Rakuten Eagles He is aiming to play in all games as a regular. Fumiya Kurokawa infielder (24) opened his voluntary training in Sendai City on April 27. Last season, he played in 83 games, the most of his career, and hit .299 with a .4 Home Run and .33 RBI batting average. This offseason, he strengthened his long-ball hitting ability and physicality while training with Hanshin Tigers and Jun Nishi. He will complete the season as the center of the team with his improved hitting.
The sound of Kurokawa's passionate voice echoed through the indoor training facility. This off-season, he has been doing intensive training on his own in Wakayama and Okinawa before arriving in Sendai. His preparations for further progress are steadily progressing. He can't wait for the season to arrive. "My physique is already in perfect shape. I've been working on building a strong physique that will allow me to get the required number of at-bats and play in all games in the first team, so I think my body is in good shape," he said with a smile.
Last season, his sixth year as a pro, he secured playing time at second base from June onwards and truly blossomed. He played in a career-high 83 games, batting .299 with four Home Run and 33 RBI. This offseason, he has been working hard on his batting, aiming to improve his power, while also strengthening his physique. "I've been doing voluntary training to increase my muscle mass," he said. His weight has increased by about 2kg, now at 88kg. "I feel like I'm in good shape," he said, his smile exuding confidence.
During his batting practice at his private training, he has been focusing on "right center field" and "ball speed." Starting this year, his home stadium, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park, has installed new outfield wall, with the left center field fence moved forward by up to six meters and the right center field fence moved forward by up to four meters. "Rather than hitting home run to right field, I focused on hitting strong balls to right center field, as the right center field field is narrower. I also try to hit strong balls in the opposite direction and hit fast balls even with a higher angle," he said, looking ahead to an increase At Bat.
He also received new stimulation. His voluntary training was conducted jointly with Hanshin Tigers 's Nishi Jun, who switched to being fielder this season. They were teammates in NOMO Japan in middle school. "I've always been good friends (with Nishi Jun). I was planning to do it alone, but by chance we ended up doing it together." He said he learned about the psychology of pitcher and the importance of physical strength from Nishi Jun, who was pitcher until last year. "We talked about how pitcher think, and I learned a lot." They get along well, but they didn't get too close, and instead steadily worked on each other's challenges. It was a fruitful time.
Last season, he mainly played second base, but also played first and third base. This season, he is conscious of securing a regular position at second base, but is prepared to adapt depending on the team's situation. "I want to be able to respond to the needs of the team, so I have been properly prepared." His goal is to become a player who is strong in competition. "I want to be a batter who can hit a home run when the team needs one." He will grow into a key player and run through the season.
(Kouta Miyauchi)
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