Rakuten Eagles Kenta Maeda pitcher (37) served as chief of police for a day at the Minami Sakai Police Station in Sakai City, Osaka, on March 25, and showed his determination to make a full rotation in the starting rotation. The right-hander, who has won 165 games in Japan and the U.S., is returning to Japanese baseball for the first time in 11 years. Expectations are high for him to be a key starter. I've come back to Japan this season, so I'm determined to make a solid contribution to the team," he said.

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The addition of Ken Maeda and others has thickened Rakuten Eagles the starter ranks. Last season, the team had no pitcher who reached the regulation innings pitched mark and zero double-digit win players. The starters were a major issue, and contributed to the team's failure to make it to Class A.

Now off is actively reinforcing starter. Ken Maeda, who returned to the Japan baseball world for the first time in 11 years, Contreras, a right-hander with 10 wins in MLB, and Ureña, a right-hander with a total of 44 wins, succeeded in recruiting.

The competition for rotation positions is likely to intensify. Manager Miki has named Kosha and Shoji as candidates for opening day pitcher, and they have shown remarkable growth and have the potential to quickly become pillars of the team. Expectations are high for Hayakawa, who is looking to recover from left shoulder surgery, Fujii, who recorded 11 wins in 2012, and Takinaka, who started 15 games last season and won four.

There will also be opportunities for young players such as Ouchi, who made his professional debut last season, as well as rookie first-round pick Fujiwara and second-round pick Ito Itsuki. There are also veterans with proven track records, such as Kishi and Karashima, waiting in the wings.

Furthermore, Nishiguchi, who made 52 appearances as a relief pitcher last season and had ERA of 1.07, may be considered for a promotion to starting pitcher, and Uchi also hopes to become a starter.

The number of starting pitcher candidates has increased significantly since last season. Young players, mid-career players, veterans, and new foreign players will compete fiercely to push the team forward.