Nippon-Ham pitcher Takayuki Kato (33) entered bullpen on the 25th at the team's training camp in Nago, Okinawa, where he is currently training early. He threw 36 pitches, demonstrating his progress earlier than usual. He also tried out a new cutter, which he received advice on from pitcher coordinator Chihiro Kaneko (42) during training camp last fall. He has expanded his range of pitch, and with pitch that rivals that of his classmate Kohei Arihara pitcher 33), who made a surprise comeback, he is poised to secure a spot in the rotation.

Blessed with fine weather in this tropical country, Kato swung his arm with ease. He pitched 36 pitches in bullpen in Nago, where he had already arrived. "I feel like I'm doing a little better than usual," he said of his performance. In recent years, while training at his former team, Nippon Steel Kazusa Magic, in Chiba, he only pitched "short stop bursts," but this year he has been in bullpen twice. He has been preparing early, and stated his intentions, "Right now I'm focusing on my balance, so that I can continue to throw strong pitches once camp begins."

Expand the range of pitch with "new balls". The new version that was thrown by saying "Kaneko-san cut" is a new version with smaller changes than before. Kaneko pitcher With the advice of the coordinator, I have been working on it since last fall's camp. "I only have a big ball (bending), so it's a ball that is closer to the straighter. bullpen catcher was also highly evaluated, and he nodded, saying, "I hope it will be a ball that can score strike at any time."

He is quietly burning with fighting spirit against his returning rival. During the off-season, Arihara joined from Softbank Hawks. The number of his classmates has increased, including Nishikawa and Shimamoto. "It's rare to have more people (of the same year) at this age, so we're motivating each other. Arihara was the ace at Softbank Hawks. It's good for the team, but if I don't beat people like that, I won't be able to maintain my place in the rotation. I'll do my best to keep up," he said enthusiastically.

Although he had nine wins last season, ERA was 3.40. For innings pitched pitched. Four pitchers on the team - Ito, Kitayama, Tatsu, and Arihara - are guaranteed to be in the opening rotation. Kato, who has set a goal of being in the rotation for the entire year, said, "It's true that I didn't produce results last year, but if I produce results, I think I'll continue to be used. I want to establish myself as a starting pitcher one more time. It was frustrating, so I want to do my best and not give up." The competition for the starting position is deep and tough. With his outstanding skills that continue to evolve, he will grab that spot.