On the 4th, pitcher Sora Kato (21) from Meisei University, who was selected by Nippon-Ham in the fourth round of the draft, held contract negotiations at a hotel in Tokyo and signed a provisional contract with a signing bonus of 40 million yen and an annual salary of 7 million yen (both amounts are estimates). He is the first among the players selected in the main draft across all 12 teams to sign. The 185 cm, 92 kg right-hander, whose current maximum speed is 157 km/h, set a goal to reach the Japanese record speed set by Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki (both of the Dodgers), stating, 'I want to reach around the mid-160 km/h range.'

The right-hander, who finished solo negotiations, tightened his resolve. 'I lack basic physical strength, so first I want to build the foundation for the body I am aiming for by the time the new player joint independent training starts.' What he incorporated after the fall league season was training used by NFL (American professional football) players. He studied by watching YouTube. 'In terms of physicality, they are more amazing than any other sport. Their agility and jumping power also translate to baseball,' he said. His greedy attitude brought a smile to the face of Nippon-Ham Scouting Director Takashi Obuchi and others who value his potential for growth.