I'm starting to feel the reality of entering the professional world. I want to work hard and remain humble every day so that I can earn a spot on the active roster as soon as possible.

Lotte's first-round developmental draft pick, Meaku Wakafuji (Takagawa Gakuen High School), tightened his resolve after completing his contract.

Wakatou is a 176 cm tall, 68 kg right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitter infielder. His position is short stop. He says, "I believe throwing from deep positions is a characteristic of my defense," highlighting his strength in defense utilizing his strong arm.

At the summer Koshien, he showed off his speed with a 5.9-second 50-meter dash and successful stolen bases. His legs are his weapon, and he aims to become a stolen base king in the future. Regarding base running, including stolen bases, he said, 'For base running, I look to fast players like Shuto for reference.'

Looking at the footage of his hitting, he gives the impression of having high bat-to-ball skills and the ability to spray hits across the entire field. When asked about the characteristics of his batting, he revealed, 'My biggest strength is my contact rate, that's the main thing.' Regarding his adjustment to wooden bats, he told us, 'I actually think I'm better with wood than with metal.'

He emphasized that during his three years in high school, he 'honed the speed of his first step in everything.' Looking ahead to his first professional season next year, he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, 'In my first year, I hope to quickly win the stolen base title in the farm league.'

▼ Miku Wakafuji

Date of Birth: January 10, 2009

Place of birth: Hiroshima

position: infielder

Throwing/Hitting: Right/Left

Height / Weight: 176 cm / 68 kg

Career: Takagawa Gakuen High School

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita