Tomotaka Sakaguchi and Hatsuhiko Tsuji, who appeared on 'Professional baseball News 2026' broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on the 5th, mentioned Softbank Hawks' Taisei Makihara.

Mr. Sakaguchi praised his performance, saying, 'Other players are amazing too, so he doesn't get much attention, but in the end, he hits .300 and can be entrusted with the 8th, 9th, or sometimes 6th spot in the lineup. Because he can move things along, the parts of the batting order that need to be decided fall perfectly into place, and I think he's helping the team a lot. He's wonderful.' Mr. Tsuji also evaluated him, calling him 'the spice' of the team.

Makihara appeared in 135 games this season, recording a .300 batting average, 5 Home Runs, 48 RBI, and 11 stolen bases, while being entrusted with various roles in the batting order, including every spot except for 1st and 4th.

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"