Lotte manager Saburo (49) summarized the second phase of the Miyakonojo training camp on the 8th, and named rookie draft pick #2, 151 km/h left-handed pitcher Kaito Mori (22) from Meiji University, as the MVP of the phase.

"I want to say, 'I wonder if (Ishigaki) is doing well,' but I think it's Mori. When Genki was pitching, Mori was pitching in the back, and I was watching him quite a bit. He was throwing some good balls, so my expectations are rising again."

Mouri is the ace of Meiji University. He won the best pitcher award at the Japan-U.S. Collegiate baseball Championships last summer with a total of seven innings of no runs. The manager has been paying attention to him since last year and said, "He's the type of guy who feels his speed is faster than indicated. The arm is hard to see where it's coming from, and it also has the ability to attack the inside right-handed hitter corner of the field.

To this, Mouri blushed and said, "I wonder why it was me..." He is doing well, throwing 52 pitches in bullpen on the 6th. "I think being selected as the MVP was an opportunity to show what I can do," he said emphatically.

There is someone close to him that he should aim to be like. It is the starting left-hander Kojima. At the same time, he has had the opportunity to join bullpen, and he is chasing after him, saying, "Kojima is my goal, but I have to surpass him." He is learning the secrets of being a professional, such as having dinner with the three left-handers, including Suzuki.

The 9th is a day off. "I want to sleep. I want to get plenty of rest," says Mouri. His overall fatigue is proof of his growth. (Kato Hiroshi)