Nippon-Ham announced changes to their first and second teams for spring training on the 21st. infielder Naoki Arizono (22) will join the first team, while second-round draft pick rookie outfielder Kane Edokpolo (22) from Osaka University of Economics will be demoted to the second team.

Manager Shinjo had high hopes for Arizono's power hitting, saying at a staff meeting in January, "I feel like Arizono's batting is about to explode. I think Arizono could be interesting outfield too. He has a strong arm. He can protect Polanco as well. As long as he can hit, we'll be happy." The fifth-year high school graduate, who got his first professional hit last season, now has a chance to make an impression.

Edopolo was immediately promoted to the first team after scoring 2 hit, including a shot over the middle doble in a practice game against Hanshin Tigers on the 8th (Nago). However, after that, until the game against Chunichi (Chatan) on the 19th, he played 4 games with 9 At Bat no hit 1 Walk, 5 struck out and no results. He revealed how he felt during the period when he was unable to play: "I didn't feel that much of a sense of urgency, but I did feel that there was still a lot of work to be done.