Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes infielder Kotaro Kobayashi (23) is confident going into his first full game on the 25th. The starting short stop has been practicing for more than 10 hours a day in his hometown of Shizuoka since mid-December last year. After a long training period in the mountains, he returned to Osaka and declared he will be a big hit in his seventh year as a pro.

The rigorous training, which was essentially no rest period, was fulfilling. "I had a really good practice. If I keep it up, I think I can have high expectations for myself." He studied mental health in a classroom setting starting at 6am, and by 5pm he was finished with thorough stretching and technical practice. He had lost 2kg and was now in sharp shape at 95kg. "It's not enough to just hit the ball comfortably. I'm thinking about situations that are more difficult than a game..." he said, practicing batting on a high-speed machine at half the usual distance. He appears to be in top form ahead of the start of camp on February 1st, saying, "I was able to get it all in order."

Since 2021, his second year after graduating from high school, he has maintained his regular position at shortstop, a position that requires a lot of pressure. He shows no signs of complacency and has set a new goal: "143 games at short stop. I've never played there before, so I want to clear that no matter what." He also intends to take on the challenges of his juniors, such as Yokoyama Sei. He will push himself even harder and raise his status as an absolute regular. (Nagata Toru)