The 2021 NPB regular season is set to wrap up soon (they took a couple weeks off for the Olympics) so what better time to look back at the 2019 season? Just like the 2020 season, the Softbank Hawks won the Japan series over the Yomiuri Giants.
Hayato Sakamoto headlined the Giants and took the MVP award in the Central league. Oddly enough, no one was awarded the Sawamura Award for the best pitcher overall (it covers both Central and Pacific League). As no one met the award committee's, "high standards". It's especially odd when you see Yoshinobu Yamamoto's card when I cover the Pacific League. I suspect they overlooked him since he was only 20 years old in 2019 and Japan really likes to acknowledge the veterans. If you recall, Yamamoto had a great card in 2020. And he's been the best pitcher again in 2021 (1.46 ERA in 186 innings at the time of writing this post). I'm really hoping he makes the jump to the MLB at some point.
I went with a 2001 aesthetic this time around. Although the way I did the points stayed the same so that the sets could be used together, if desired. I ran a few multiple regression analysis models for the points to try and eliminate outliers, so I am hoping I cleaned up that area from the previous set I made. There are a few cards I would adjust from that set (which is on TTS available for anyone to use). I believe the photographs I was able to use are a step up from 2020, as I realized I could search for names using Japanese characters (through Google translate) and I would find a much better sampling to select from.
Special thanks to all the card creators. Matt, Peter, Bob, Jeff, Matt Gula. And anyone else from the discord that weighed in on design choices. As always, I welcome feedback!
Let's start with the Central League!
Yomiuri Giants 77-64-2 1st place Central League. Lost to the Hawks in the Japan Series.
Some familiar faces on this team from the 2020 set. The aforementioned MVP winner Sakamoto had a prodigious season and card to match. Shun Yamaguchi is a workhorse and would be someone's early draft pick. Hirokazu Sawamura came over and pitched for the Red Sox in 2021 and gets a solid, if not spectacular, card with the Giants. Tomoyuki Sugano won the Sawamura Award in 2017, 2018, and the Best 9 award in 2020, but in 2019 was only so-so.
Foils: Hayato Sakamoto, Yoshihiro Maru, Shun Yamaguchi
Yokohama DeNA BayStars 71-69-3. 2nd place Central League.
After much input from the Discord group, I decided to change the color of the BayStars's card to a lighter blue from what was used for 2020. However, the design change doesn't change that the team is underwhelming. Yoshi Tsutsugo had a slightly down year for him before heading to the MLB, but still has a very usable DH card. He struggled mightily in the Majors until signing with the Pirates. I'll be very interested to see how his 2022 season fares. Neftali Soto put up a league leading 43 home runs and earns a foil. Jose Lopez has another low OB, high power card. But as a 6 OB he *may* be slightly more playable, although I don't see too many people paying for him. Kazuki Kamizato is one of my favorite cards in the set, and will absolutely be drafted in league play.
Foils: Neftali Soto, Shota Imanaga
Hanshin Tigers 69-68-6 3rd place Central League.
The bullpen is just...wow. Two Tier 0s. Two Tier 1s. And a Tier 2 to round things out. Pierce Johnson and Rafael Dolis are back pitching in the MLB.
Koji Chikamoto has another fun card. A step down from his 2020 card, but still very usable. Yes, that's Cubs/Indians legend, Kosuke Fukudome, still playing back home in Japan and getting a solid card. In fact, he's still going in 2021 at 44 years old. Marté has a very dramatic looking card and earns a foil. Umeno is a fun speed A catcher that singles at 6 and fills the chart out nicely. I feel like in Showdown terms this team would way outperform its mediocre record.
Foils: Jefry Marté, Ryutaro Umeno, Yuki Nishi, Rafael Dolis, Pierce Johnson, Suguru Iwazaki
Hiroshima Carp 70-70-3 4th place Central League
Seiya Suzuki may be coming over to the MLB this off-season. He's put up an incredible run and has another great card in 2019, taking the crown for most expensive batter by 60 points. He led the league in batting average and OBP (his 2021 card will be amazing too). Aizawa was one of my favorite catchers in the 2020 set and he repeats that for 2019. Behind the stout Tier 2, Kris Johnson, they are filled with Tier 3s that are all relatively playable.
Foils: Seiya Suzuki, Tsubasa Aizawa, Kris Johnson
Chunichi Dragons 68-73-2 5th place Central League
The Los Angeles Dragons are a team that I could see every single position player selected in a draft format. They each have a strong argument for making a roster. However, they lack the top end talent to really compete as a unit. Joely Rodríguez won the best reliever award for getting 41 holds...which sure, why not. White Sox legend, Dayán Viciedo, is only an OB 8, but would be an RBI machine. Only 2 outs on his chart, singling at 5, and having 4 doubles to work with. I'm a big fan of his card. Yudai Ohno had a monster card in 2020 (winning the Sawamura Award), and has another really great card in 2019. Shuhei Takahashi rounds out the foils with a similar, but slightly worse card than Viciedo's.
Foils: Dayán Viciedo, Shuhei Takahashi, Yudai Ohno
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 59-82-2 6th Place Central League
If you recall from the 2020 set post I highlighted Munetaka Murakami. He was a rookie in 2019 and earned rookie of the year after hitting 36 home runs, although only batting .236. His card is the classic 7 OB power card; he hadn't taken his big jump to stardom yet. Tetsuto Yamada has a spectacular card. He put up 35 homers and 33 steals only getting caught 3 times. His 4th 30-30 season in 5 years. Sure, he walks a lot, but he's 22 speed! Wladimir Balentien is past his prime, but can still hit dingers. Nori Aoki gets another really solid card, which is more in line with this career than his wild 2020 card. The pitching...is downright terrible. About the only noteworthy pitcher is former NY Met, Ryota Igarashi. Returning to Japan and pitching for the Swallows and doing decently. The Swallows turned it around in 2021 to win the Central League so it will be fun to compare it to this team.
Foils: Munetaka Murakami, Tetsuto Yamada
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