The press conference to announce the new recruits for Rakuten Eagles was held at a hotel in Sendai on the 5th. catcher Taiga Shimabara (23), who was drafted 5th overall, was announced to wear number 122.

He said he is confident in his hitting ability and named The Giants manager Abe as the player he admires. "I've been watching him on TV since I was little. I thought he was amazing," he said, expressing his enthusiasm by saying, "I want to become a player who is so good that when people think of catcher can hit, they think of me (like Manager Abe)." He aims to demonstrate the same power of hitting as Manager Abe and first become a registered player.