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Kenta Hagiwara: Building SoftBank’s dynasty with lots of Cuban talent

By Yusseff Diaz |
In a picture taken on November 20, 2011, Pacific League champions Softbank Hawks (first row L-R) manager Koji Akiyama, owner Masayoshi Son and chairman Sadaharu Oh smile with their players as they hold a large pennant to celebrate victory of the Japan Series professional baseball championship in Fukuoka, western Japan. The Hawks defeated Central League champion Chunichi Dragons 3-0 and clinched the Japan Series title 4-3. AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)
In a picture taken on November 20, 2011, Pacific League champions Softbank Hawks (first row L-R) manager Koji Akiyama, owner Masayoshi Son and chairman Sadaharu Oh smile with their players as they hold a large pennant to celebrate victory of the Japan Series professional baseball championship in Fukuoka, western Japan. The Hawks defeated Central League champion Chunichi Dragons 3-0 and clinched the Japan Series title 4-3. AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have won three straight Nippon League titles and Kenta Hagiwara is a big part of the reason why.

Kenta Hagiwara is the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ main scout in Latin America and has used an array of Cuban talent to aid the Hawks to a three-peat in the land of the rising sun.

Alfredo Despaigne, Livan Moinelo, Yurisbel Gracial, and Ariel Miranda all who were found by Kenta Hagiwara in one way or another have all played a big part in the success of the team over various seasons.

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Oscar Luis Colás who was another a gem found by the scout was the prized prospect of the organization before he decided to bolt from Cuba and will likely be sought after by plenty of MLB teams when he is declared a free agent by the league.

Some people are saying that baseball is dying in Japan, what’s your take on that?

I don’t believe that to be true that stadiums in Japan seem full to me and the fans seem to be supporting a large contingent of talented players in the NPB.

MLB signs players at 16, why doesn’t the NPB do the same?

Sixteen is too young to sign someone by the league rules, plus we like players to mature as adults before we sign them.

Since you started to scout Cuba, who are the five most talented players you observed?

I started scouting Cuba in 2015. Of all the players I have scouted I would have to say Yuli Gurriel,  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Luis Robert, Cionel Perez, and Livan Moinelo would my top five.

You said in the past you were impressed by Guillermo Avilés, who is injured and by Yariel Rodríguez who signed with Chunichi. Are there any other prospects on the island that interest you?

At the time of the statement, I had a keen interest in (Yoelkis) Céspedes, (Javier) Mirabal and (Yosver) Zulueta amongst others.

Approximately how many Serie Nacional games do you attend yearly to scout players?

I attended about 40 games yearly and scout players in different provinces on the island. It’s hard to focus on any specific area of the country because the talent in Cuba is so abundant.

The last time you went to Cuba what player impressed you the most?

It was unequivocally Yariel Rodríguez and his 95 mph fastball.

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In your opinion will SoftBank and the Cuban Baseball Federation have a long-lasting relationship?

Most definitely, relations between SoftBank and FCB are at an all-time high. In fact, I’ve been visiting Cuba more frequently every year.

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