Rakuten Monkeys 2024 Manager: Kenji Furukubo
With the 2023 CPBL season done and dusted, it’s time for all the winter drama, and we’ve had our first major management shake-up in the offseason!
On November 29, the Rakuten Monkeys decided to change their manager by promoting their first-team coach, Kenji Furukubo (古久保健二), as the new manager in preparation for the 2024 CPBL season.
The 59-year-old veteran Japanese coach, affectionately nicknamed “Grandpa” by the Monkeys players, began working as a coach in the NPB and KBO systems from 2003 to 2018.
In 2019, Kenji Furukubo came to the CPBL and joined the Fubon Guardians coaching staff. After three seasons with the Guardians, Furukubo was hired as the Monkeys’ bench coach in 2022.
Guardians coach 古久保健二 (Furukubo Kenji) is showing off his jazz hands. #CPBL pic.twitter.com/wvo7nwbYqI
— CPBL STATS 🪬🔮 (@GOCPBL) August 30, 2021
Tseng Hao-Chu Relieved of Manager Duty
According to the Rakuten Monkeys’ assistant to the general manager, Tseng Hao-Chu, who served as the Monkeys’ manager since 2020, will be reassigned to another role within the organisation. As of today, the role is yet to be determined.
Tseng finished his four-year tenure as the Monkeys’ manager, accumulating a managerial record of 245 wins, 224 losses, and 11 draws with two Taiwan Series appearances in 2022 and 2023, but did not end up winning the championship.
Daddy Totoro: If you screw up this bunt, I will burn you with my laser. #CPBL pic.twitter.com/oVH2mZSQZD
— CPBL STATS 🪬🔮 (@GOCPBL) August 6, 2021
Tseng Hao-Chu’s Managerial Record (2020-2023)
- CPBL Regular Seasons / Postseasons Record
- 2020 – 59W-61L-0D (.492 PCT)
- 2021 – 56W-61L-3D (.479 PCT)
- 2022 – 70W-46L-4D (.603 PCT)
- Taiwan Series – 0W-4L
- 2023 – 60W-56L-4D (.517 PCT)
- Playoff Series – 3W-1L
- Taiwan Series – 3W-4L
I liked Mel Rojas Jr. as a possible 2024 CPBL player before he signed with the KT Wiz. At 34 next season, I thought he had aged out of signing with a KBO team.
The Wiz will reportedly be paying Rojas around $900,000. I think it would have made more sense for the Wiz to hold onto a 29 year old Anthony Alford or possibly bring in 28 year old Jason Martin, both of whom hit well last KBO regular season. I don’t think it makes sense to dump players who played well in the regular season because they slumped in the post-season, a very small sample size.