Can he finally achieve his long-held dream of being registered as a regular player in his crucial third year? Seibu Lions eyes are on left-handed pitcher Sinclair (24), the first pick in the 2023 developmental draft.

He returned to his roots. In 2025, he volunteered to participate in the Winter League held in Okinawa until December 18th. The left-handed pitcher, who has a Canadian father and a Japanese mother and is fluent in English, spent most of his time there, both professionally and personally, with foreign players. He started playing baseball at the age of seven, but only played in Japan for a mere year before joining the Shikoku Island League Tokushima at the age of 22. Seeing the foreign players "enjoying the competition to the fullest," he was reminded of the pure feelings he had when he played overseas, realizing that "mindset is important. If you don't go into it with the mindset that you're the best, it's a waste to get discouraged on mound."

In 2025, he got off to a late regular season games. However, in the autumn's Miyazaki Phoenix League, he made great progress, strike out allowing no runs in 8 inning over 7 games. On the other hand, his "control," which resulted in 5 Walk remained a challenge that carried over into the offseason. The team selected Chuo University's left-handed pitcher Iwaki in the second round of the draft. Competition for the "left-handed relief pitcher spot" is expected to intensify even further, but he confidently stated, "I'm confident that I can aim for the top if I do what I can do." The day when spring arrives after a long winter is fast approaching. (Ayami Onaka)

◆Sinclair (real name: Sinclair Joseph Takanosuke) was born on June 12, 2001, in Canada, and is 24 years old. He started playing baseball at the age of 7 with the Yoshikawa Storm, and after attending John Oliver High School in Canada, Kochis Junior College in the United States, and Mary University, he joined the Shikoku Island League Tokushima as a trainee in May 2023. He was promoted to a contract player in June of the same year and was selected by Seibu Lions as the first overall pick in the developmental draft. He is 193 cm tall and weighs 94 kg. He is a left-handed pitcher and left-handed batter. His 2026 annual salary is estimated at 4 million yen.