Lotte finished last season, but under new manager Saburo, 2026 will be a year of bounce back.

Rikuto Yokoyama will be taking over as players' union president this season and number will change to 15, vowed to give it his all, saying, "It's the same thing every year, but if I'm told to go, I'll go anytime. Next year will be even tougher than this year, and I'm prepared to pitch three or four times in a row, so I think the team can definitely win, so I'd like to be prepared so that I can always pitch in winning games."

Haruya Tanaka who is aiming to establish himself in the starting rotation, stated his determination, "I want to fulfill my role, and pitch in a way that helps the team win, and increase the probability of victory by even 1%, so to do that I think the role of a starter is to allow fewer runs and pitch longer inning so that the relief pitchers can hand over reliever, so I want to increase the number of HQS." Yuto Kimura, who is one year younger than him, also aims for double-digit wins, saying, "I want to be a starter, so I think inning limit will be a little longer, but even so, I want to make sure we can win double-digit win. I will work hard to make sure I achieve that."

Shunsuke Nakamori, who showed his presence in the first half of last season's relief, said, "I think it depends on the team's situation, but if I'm a starter, I want to be able to rotate well, and if I'm a reliever, I want to win the win title."

Kazuya Ojima, who is expected to be a part of the starting rotation this season, said, "I want to do my best to not leave for a year, but also to Atsuki Taneichi pitch make sure that the team wins the league, not only for my personal performance, but also for the team. "We need everyone's strength to produce results, but I want to make a full rotation so that even one standings can be raised," he said.

Naoya Masuda, eager to make a comeback, said, "I think I'll start from scratch, so I'm still working hard to make it to the opening day first team, play 50 games, and be included in the Hall of Fame, so that people will say that Masuda is back, and I want to do my best and achieve good results." Yuji Nishino, who surprisingly finished last season without a win, is also fired up, saying, "Given my age, next year will really be the year that will decide the future of my baseball career. I want to produce good results and perform well."

◆Determination of fielder

Last season, young players were actively used on fielder, starting with the interleague games, and they gained experience. Misho Nishikawa who was named Pacific League Rookie of the Year last season, said, "I think it's very important for my performance to improve and achieve a career high every year, and I'm still not satisfied with myself, so there's always someone better. In that sense, I want to improve even more, and next time I want to become a batter who can aim for a batting average of .300 and double-digit Home Run." He is aiming for a double-digit Home Run batting average of .300.

Daito Yamamoto, who is in the same year as Nishikawa and hit the most Home Run of any Japanese player on the team last season with 11, said, "I want to improve my slugging percentage, my on-base percentage, and, as Saburo said, improve my OPS." He showed his desire to win a title, saying, "Of course, the only thing the team can do is win the league and become the best in Japan. Personally, I want to become a regular player and also become home run king, so I'll keep those things in mind and work hard this offseason."

Kyota Fujiwara, who took the required number of at-bats for the first time in his seventh year as a professional, also showed his awareness as a key player, saying, "There are many players younger than me, so I'm not sure if I'm in center field, but I'll try to do my best with that kind of attitude, and to lead the team, whether it's through my back or my performance."

Akito Takabe, who volunteered to change to the number '0' that Takashi Ogino had worn until last season, said, "Saburo is very passionate, and he is someone who puts all his effort into winning, so I want to fight with enough passion to surprise him. I want to show him something that goes beyond his imagination." He intends to achieve results that will exceed Manager Saburo's expectations.

Last season, his second year after graduating from high school, he started the season as the third catcher player, but he took a chance. Ryusei Terachi said, "My first goal is to wear the mask, but I also have rivals. There are good catcher players in each team, so I want to be able to break into them. I hope I can be the first one to have the feeling that I will never be defeated." He is also motivated to win the regular catcher title. Toshiya Sato, who won the best nine in the catcher division in 2012, said, "I want to improve my long-hitting ability during my rehabilitation period because I was unable to camp after my injury. I want to improve my long-ball ability. I don't intend to lose," he said. "Double-digit hits is one thing, but I want to work on my long-hitting ability more.

Ryusei Ogawa a candidate for the regular position at second base or short stop, said, "I would like to produce results that will earn me the nickname 'regular', and I would like to focus on results as a regular in starting line-up throughout the year." Atsuki Tomosugi, who is aiming to become a regular shortstop, said, "What I do won't change, but I think that baseball will change when the manager changes, so I would like to keep up with that and show what I can do."

Shogo Nakamura who has led the team for many years, also vowed to make an impression through his batting, saying, "As Saburo said, if you can hit, you can play in the game, so of course I need to improve my batting and defense, but I also want to make sure I can make an impression with my batting from training camp and the exhibition games." Yudai Fujioka, who is scheduled to play short stop again this season, said, "I know I have to do it because I'm getting older, and it's our role to create an environment where it's as easy as possible for young players to come up and become such players. It's the same with playing, but I just need to be mindful of things like that." He intends to create an environment where young players can play comfortably and produce results himself.

Last season was a tough one from the beginning, and ended in disappointment. This season, we hope to have a joyous autumn.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita