"I'm really determined to do it, so I'll practice hard this offseason and do my best to get off to a good start at camp in February."

Hirohiro Inoue, who transferred from Hanshin Tigers to Lotte in the active player draft, held a press conference at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 17th to announce his joining the team.

Inoue said enthusiastically, "I'm really being evaluated highly on my hitting, so I want to do my best to produce solid results," and when asked about transferring from Central League to a Pacific League team, he said, "I can only take it as a positive, so I think there are many pitcher who have never done it, but I hope to be proactive."

◆The competition for regular outfield positions is fierce

Inoue is aiming to become a regular outfielder, but other players in outfield include Kyota Fujiwara Misho Nishikawa, who was named Rookie of the Year, Akito Takabe Daito Yamamoto who hit the most home Home Run of any Japanese player with 11, Hiromi Oka, who has had fewer opportunities to play this season due to injury but is known for his strong hitting ability, and also Katsuya Kakunaka, Aito, Koshiro Wada, and Shingo Ishikawa.

Inoue's batting prowess will be crucial to his success in outfield. Looking at footage of his batting, he appears to be good at hitting inside pitches, such as when he hit triple to right field off an inside fastball from Ryosuke Otsu in a minor league game against Softbank Hawks Hawks on July 1st of this year.

When asked about how he handles inside pitches, he said, "Depending on the situation, there are times when it's okay to swing hard, or when it's easier to score points with right-handed hitter, so I don't really have any strengths or weaknesses when it comes to inside pitches, but I think it's important to change your batting style depending on the situation."

Inoue threw 31 pitches in the farm team this season, but since September he has been Walk. "It's a battle with the opposing battery, and I was able to think about whether they would go for it or not, so I think this will lead to next season," he said in his analysis.

Next season will be his first year since the transfer, and he vowed to "fight in the first team for a whole year!", stating his determination, "I want to hit double-digit Home Run, so I'll do my best to hit double-digit home runs!"

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita