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The story
On October 1, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp notified four players — infielder Kaito Kozono (26), infielder Masaya Yano, infielder Seita Maekawa, and outfielder Shunsuke Tamura — that the club would not renew their contracts for next season. Kozono won the batting title last year as part of a batting “double crown,” and also suited up for Japan at this year’s WBC, making him a core player — so the notice from the club is being treated as highly unusual. On 5ch threads, posts expressing shock at the sudden announcement poured in, mixed with comments recapping Kozono’s background and school history, and speculation about where he might sign next.
On the 1st, Hiroshima announced it will not renew its contract with infielder Kaito Kozono (26) for next season.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7b3247c13b707b7a7ba5fc28d07ec80da1901d9b
On the 1st, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp notified four players that their contracts will not be renewed: infielder Kaito Kozono (26), infielder Masaya Yano (27), infielder Seita Maekawa (23), and outfielder Shunsuke Tamura (23). All four become free agents. Heading into a new season, the club judged it could no longer build a relationship of trust with these four…
Even the top brass got the memo (half-joking 5ch phrase, lit. "word reached Imperial HQ too")
Yeah, ever since he got into that trouble he seemed to have zero motivation to play anyway
They should've dealt with him sooner
Hiroshima Zombies
Hanshin or Orix?
He's from Hyogo Prefecture, a Hotoku Gakuen alum
Back in junior high he played for the Hirakata Boys and was teammates with Lotte's Fujiwara
Mexico or somewhere like that, maybe
People just won't believe them
That's my alma mater
Elite 8 at the 2018 summer Koshien
Hiroshima's first-round pick that year
The scout in charge was senior Sayashi
No team in Japan is gonna pick up a guy when you've got no idea what might come out about him next
The Giants are probably after Sakakura or Reyes
He'll probably sit out a year to reflect and end up in the Pacific League
If Shoji weren't around there might've been a shot, but now that he's shown up…
6 Yano
5 Kozono
9 Tamura
4 Maekawa
Don't go running wild down in Miyazaki
Because they already took in that oversized piece of junk known as Maeken
Background and Key Points of This Story
Each year, NPB roster-cut (non-renewal) notices become official starting October 1, with clubs typically announcing in bulk, around this time, which players won’t have their contracts renewed for the following season. Kozono won the batting title last year as part of a batting “double crown” and also represented Japan at this year’s WBC — an accomplished player by any measure — which is why his being included in this round of notices is being seen as an unusual call. Within the thread, beyond the reason the club officially gave for the non-renewal, many posts hinted at some kind of behind-the-scenes trouble, but no evidence was offered for any claim of criminal involvement, and nothing of that sort is confirmed by the official announcement. At the same time, other posts defended him, insisting he “didn’t do it,” so opinions remain split. As for where he might land next, several team names came up, including the Hanshin Tigers and SoftBank Hawks, but all of it remains speculation.
※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Hiroshima] Shockwave! Kaito Kozono cut despite batting double crown and WBC appearance last year — an unusual notice.”
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