Sho Nakata, Tetsuto Yamada, Kazuma Okamoto, Seiya Suzuki...

In addition to the commonalities of right-handed hitter and going pro after graduating from high school, they both made their big break in their fourth year after graduating from high school.

Sho Nakata joined Nippon-Ham as the first-round draft pick for high school students in 2007. In his first year in 2008, he did not play in the first team, but in his second year he played in 22 games, including his first professional appearance. In his third year in 2010, he played in 65 games, finishing with a batting average of .233, 9 Home Run, and 22 RBI.

And in his fourth year, 2011, he started 19 at bats hit without a start, but in his 20th at bat, he hit his first hit, and from the same game, he hit eight hit in a row. He was batting seventh at the start of the season, but as his hitting improved, he batting order moved up to sixth, and was used at fourth on May 25 against Chunichi. He hit .288, 5 Home Run, and 20 RBI for the month of May, and .300, 3 Home Run, and 15 RBI for the month of June, making his first All-Star appearance, eventually playing 143 games with a .237 batting average, 18 Home Run, RBI ranking third in the league with 91.

Yamada joined Yakult as the first pick in the 2010 draft, and although he did not play in the first team in his first year in 2011, he made his first team debut in the Climax Series. In his second year in 2012, he played in 26 games, including his professional debut, and in his third year in 2013, he played in 94 games, batting .283 with 3 Home Run and 26 RBI.

In his fourth year in 2014, he played in the opening game as the leadoff hitter and second second baseman, and by the end of April Home Run hit four Home Run, more than the previous year, a batting average of .291, and RBI, which was a good start. From May onwards, his form continued to improve, averaging over .370 in May (.372) and August (.373), and from July onwards he hit six Home Run per month for three consecutive months, finishing with a batting average of .324, 29 Home Run, 89 RBI, and 15 stolen base. He won the title for most hit with hit.

Suzuki joined Hiroshima as the second pick in the 2013 draft, and got his first professional hit in his first year. He played in 36 games in his second year and 97 games in his third year in 2015, batting .275 Home Run and 25 RBI, marking his breakthrough.

walk-off home run In his fourth year, 2004, he missed the start of the season due to an injury, but was promoted to the first team on April 5. 16 games at the end of April, he had a .250 batting average, 3 Home Run, 14 RBI. In May, he started to get better and hit .03 in two consecutive games against Orix Buffaloes on June 17 and 18, and his talent blossomed after those days. July saw him bat .372, 5 Home Run for the month, In July, he hit .372, 5 stolen base, and 22 RBI, and continued to hit in August and beyond, eventually contributing greatly to Hiroshima's first league championship in 25 years with a .335 batting average, 29 Home Run, 95 RBI, and 16 in 129 games played.

Kazuma Okamoto also joined The Giants as the first pick in the 2015 draft. He hit his first professional Home Run in his first year, but only played in 35 first-team games over three years. Nevertheless, in his fourth year in 2018, he led all 12 teams with 15 RBI in the preseason games, securing a starting starting position. By the end of April, he was on a roll, batting .330 Home Run and 21 RBI. He went hit in August, batting .340 with eight Home Run and 28 RBI. He also batted .304 with seven Home Run and 16 RBI in September and October. He was the only player on the team to play in all 143 games. He was the No. 4 batter midway through the season, becoming the youngest player in the team's history to hit .300 with 30 Home Run and 100 RBI.

Along with Nakata, Yamada, Suzuki, and Okamoto, Shogo Asano (The Giants) is a right-handed hitter in his fourth year since graduating from high school this season. In his second year in 2012, he saw increased playing time after the summer, appearing in 40 games with a batting average of .240, Home Run, and 18 RBI. Expectations were high for him to secure a regular spot last season, but he only performed poorly with a batting average of .222 in the exhibition games and started the season in the minor leagues. He struggled in the farm team and was even demoted to the minor leagues, appearing in 29 games last season with a batting average of .187, Home Run, and eight RBI.

Shion Matsuo (DeNA) is also right-handed hitter in his fourth year after graduating from high school. As catcher can hit, Matsuo played in 77 games in his third season last year, finishing with a batting average of .250, four Home Run, and 18 RBI. Matsuo's challenge is whether he can minimize his ups and downs. Last season, he had a batting average of .429 in May and .313 in August, but his batting average was .174 in March and April, and .100 in July. If he can minimize his ups and downs, there's hope for a breakout in his fourth year after graduating from high school.

Other right-handed hitter in their fourth year after graduating from high school include Shodai Uchida (Hiroshima), Yudai Furukawa (Seibu Lions), Yosei Itsubo (Hanshin Tigers), and Ho Naito (Orix Buffaloes). It will be interesting to see if any right-handed hitter batters in their fourth year after graduating from high school will break out this season.