A dynamic player throughout his Nippon Professional Baseball career, Toshiaki Imae represents a generational change in leadership for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Kazuhisa Ishii, 50, who managed the Pacific League club for the past three seasons (205 wins, 204 losses, two ties) did not receive a contract extension. He led the team to one postseason berth in 2021.
Imae, 40, is Rakuten's new manager after serving in various coaching roles within the organization since 2020. The Sendai-based club announced his promotion to manager on Tuesday, October 17.
Over the past several months, Imae worked as the Eagles hitting coach, having taken over that role in late May.
Rakuten missed the playoffs in 2023, going 70-71-2 and finishing in fourth place in the six-team Pacific League in Ishii's final season at the helm.
Now, the spotlight shifts to Imae, who has an opportunity to put his stamp on Tohoku's lone NPB team.
Eagles president Masayuki Morii told a news conference on Tuesday that Imae is a good fit for the club as it embarks on a new chapter.
"I asked him to join the Rakuten Eagles [as the manager] because of his leadership as a well-liked big brother, and I thought he would be the best person for the job when we need to compete with all players, including those under our control and those in training," Morii said at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi.
Toshiaki Imae: A Career Defined by Two Titles
As a player, Imae excelled in the biggest pressure-packed situations, playing an instrumental role in leading the Chiba Lotte Marines to Japan Series titles in 2005 and 2010. Both times, Imae was named Japan Series MVP.
In 2005, Imae had eight straight base hits in Games 1 and 2 of the Japan Series against the Hanshin Tigers, going 4-for-4 in both contests. Lotte swept Hanshin in four games, and the Kyoto native hit .667 with nine RBIs in the series.
In 2010, Imae batted .444 against the Chunichi Dragons in a seven-game series featuring a 15-inning tie in Game 6. That was the only game in which Imae didn't get a hit. He atoned for it by going 4-for-5 in the decisive seventh game.
A mainstay in the Marines lineup until he left the franchise following the 2015 season, Imae retired in 2019 at age 36 after spending the final four seasons of his career with the Eagles.
Imae's Thoughts on Coaching and Managing
Since then, Imae has gained valuable experience as a mentor to players within the Rakuten organization.
"When I was a coach, I was close to the players," Imae commented at his introductory news conference. "I think my strength lies in my experience as a player, development coach, second-team coach and first-team coach for the Rakuten Eagles, and in my understanding of the players, staff and environment."
As the team's new dugout boss, Imae said establishing a positive team culture is important.
"I think there will be many difficult situations as a team, but I would like to make a team where we can help each other and trust each other at those times," the new manager remarked.
Additional Details on Imae's Priorities as Manager
Based on his thoughtful, detailed explanations above and below, it's clear that Imae has paid attention to what happened on the field and in the clubhouse as a player (2002-19) and in the years since his retirement. Therefore, he has developed a keen sense of what baseball and leadership values are important to him.
These principles will be building blocks that define a new era for the Eagles.
For instance, a team is best equipped to handle adversity when it is anchored by unity.
Imae, who appeared in 1,704 regular-season games as a player and finished his career with a .283 batting average, cited the impact that Bobby Valentine had in molding the Marines into a cohesive unit during his second stint as Lotte manager (2004-09).
"I have played under many managers, but my mentor, Bobby Valentine, told me that a team is a family," Imae recalled before the assembled group of reporters and team officials in Sendai. "And I want to make the team a team that can trust each other, just as he truly trusted us as a family, sometimes strictly and sometimes gently."
A Commitment to the Fans
Imae's defined objectives for his new gig are also focused on the folks who sit in the stands.
From my perspective, it's smart that he talked about fans on Day 1, too. It establishes a connection to the team's supporters, which isn't always an easy thing to do for teams. Especially those who've endured years of losing or mediocrity.
Imae said, "Since professional baseball is all about the fans, I would like to make the team a team that can please the fans in any way possible. Of course, our first priority is to produce results. But we also want to deepen our interaction with the fans and make them come to the stadium again even if we lose."
Looking Back at 2023, Looking Ahead to 2024
For Imae, getting ready for the 2024 NPB season has already begun. On Tuesday, he spoke about the Eagles' shortcomings in 2023 (lacking a "little bit of decisiveness and decisiveness in critical situations") and planning to improve.
In other words, Imae believes he must work with a sense of urgency. There's no time to waste this offseason.
The Eagles, who made their NPB debut in 2005, won the Japan Series in 2013. Since then, the team has finished more than four games above .500 just once ― going 77-63-3 in 2017 under Masataka Nashida.
Imae is fired up to inspire his players and push them to aspire for greatness.
"Each player has something great, but it is meaningless if they do not show it in games," Imae declared. "So I would like to develop individual abilities and prepare to compete with the other team during this fall's practices and camps."
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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