Takahiro Saeki appeared on "Professional baseball News 2026," which aired on Fuji TV ONE on the 19th, and mentioned Softbank Hawks 's Takashi Umino.

Saeki commented, "After Kai left last year, we wondered what would happen to Softbank Hawks, and then fielder’s choice came on board, and he has certainly grown in just one year." However, he pointed out, "If you look at the number of games, you can see that he has only played 105 games," and continued, "I want him to firmly hold down that position as a regular."

"It's purely my expectation, but I chose fielder’s choice with the hope that he will lead Softbank Hawks pitcher and lead them to consecutive championships," he said, explaining why he chose Umino as his favorite Softbank Hawks player.

Umino played in 105 games, the most for the team, and started in 82 of them. He also started in five of the six games in the CS final stage against Nippon-Ham, and all five games in the Japan Series against Hanshin Tigers. Leading the team to the top of Japan must have given him a lot of confidence, especially after experiencing such tense battles as a starter in the CS and Japan Series.

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"