is also an attraction.

In the past, it was not allowed for a player to become a leader after leaving the team because of the strong influence of former players at Hanshin. In recent years, however, the atmosphere is changing. Rival Giants alumnus Masahiro Kawaso was invited as a temporary coach for the spring camp, and Yasuhiro Yamamoto was acquired in a money trade, which was unthinkable in the past. If the priority is to rejuvenate and improve the team’s structure, it is not impossible to say that Toritani may become the manager after serving as a coach.

In today’s professional baseball world, managers in their 40s are becoming the norm. In the current professional baseball world, managers in their 40s are becoming the norm. It may be time for Hanshin to accept the trend of generational change.