Seibu’s Kazunari Ishii Demoted to Minors as Team Management Decisions Draw Attention

Was his body not in shape!?

Infielder Kazunari Ishii (31), who exercised his domestic FA rights in the offseason and transferred from Nippon-Ham to Seibu, arrived with much fanfare. However, he suffered the humiliation of being demoted to the second team after just three series from the start of the season. It is being whispered that behind this there was a rather unfortunate personal issue, even known to the coaching staff.

“Ishii joined Nippon-Ham as the second-round pick in the 2016 draft. In his rookie year, he appeared in 114 games and had a breakout season, but just as he seemed to secure a regular role, injuries struck, and he never quite established himself.

Ideally, he should have been a consistent top-order hitter contributing to the team, but in nine years he reached over 100 games only four times. His recent estimated salary was also modest at around 40 million yen, and the team gradually pushed forward with generational change.

Sensing that his position was becoming unstable, Ishii decided to exercise his FA rights. A transfer destination was not decided until December, but Seibu ultimately acquired him to motivate Sosuke Genda (33), signing him to a large contract worth approximately 400 million yen over three years.” (team OB)

Seibu continued strengthening its roster, also acquiring DeNA outfielder Masashi Kuwahara (32), who had exercised his overseas FA rights, on a multi-year deal worth an estimated 200 million yen plus incentives. The team aimed to escape three consecutive B-class finishes by reinforcing its batting lineup, but Ishii’s early demotion disrupted those plans.

“Perhaps he felt too relieved after securing the transfer, but at the start of spring camp in February, his body was not in shape. On a personal note, he had recently had a child, and his entire family came to the camp to support him. Ishii reportedly said to team staff with a smile, ‘My child is so adorable—I just want to spend as much time with them as possible.’ It seems that his affection for his child may have delayed his conditioning.

Of course, the birth of a child is a happy event, and it’s understandable that family becomes a major source of motivation. However, in an FA year, results are demanded more than ever. Seeing that his conditioning was clearly not ready, concern arose within the team: ‘Is he really going to be okay?’ (team source)”

Given the investment made in him, expectations from the club were high, and Ishii was included in the opening-day first-team roster even though his conditioning was not fully in place.

“On opening day, Natsuo Takizawa (22) started at second base, while Ishii came off the bench. He started three games afterward but went 1-for-11 (.091), which was not good enough. His preseason performance was also poor at .081, so manager Fumiya Nishiguchi (53) had no choice but to demote him, saying, ‘Go down to the minors and rebuild your body!’ Other coaches reportedly also said, ‘We understand how you feel, but as a professional you need to separate private life and work.’” (team source)

Kuwahara established himself as the team’s leadoff hitter, but suffered an injury in a game against SoftBank on April 21, forcing a long-term absence. One can only hope that the miscalculations involving these two FA signings will not negatively affect the team.