Rakuten Eagles. Naoto Nishiguchi pitcher (29) trained voluntarily in Okinawa Prefecture on March 13. He was interviewed online by this date. The right-hander, who has been training with Kogo, Shibata, and others, said, "I am conscious of the flexibility of my hip joints and the reproducibility of my form. I'm aiming to improve my hip joint and rib cage movement," he said, revealing his off-day theme.

Last season was a breakout one for him. He set a new team record by pitching 26 consecutive runs games from the start of the season. He continued to perform well, appearing in 52 games and recording 3 wins, 1 loss, 1 save, 31 hold, and ERA of 1.07. With his fastball reaching a top speed of 156 km/h as his main weapon, he pitched 50 2/3 innings, striking out 70 strike out and strike out rate of 12.43, putting up some of the best numbers in the league.

This season, he is training hard with the goal of becoming a starter. "In the 2026 season, I want to become pitcher who can lead the team as a starter. I want to work hard to get into a position where the team can trust me both during practice and in my personal life," he said enthusiastically.

Last season, not a single pitcher on the team reached the required innings pitched. Strengthening the starting rotation is a challenge, and if Nishiguchi can perform well as a starter, it will be a major driving force for the team's improvement. "I have to get solid results in the open games first, otherwise I won't be able to break into the starting rotation. I want to be 100 percent ready by the start of spring training and make an impression from bullpen," he vowed.