[Nippon-Ham] This year too, the active draftees are making their breakthrough. The 24-year-old joins from Softbank and is the first professional player. Manager Shinjo says, "Good punching power."

Sports Hochi

2025.4.3(木) 06:00

試合後、グラウンドを一周する車からファンの声援に応える吉田（カメラ・池内　雅彦）

◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 3-1 Softbank (2nd, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham catcher Kengo Yoshida (24), who joined the team from Softbank in the 2014 draft, hit his long-awaited first professional Home Run against his former team. Following Mizutani, who also transferred from Softbank last year and grew into a mainstay, the draftees shone in the "Shinjo Revitalization Factory," and the team won easily. As Lotte lost to Orix, the team rose to the top of the league for the first time in six years and for the first time under Shinjo's administration.

Yoshida hit the ball to the right and it kept flying. With a one-run lead in the seventh inning with no outs, the new draft pick brought the team closer to win with his first professional Home Run. "I'm so happy. The diamond felt so short. I thought I should go around it again," he said with a smile.

He started as the leadoff hitter and left fielder against his former team. count was 1-1. When the opposing pitcher, Fujii, shook his head at the sign, it dawned on him. "He's going to pitch a straight ball." He swung without hesitation, saying, "My previous three at-bats had been poor, but now it's my turn to bat again. I organized what I need to do once more and went up to bat," and hit the first home run of the 2024 draft class.

It's truly a Shinjo revitalization factory. Mizutani, who joined the team through the active player draft last season, had not played in the first team until 2023, but he won the MVP of the interleague games and has grown to the point where he was selected for Samurai Japan in the training match in March. Yoshida, in his third year as a pro, had also struggled with a total of five hit in 11 games in the first team until last year. Nevertheless, he started the camp with the first team. It was a hit in the opposite direction, just as Manager Shinjo had admired him, saying, "He has fast head speed. He can keep up even when right-handed hitter is in a tight spot."

Born in Yokohama City. During the off season, he became an apprentice to DeNA's Miyazaki, who he had admired since childhood. He learned the secrets of batting from the two-time hitter genius, who is also right-handed hitter and whom he respects as "the perfect form of batting I want." Until now, he had hit many balls to the left with a driving tendency and did not have much distance, but his master advised him that "on the contrary, driving the ball will fall forward," which changed his way of thinking. "What I thought was bad is not bad depending on how you look at it." From there, he polished his hits to the right, which is his specialty.

Manager Shinjo, whose selection was a success, couldn't help but laugh, saying, "With that trajectory, he can hit home run to right field. He has good power." The 24-year-old is registered as catcher, but can also play outfield and at first base. His talent will blossom in the northern land. (Haruki Kawakami)

◆Yoshida Kengo Born January 18, 2001 in Yokohama City. 24 years old. At Yokohama Shodai High School, he was on the bench from his first year in the fall but never played Koshien. At Toin Yokohama University, he was MVP twice in the Kanagawa University League. He joined Softbank as the 6th pick in the 2022 draft. He made his first appearance on October 1, 2023 against Nippon-Ham Fighters. He got his first hit on July 5, 2024 against Rakuten. He was transferred to Nippon-Ham in the off-season active player draft. He is 181 cm tall and weighs 94 kg. He bats and throws right-handed. His estimated annual salary is 8.5 million yen.