Nippon-Ham Fighters two-way rookie pitcher Leo Shibata (19) was interviewed by Sports Hochi on the 23rd, looking back on his first year as a professional, in which he made four appearances in the first team. The 19-year-old, who has high expectations from manager Shinjo, including being entrusted with the opening pitcher for the second half of the season, spoke frankly about his current state as a two-way player, his off-season themes, and his vision for the future based on his goal of being a full-time first-team player next season. (Interview and compilation by Haruki Kawakami)
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The 19-year-old carefully crafted his words. In his first year as pitcher, he pitched in four games, recording one hold and ERA of 2.92. However, he showed no signs of being satisfied.
"I'd give myself a score of about 50. It was good to have the experience of pitching (in the first team), but pitching in the first team is something that should be expected. This is no good. People say it's because I'm in my first year, but to me, it doesn't matter that it's my first year."
As a professional, it's important to use your head and think for yourself.
"You can't overcome obstacles unless you think about it. It's important to be taught, but I don't think you can go any further. There are many things you won't understand unless you deepen your self-understanding. Humans are thinking creatures. It would be a waste if you didn't do that."
This habit also comes from his current obsession with watching anime, and he is inspired by a wide variety of works such as "Kingdom" and "Dr. Stone."
"Trial and error has come up quite a bit in the works I've been watching recently. People who develop something, if it doesn't work, they try something new again. No one can do it the first time. The lower your level, the easier it is to rise higher, and I like the feeling of climbing to the top. Watching anime helps me understand where I am at right now. It makes me feel like 'this level isn't good enough' and makes me want to play baseball."
He has experience as a pitcher in the first team, but struggled as fielder, appearing in 51 games for the second team with a batting average of .186 and two Home Run. His theme for the offseason is "power." He is concentrating on fielder and is taking on agility training (training to improve agility, etc.) used by rugby players, in pursuit of speed and strength.
"What's important is power, not muscle mass. Speed is also power, so we practice speed-based exercises to move quickly. If we can improve that, the agility and transmission of the force will change, and so will our running speed. That's something we need to study."
His future vision as hitter is to become a triple crown winner who can hit both Home Run and have a high batting average.
"It's the strongest. You can't win the Triple Crown if one player is outstanding (if one player is unbalanced). If you can hit 30 home runs with a batting average of .300, you have a chance. I want to hit home run and have a high batting average. I want to be able to hit when I have the chance, which is the ideal."
For his second year next season, his goal is to spend a year in the first team as a two-way player.
"I understand what it's like to play on the first team stage. All I have to do now is continue playing. It's all about how I get through the year. As pitcher, I want to pitch in the CS (Climax Series)."
A 19-year-old with limitless potential carves out his own path.
◆Shibata Leo: Born April 18, 2006 in Iizuka, Fukuoka. 19 years old. Started playing baseball in second grade, and played for the Iizuka Leopards while attending Shonai Junior High School. At Fukuoka University Ohori, he was on the bench from the summer of his first year and became the ace from the fall of his second year. Never played Koshien. Joined Nippon-Ham as the first pick in the 2012 draft. Fastest pitch: 154 km/h. His idol is Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. 187 cm, 87 kg. Throws right-handed and bats left-handed. Estimated annual salary this season: 8.8 million yen.
Kingdom is a Japanese manga by Yasuhisa Hara. It is a masterpiece set in the Warring States period of 245 BC, depicting the story of a war orphan boy named Shin who dreams of becoming a great general in the western Chinese state of Qin, and the young king (later known as Emperor Qin Shi Huang) who aims to unify China. It has been adapted into an anime and a live-action film, and the four consecutive films in the series have been huge hits, grossing over 5 billion yen at the box office.
◇Dr. Stone (Dr. Stone) is a science fiction manga written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Boichi. Set in a world thousands of years in the future where all humanity has been petrified by a mysterious light, the protagonist, Senku Ishigami, who possesses superhuman scientific knowledge, uses the power of science to revive modern civilization from scratch. Using natural materials such as wood and steel, he recreates modern civilization piece by piece, including electricity and mobile phones.
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