Is Hanshin’s Kento Itohara on the Brink of Being Released!? … Even personnel from other teams seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach, saying he “lacks that decisive edge”

The farm team manager has praised him, though…

Rumors are swirling among insiders that Kento Itohara (33), a third baseman in his 10th professional season with the Hanshin Tigers, is “not in the plans for next season”—a situation that has him on the brink.

Itohara, who joined the team as the fifth-round draft pick in 2016 after stints at Meiji University and JX-ENEOS,and former manager Akihiro Yano (57), playing all 143 games for two consecutive years from 2018 to 2019 as the starting second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.

“His signature trait is his gritty play. At the plate, his style was to work the count by fouling off pitches until he got a hitable ball. Because he could endure grueling practices, he was particularly favored by Manager Kanemoto, who placed great emphasis on swinging the bat during spring training. On the bench, he was a morale booster who actively encouraged his teammates and served as a role model for the younger players.

The turning point came in 2023, when the team won the Japan Series.Former manager Akihiro Okada (68) converted Takumu Nakano (30) to second base and made Seiya Kinami (32) the starting shortstop and Teruaki Sato (27) the starting third baseman, which demoted him to a pinch-hitter role.

“He has been unable to reclaim his starting spot since then, and even this season—which he approached with his back against the wall—he made the first team at the start of the season but was immediately demoted. He was promoted twice afterward, but his performance lacked spark,” said a former team member.

He was demoted again in early August, having appeared in only six games through August 24. In all three games in which he started, he served as the designated hitter.

“In the ninth inning of the August 25 farm team game against Hiroshima, he hit a home run for the first time in a while, and Katsuo Hirata (67), the farm team manager, praised him, saying, ‘His swing is compact, and he’s clutch.I hope the younger players take a cue from him.” However, at the first-team level, his stats—a .091 batting average, 0 home runs, and 0 RBIs—are a far cry from those of the “God of Pinch Hitters.” Manager Kyojirō Fujikawa (46), who is pushing for a generational shift, holds him in low regard, and it has been suggested that he may fade into obscurity if things continue this way” (ibid.).

Because he is a veteran who has contributed greatly to the team, the Hanshin front office intends to support Itohara’s future as much as possible—including a potential transfer to another team—even if he is no longer part of the team’s plans. However, the assessment from personnel officials of other teams who watched the minor league game from behind the net was harsh.

“Yutaka Yagi (61) and Shinjiro Hiyama (57), who excelled as Hanshin’s ‘pinch-hitting gods,’ were both power hitters who had batted cleanup at one point.Fumihito Haraguchi (34), who served as the team’s key right-handed pinch hitter until last year, had the power to hit for extra bases when he was in the zone, but Itohara lacks that. The problem is that he doesn’t project the ‘fear of a home run.’

As for defense, Keiyu Kumagai (30) has already secured a spot as a utility player; if Itohara excelled at a specific skill, the team might push for him, but as things stand, he lacks a decisive edge in any aspect—be it running, hitting, or defense.”

On August 28, ahead of the battle for first place at Koshien, Itohara rejoined the first team. I hope he’ll show that he’s still too young to be past his prime—