Rakuten Eagles pitcher Naoto Nishiguchi (29) attended contract negotiations at his home stadium, Rakuten Eagles Mobile, on the 23rd and signed a contract for an annual salary of 50 million yen, an increase of 35 million yen (all amounts are estimates). Due to Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in September 2011, he was on a development player contract from 2012 onwards, but he started this season's training camp with the first team and was re-registered as a controlled player on February 18th. Boasting a high strike out rate, he made his presence felt, becoming part of the team's winning lineup from the middle of the season. He pitched in 52 games, posting a solid 3-1 record with 1 save and 31 hold, and an ERA of 1.07. "It started as a development season, and people told me I made a great comeback and pitched well. It was a tough rehabilitation period, but I'm really glad I worked so hard," he said.

He was also selected for Samurai Japan for the first time, pitching in a warm-up match against the South Korean national team in November. He is currently continuing to practice using the WBC-spec ball, and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "It would be an honor to be selected. I would be happy if I could contribute to the team, so I would like to prepare well for when I am selected."