Shin Nakai (22), a pitcher from Komazawa University who was selected as the second-round draft pick by the Orix Buffaloes, expressed his excitement on the 23rd about starting his professional baseball career in his hometown of Kansai. At the university's baseball club dormitory in Tokyo, the 158 km/h right-hander received a draft greeting from Manager Kishida, who said, 'I selected you as a pitcher who can join the starting rotation immediately. Please lend us your strength.' Nakai promptly declared his intentions, stating, 'I am very happy to join a team close to home as a Hyogo native. I want to win the Rookie of the Year award.'

During his time at Kuae Elementary School, he used tickets distributed at school to watch Orix Buffaloes games at Hotto Motto Field Kobe. 'Since I was an elementary school student, I watched pitcher Chihiro Kaneko throwing all the time,' he said. After entering university to focus on being a pitcher, he used pitch footage of the 2014 Sawamura Award-winning right-hander as a teaching tool to master the change-up. At the same time, he increased his maximum speed by more than 10 km/h and established a style that freely controls the pace of the game.

In the team, aces such as Miyagi and Yamashita are sidelined for a long period due to surgery. The 22-year-old, who is enthusiastic and says, 'My weapon is a powerful fastball. I want to live up to expectations,' will become a reliable presence in the starting rotation. (Shunta Nambu)

Shin Nakai. Born April 22, 2004, in Kasai City, Hyogo. 22 years old. Started baseball with the Kuae Baseball Sports Boy Scouts in his first year at Kuae Elementary School, and played for Hyogo Hokuban Little Senior while at Kasai Junior High. At Shimonoseki Kokusai, he joined the bench with number 6 starting from the summer of his first year. He appeared in Koshien in the spring of his second year and the summer of his third year. In the summer of his third year, he was the runner-up as a short stop and pitcher. 50-meter sprint in 6.1 seconds. Long-distance throw of 120 meters. 177 cm, 82 kg. Right-handed thrower and right-handed batter.