Rakuten Eagles announced on the 29th that Michihiro Ogasawara (53), formerly of The Giants; Toshio Haru (56), who served as head coach for the Orix Buffaloes until this season; Hirotoshi Masui (42), formerly of the Orix Buffaloes; Motoyuki Akahori (56), manager of Hayate; Tomotaka Tamaki (51), formerly of Hiroshima; Wataru Karashima (36); and Akira Otsuka (51) will be appointed as coaches for the next season.

Rakuten Eagles, aiming to bounce back from last place this season, has made changes to its coaching staff. First up is Ogasawara, who hit 378 Home Run in his 19-year professional career. He joined Nippon-Ham in the 1996 draft as the third pick and had a successful career. After joining The Giants as a free agent in the 2006 offseason, he hit 30 Home Run for four consecutive years from 2007. After retiring, he gained extensive experience as a coach for Chunichi, Nippon-Ham, and The Giants. This season, the team's batting average of .239 and Home Run of 103 were both fifth in the league. Their 473 runs scored were the worst in the league. The legend, known for his full swing, is expected to improve the team's offense.

The team will also welcome Mr. Haru, who served as the head coach for the Orix Buffaloes this season. After playing for teams such as Yokohama (now DeNA), he was appointed as the chief development coach for the Orix Buffaloes in 2023. Since then, he has held positions such as minor league manager. He has a reputation for enthusiastic coaching and is expected to be a valuable asset to the Rakuten Eagles, who have many players in their growth phase.

Tamaki played for Hiroshima and the Orix Buffaloes. After retiring from active play in 2005, he served as a coach for Hiroshima and other teams. This season, he had taken a position as a coach for the corporate baseball team Samty.

Two individuals with ties to the manager will join the pitcher department. Masui, who played for Nippon-Ham and the Orix Buffaloes, will make his coaching debut. During his time with Nippon-Ham, he studied under Manager Yoshii, who was the pitcher coach at the time. It is also encouraging that he has experienced winning the Japan Series twice and wore the Samurai Japan uniform in the 2015 Premier 12 and the 2017 WBC.

Akahori, who won the Best Relief pitcher award five times with Kintetsu during his playing days, is also highly experienced as a coach. He was teammates with Manager Yoshii during their time at Kintetsu, and there was a period when they were utilized together as a 'double stopper.' Now, they will form a 'tag team' once again as instructors.

Shinya Tsuruoka (45), whose appointment was announced recently, will also join. The coaching staff has undergone 'major reinforcements' in an aim to launch a counteroffensive.