Hiroshima Carp Focus on Building Starting Pitching Depth: Endurance and Game Intelligence Are the Priorities

The Hiroshima Carp are working to strengthen their starting rotation at the Miyazaki Phoenix League, with a dual focus on endurance and pitching intelligence.

This season, only Hiroki Tokoda, 31, reached the innings threshold required to qualify for the NPB's domestic free agency system. As the Carp look to reclaim the league title next season, developing young pitchers capable of challenging for rotation spots has become a major priority.

Tokoda and Masato Morishita, the team's leaders in innings pitched this season, both met the service-time requirements for domestic free agency. Their futures with the club remain uncertain. Although Kuribayashi and Okamoto made contributions after transitioning to starting roles this season, building greater depth in the rotation remains an urgent task.

The Miyazaki Phoenix League, which opened on October 7, is providing an opportunity to develop the Carp's young starters.

Building the stamina to go deeper into games

The first priority is endurance. Three pitchers who have already gained experience as starters—Ryūnosuke Satō, Yu Saito, and Taiga Saito—have been given a demanding target: either complete a game or throw at least 120 pitches.

The workload is already substantial. Yu Saito threw a combined 235 pitches across two games, while Taiga Saito threw 249. Satō, meanwhile, completed a game against the Shikoku Island League Select team on October 10, allowing just one earned run.

Yu Saito explained the purpose of the exercise:

“During the regular season, you rarely get to pitch when you're in your absolute best condition. I want to be able to keep my team in the game even under those circumstances.”

The aim is to build the physical resilience needed to deliver effective outings even when a pitcher is not feeling his best.

Targeted bullpen sessions to address individual weaknesses

Alongside the demanding game workload, the Carp have also adjusted their daily bullpen routines.

In addition to the usual pitching sessions held two days before a game, the team has introduced special bullpen sessions focused on individual development. Before the league began, each player submitted a list of areas he wanted to improve to the coaching staff.

These sessions are designed to address specific weaknesses, such as the sharpness of breaking pitches and command, with pitchers throwing additional pitches to work on their individual priorities.

Developing pitching intelligence with PitchCom

The Carp are also working on the mental side of pitching, using PitchCom, the electronic communication system scheduled for full-scale implementation across NPB from next season.

During the Phoenix League, the team has been encouraging pitchers to take the lead in calling pitches themselves.

Satō did so against the Shikoku Island League Select team on October 10, while Taiga Saito took charge of pitch-calling against Rakuten on October 15.

Satō was encouraged by the experience, saying, “Throughout the game, I found myself thinking more carefully about how to call pitches on my own.”

Saito, however, identified an area for improvement: “After allowing a runner on base, I became too reactive in how I called pitches.”

By having pitchers send the signals themselves, the coaching staff hopes to sharpen their awareness of the strategic battle against hitters and help them make better decisions under pressure.

“Next season has already begun”

Second-team pitching coach Nomura is urging the young pitchers to seize their opportunity.

“The team won't get stronger unless young players push their way into the rotation. The battle for next season has already begun.”

The young Carp pitchers are working hard in Miyazaki, hoping to find the breakthrough that will allow them to compete for a place in next season's starting rotation.