Nippon-Ham' new foreign player, pitcher Saurin Rao (26) and infielder Rodolfo Castro (26), joined the first-team training camp in Nago, Okinawa on the 7th and held a press conference. Rao, who has experience playing with several Japanese players in the majors, was impressed by the preparation attitude of Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) and others. He is interested in meditation and has expressed a desire to absorb Japanese culture.

Rao has been inspired by Japanese major leaguers. He has played alongside Yamamoto, Shintaro Fujinami (31, currently with DeNA), and Shinnosuke Ogasawara (28, with the Nationals), and said he became interested in meditation. "I listened to their preparations and way of thinking. I was impressed by the way Japanese players approach the game, and I thought that if I could adopt that kind of mindset, I could take the next step," he said.

He is a right-handed player who has just switched to pitcher in 23 years and is expected to grow. He is also interested in experiencing Japanese culture, such as Zen meditation, and says, "I want to calm my body and mind and prepare myself to be able to concentrate on the game. baseball I believe that 99% of the game is mental, so I think I can maximize my performance in the game by preparing my mentality," he said, intending to lead to success in Japan.

Castro, a utility player who can play infield and outfield, including second base and shortstop, is known for his energetic play. He hit 11 home runs in the majors in 2022 and 19 in AAA last season, showing his power. "I try to be competitive every day and give it my all," he said. He will play many positions as needed, but said enthusiastically, "I believe the leader in baseball is short stop, so I'd like to stick to playing short stop." (Yamaguchi Yasushi)