Will Rakuten Finally End Front Office Interference Under New Manager Masato Yoshii?

Will front office interface really end?

On June 17, the Rakuten Golden Eagles announced that former Lotte manager Masato Yoshii (61) had been appointed as the club’s new manager. Bringing in an outside manager in the middle of the season is an extremely unusual move. Owner Hiroshi Mikitani (61) apologized for the team’s struggles, saying he feels responsible, while repeatedly describing the appointment as unprecedented in an effort to gain understanding from fans and the media.

On May 28, Mikitani personally visited Vantelin Dome Nagoya to encourage the players, but the team’s fortunes failed to improve. On June 10, the club announced that manager Hajime Miki (49) would step aside, and just one week later, a new manager had been appointed.

“Speaking about receiving the offer in the middle of the season, Yoshii admitted, ‘It came out of nowhere. My first reaction was, “What?” But as a baseball man, I’m happy.’ He added, ‘I want to instill in the players a wholehearted determination to win.’ Mikitani also appeared pleased, saying, ‘What’s wrong with doing something for the first time? While respecting our traditions, we also want to embrace new ideas without being bound by the past,'” said a reporter who attended the press conference.

However, despite the optimistic remarks from the organization’s leadership, confusion continues within the team.

“Both the announcement of former manager Miki’s leave and Yoshii’s appointment reached the players at almost the same time they reached the media. On top of that, Yoshii wasn’t present during spring training. People within the club are questioning whether it’s even possible for him to assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses at this stage.

The backlash from fans on social media toward owner Mikitani and GM Kazuhisa Ishii (52) was stronger than expected, so the organization reportedly scrambled to find someone with managerial experience. Yoshii had apparently already committed to television commentary work and spent several days hurriedly canceling those engagements,” said a team official.

Ishii, who has overseen the club’s roster construction since September 2018, barely spoke during the press conference. Afterward, only Mikitani and Yoshii took part in the media scrum, while Ishii stood nearby and listened in silence.

“When asked by reporters how he evaluated GM Kazuhisa Ishii, Mikitani defended him, saying, ‘Not just GM Ishii, but there have been successes in roster construction as well as areas that honestly still need improvement. As the parent company, I think there is more we can do to provide support going forward.’ However, over the past eight seasons in which Ishii has served as either GM or manager, the team has finished in the top three only twice. The players’ trust in him has plummeted,” the same source said.

There is another concern as well. Yoshii has long been known as a fiery personality, both by himself and by others, dating back to his playing days.

“Even after becoming a coach, he has clashed with club management on numerous occasions. Normally, on-field decisions are the manager’s exclusive domain, and Yoshii has strong opinions about baseball matters. Yet regarding roster authority, Mikitani stated that while the manager’s opinions will be respected, decisions would ultimately be made through thorough discussion across the organization before being adopted. That arrangement may work as long as the team performs well, but if results begin to decline, there is a real possibility that front-office interference will resurface. The concern that the manager and the front office could come into conflict has not disappeared,” said a former team official.

Yoshii will take charge beginning with the June 19 game against his former club, the Lotte Marines. The road to rebuilding Rakuten appears anything but easy.