◆ Three rookie pitcher pitched in Live BP

On the 11th, Lotte kicked off the first round of their first-team spring training camp in Miyakonojo.

Rookie 3 pitcher, which consisted of 2nd overall draft pick Kaihiro Mori (Meiji University), 5th overall draft pick Hayato Fuji (Nippon Express), and 7th overall draft pick Daisho (Honda Suzuka), made their first appearance on Live BP. The rookie 3 pitcher took the ball from the third year high school graduate Ryusei Terachi.

Mori seemed to throw off the timing of Koki Yamaguchi and Soto with breaking ball breaking ball Teraji evaluated Mori's pitch, saying, "breaking ball were all in the zone, and he was hitting them low, and he was able to throw curveballs and get fouls by throwing them off the timing. I thought the level of all his pitches was high."

Teraji analyzed Fuji, saying, "Fuji's fastball is good, but his curveballs are also good. He has two types of curveballs, slider and a curveball, and I thought they were all sharp." Regarding Taisei, he reflected, "His fastball has a different quality to Mori and Fuji's.It's heavy, and it feels like it hits you hard, so I think it was good."

◆ Ono and Haruya Tanaka also appeared on Live BP

Aside from the three rookie pitcher, Fumiya Ono and Haruya Tanaka also pitched in the live BP. Shota Ueda, who received Ono's pitches, said, "I think it was well-balanced. I think breaking ball is slider, so I was able to get strikeouts with the inside pitch to the left, so I think it was good."

Haruya Tanaka reflected, "I got a BP for the first time today, but I think I've improved since last year," and said of fork, "There were some issues with it today, so I'll make sure to work on that. Also, there weren't any count, so it's only a reference, and I'd like to work on it in future games."

Ueda, who received Tanaka Haru's pitches, said, "I think his fastballs were strong, especially the high ones. He mainly used falling balls and breaking ball, but I talked to him and we agreed that he still has some room to improve."

◆ Fujiwara: "My senses have pretty much returned."

Kyota Fujiwara focused on building up his physique during his voluntary training in January, and had said that he would practice swinging the bat during the camp in February. At the Miyakonojo spring camp, he swung the bat thoroughly, saying, "My sense has pretty much returned."

External matches will start on the 14th. "I'll try to use the form I've practiced as much as possible, and not swing too hard or change my form by thinking of that. I'll try to find a way to make my own swing with balance," he said enthusiastically.

◆ Koki Yamaguchi "I finished without any injuries and in good spirits"

Koki Yamaguchi, who is the same age as Fujiwara, summarized the Miyakonojo spring training camp by saying, "I'm glad that I was able to finish without any injuries. From here on, we'll be playing actual games, so I want to improve my sense of game action."

He took the batting order in the Live BP on the 7th and 11th, but looked ahead and said, "I can see the ball, but I still have a lot to learn to hit it, so I'll have to figure out how to adjust to it without having had any real games.I don't think what I've been doing is wrong, so I think I just need to hit it."

Regarding first baseman 's defense, he said, "I think I'm doing it in a good way," and regarding outfield 's defense, this was the first time this year that he was a special guard.

◆ Matsuishi: "I could hear it very well."

Shinya Matsuishi, the only development player at the Miyakonojo spring training camp, reflected, "I think that during this time I was able to raise my own level."

In an interview on the 4th, temporary coach Matsui Kazuo said, "I would like to hear about both defense and batting," to which he replied with shining eyes, "I got to hear a lot. First of all, about his batting, and defense was really good."

Specifically, he said, "It was the way I threw the ball. When I told him my throws were getting rough, he taught me how to use my body, which was extremely helpful for me." It seems that it was a very fulfilling experience.

Lotte's second Itoman camp will begin on the 13th.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita