"There were restrictions until around mid-December, and then they were lifted. It was still cold so I took it easy, but I practiced quite a bit in the latter half of December. I was swinging the bat a lot."

Lotte's Yuta Kaneda, who underwent "right hand arthroscopic TFCC repair and right extensor carpi ulnaris tendon release" in July of last year, said at a press conference after contract renewal negotiations on November 28th of last year that he hoped to be able to move around without restrictions by the end of the year, but he has been making serious progress since the latter half of December of last year.

"The big parts don't change every year, but I ran hard to build up my stamina, swung the bat a lot, and took a lot of defense was able to participate in the voluntary training of a great senior, so it felt like I was learning," he said, taking part in Rakuten Eagles 's Daichi Suzuki 's voluntary training again this year during the off-season.

"We do almost the same running routine, but he has a lot of stamina, and he swings the bat from morning until night at the dormitory, so what I noticed most was his incredible stamina.He also pays attention to the finer details of technique, so I learned a lot from him about batting, defense, base running running, how to run, how to warm up, and his daily routine," he said, absorbing a lot from the physically strong Daichi Suzuki during his eight years with Lotte, playing in every game five times.

Kaneda will become a development player from this season. When asked about the numbers he wants to focus on, he said, "Of course, I want to get back under contract, but I also want to focus on producing results with my bat."

First of all, he wants to make an appeal to return to the regular team during spring training. "As soon as possible is a bit abstract, but I think it's about how I can produce results in the one at-bat I'm given, so I want to continue producing results and playing in games."

Another thing I noticed while interviewing Kaneda was that he has grown in size, and his upper body seems much more solid.

"I'm trying to eat well, and in December I was lifting weights. Daichi's personal training doesn't involve lifting a lot of weights, but even so, I didn't lose any muscle mass. I think I'm finally starting to get a little better," said Kaneda, who is aware of his own growth.

At his contract renewal meeting last year, he said, "I'm thinking about batting average first, but I think they also want power to doble ball, so I'd like to be able to do both." Perhaps now that he's gotten bigger, he's hoping to increase Home Run and even home runs.

"Daichi also told me that I'm not the kind of batter who hits home run. But that doesn't mean I don't have to hit them. He told me that if I first focus on hitting the ball low and strong, hitting it through the gaps between outfield, then home run is inevitable. Rather than aiming for home home run all the time in practice, I think it's better to hit the ball the way I want it to be, and then hit home run."

Spring training for his fourth year as a pro begins in one week. "I haven't been able to do anything for the past two years due to injury, so my biggest priority is to return to the regular team, and I'll do my best to perform well on the first-team stage." In recent years, he had been achieving good batting results, but injuries have caused him to cry. This season, he wants to show off his high level of batting skills in the farm team and return to the regular team as soon as possible.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita