Rakuten Eagles infielder Rui Muneyama (22) energetically swung the bat at the Kin Town, Okinawa camp on the 3rd. He started batting practice early, starting just after 8:30 a.m. He continued to hit back the balls thrown by Ambassador Okajima, who served as the batting pitcher.

In his first season last year, he played in 122 games, batting .260 with 3 Home Run and 27 RBI. He was named to the Best Nine at shortstop. This season, his second year, he is working hard to hone himself in order to make even greater progress. "I need to get stronger in all areas. I want to improve my strength in both defense and my batting," he said emphatically.

One of the changes he has made to his batting, which he says he has been making through trial and error, is the angle of the ball he hits. "In order to give the ball an angle, rather than trying to hit a fly, I want to use my body in a way that gives the ball a good angle as a result of my swing." He is making fine adjustments as he looks to improve his power hitting.

During the batting practice session on the previous day, the 2nd, he hit a ball in the opposite direction over the fence. "There are still many areas where I need to improve. I want to improve my power while retaining my strengths," he said calmly, looking down at his feet.