Orix Buffaloes have acquired some promising new players. In the October draft, they selected 11 players, including those in the development squad. Five of the seven players under contract are high school students, and former team president Michio Minato (63), who will step down on the 31st, and general manager Junichi Fukura (65) both said it was an "exciting plan." WEST Hochi will be introducing newcomers from various sports under the title "Ho!t Rookies." The first player featured is second-round draft pitcher Haruki Mori (18), who aims to reach a top speed of 160 km/h and has expressed his determination to claim the title of "No. 1 of his generation," saying, "I want to be the most successful player in the future."

A 190cm right-handed pitcher with limitless potential has knocked on the door to professional baseball. Haruki Mori of Osaka Toin High School declared, "My goal is to have a powerful fastball like Shumpeita Yamashita. I want to throw at 160 km/h." He is working to refine his fastball, which has recorded the same spin rate of 2700 as Hanshin Tigers Tigers manager Fujikawa did when he was a player.

In the fall of his freshman year, he hit 151 kilograms, and was dubbed a "monster freshman. The following spring he made his Koshien debut, and in the fall of his sophomore year he was assigned the number "1" on his new team. The first time the team was in the Kinki Tournament, they beat Shiga Gakuen 5 2/3 times, runs, and in the final of the Osaka Tournament in the summer of their junior year, they beat Higashi Osaka Oosaka Kashiwabara 3 2 runs. They were unable to show their strength in the big game and missed the sacred ground in the spring and summer for the first time in six consecutive years. The team was also not selected for the U-18 Japan national team, for which it was a candidate. The team's performance and ability could have been a little better," said Kashiwara. baseball But I was not prepared for the challenge of becoming a professional player. Now that I'm a pro, my determination has changed. He is now training with a focus on bodybuilding, aiming to weigh 100 kilograms.

He has seen the struggles of alumni who visit at the end of the year, saying, "Becoming a professional is not easy." Coach Koichi Nishitani (56) also taught him the harsh realities, saying, "Unlike high school, (baseball) is your job. It's not easy, you need to be more determined." "I want to be the most successful in the future." He aims to claim the title of "No. 1 of his generation" in the professional world. (Fuka Segawa)

◆Haruki Mori was born on August 1, 2007 in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan. 18 years old. He began competing in the softball Tokai Higashi Boys baseball Club in the first year of Kawashima Elementary School, and in the softball baseball club at Sacred Heart Ursula Gakuen Soumei Junior High School. At Osaka Toin, he joined the bench in the fall of his freshman year and played in the spring and summer of his sophomore year Koshien.