As the fourth batter who hit double-digit homers for the seventh consecutive year, he entered the market as a free agent. Although his team offered “four years to 1.6 billion yen (1.54 billion U.S. dollars),” he said he would check the market’s evaluation. His team stands out even more because it is the Hanshin Tigers’ most popular team. A battle will likely take place over Yusuke Oyama (30), the first baseman who led the team to victory in the Japan Series last year.
Japanese media including Sports Nippon reported that Oyama will apply for the free agent on Wednesday after deliberation. If the Japanese Baseball Organization (NPB) announces the free agent on Friday, it can sign with all 12 teams in both leagues from Tuesday. He may stay at Hanshin, but he has left open the possibility of transferring to the team. 스포츠토토
He joined the team as the first rookie of the year in 2018. He was the flagship hitter of Hanshin Tigers who represents the Japanese pro baseball along with the Yomiuri Giants. He is now considering a challenge at a turning point in his baseball career.
chances are high that Hanshin’s “enemy” Yomiuri will enter the race to recruit Oyama. It is notable that Oyama is from Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo, where Yomiuri is based. He rejected the club’s offer to sign a multi-year contract last winter ahead of the FA and signed a one-year contract for 280 million yen (about 2.55 billion won).
There has been no previous transfer of Hanshin’s flagship player to another team. There are a total of seven players who left as FA in the past, and Yamato was the last one in 2017. Yamato, an infielder, played for Hanshin for nine years and moved to Yokohama BayStars. It was hard to imagine before that Hanshin’s No. 4 hitter would move to Yomiuri.
Hanshin aims to win the title next season under the new coach, Fujikawa Kyuji. Having grabbed the top spot in the Central League and Japan Series last year, Hanshin ranked second after losing to the Yomiuri Giants after winning the title for two consecutive seasons.
The fall baseball season ended in nothing. The team failed to pass the third place Yokohama and Climax Series First Stage after losing for two consecutive games. If Korea is to seek to win next season’s championship, it cannot simply stand by Oyama’s departure. It appears that the team will offer new contract terms.
Oyama played in all 143 games last year as the fourth player. He ranked first in on-base percentage with a batting average of 288-19 homers-78 RBIs and OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). He was named as the “Best Nine” that determines the best player in each position and received the Golden Glove as the first baseman.
He slowed down from the beginning due to extreme “go-to-taser” this year, when he played in 130 games with a batting average of 259 – 14 homers – 68 RBIs – and 0.721. He went down to the second tier due to poor condition. He showed extremely poor performance in March and May, but rebounded from the middle of the season. His performance in the season fell from last year, but he showed strong performance in chances. With runners in the scoring position, he recorded 354 percent.
Clutch hitter with solid defense and long hit. Oyama hit his personal record of 28 home runs in 2020. He has surpassed 20 home runs for three consecutive years through 2022. He has 137 home runs in his career.
