On the 4th, it was confirmed that Seibu Lions will acquire infielder Kazunari Ishii (31), who declared free agency from Nippon-Ham. Nippon-Ham Fighters also wanted him to stay and had been negotiating, but Seibu Lions appears to have won the match race with their enthusiastic offer. This is Seibu Lions 's second free agent addition this offseason, following Kuwahara, who was already announced as a free agent by DeNA. Ishii is ranked C, so no personnel compensation will be required.
It seems certain that Seibu Lions 's aggressive reinforcement measures will once again bear fruit. Ishii's primary position at second base was filled by players such as Takizawa this season, but the position was not yet fully established. Ishii, who played in over 100 games for Nippon-Ham this season, seems to be a perfect fit for the team's situation. With the possibility of converting Watanabe Satoshi to third base becoming a strong possibility, the team's lineup for next season, including Kuwabara, is clearly looking significantly different.
Ishii is an all-rounder who can handle many roles, having been used in all batting order from 1st to 9th this season. In the August 6th game Seibu Lions (ESCON), he responded by hitting 4 At Bat hit 4 as the 4th batter, and he had a batting average of .356 with 3 Home Run, particularly in games against Seibu Lions. With the addition of a large infielder with the potential to hit long balls, the team is well-positioned to provide strong support for pitcher that remains strong even with the posting of Imai and Takahashi.
◆Ishii Kazunari (Ishii Kazunari) Born May 6, 1994 in Tochigi Prefecture. 31 years old. At Sakushin Gakuin, he played in Koshien tournament for three consecutive seasons, starting in the summer of his second year. At Waseda University, he played in league games from the spring of his first year, and was named to the Best Nine shortstop list in the spring of his third year. He also served as captain in his fourth year. He joined Nippon-Ham as the second pick in the 2016 draft. His younger brother, Takumi, joined Yakult as the sixth pick in the 2013 draft. His career stats are a batting average of .223, 28 Home Run, 156 RBI, and 33 stolen base bases in 743 games. He is 182 cm tall and weighs 86 kg. He throws right and bats left.
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