Nippon-Ham pitcher Leo Shibata conducted voluntary training at the team's second-division facility in Kamagaya, Chiba, on the 10th, and produced a great sound when batting against a machine for the first time in the new year.

He swung the bat comfortably in the indoor practice field. "Today was my first time hitting the machine. I feel like my physical strength has improved more than I expected. The speed of the ball after hitting it was so fast I didn't even realize it was," he said with a laugh.

In December, he undertook intensive weight training. In addition, he used a heavy mascot bat for tee hitting before moving on to the machine. "I've been using it since the offseason. It's 1.5kg. It's brain training. If you swing a heavy bat with your brain, the ball speed will increase (laughs). It's a simple training method." He feels that he is making a completely different impression than he did a year ago.

As pitcher, he pitched in four games in his first year. He had a satisfactory ERA of 2.92, but as hitter he did not appear in any games for the first team. He also struggled in 51 games for the second team, with a batting average of .186. "Last year I still hadn't established a base. On the contrary, this year feels like my first year as a batter. I feel like I've finally started this year." In his second year this season, he will be looking to prove his strength not only as pitcher but also as hitter.