The veteran with nine Home Run hits seven this season

​Masahiro Nishino is in his 12th year as a pro, having played Orix Buffaloes. While his playing opportunities have decreased in recent years, he showed his presence as a young player in 2024, batting .300 in 89 games. Last season, as the oldest fielder, he not only batted .287, but also recorded seven Home Run tied for fifth on the team. Given that he had only nine Home Run in the 10 years leading up to 2024, this was a season that left a big impact.

Demonstrating league-leading power

Let's take a closer look at fielder’s choice 's batting last season. His slugging percentage of .443 was sixth among the 64 players who had at least 200 at-bats in Pacific League last season. Also, there's the "ISO" (slugging percentage minus batting average), which is an indicator used to evaluate pure slugging power, and he also ranked 11th with an ISO of .157. It's not just that he's hit more long balls than before, but he's also demonstrated top-level slugging power across the league.

Focusing on a certain indicator that is important in the majors

The increase in fly balls is often cited as a factor in Nishino's improved power. In fact, last season's fly ball percentage was 45.0%, which, while not as high as the league average, was a significant increase from the previous year. However, if hitter who are not power hitters simply increase the number of fly balls, there is a possibility that they will hit more pop flies and other weak ground balls with short distances, and it seems that fielder’s choice fits this concern.

So, what we want to focus on is "pull air," which has recently become important in Major League Baseball. This refers to balls that are "pulled" and "not grounders (fly line drive)" when all batted balls are classified by direction and nature. Because pull airs have a high probability of becoming long hits or Home Run, the trend is to evaluate the quality of batting by the number of such balls. Last season, fielder’s choice 's pull air rate was 17.5%, higher than the league average of 16.4%. In other words, it's not that he's simply hitting more fly balls, but that he's become able to pull balls and hit them more powerfully.

In addition, fielder’s choice 's pull-air percentage in 2014, when he hit a batting average of .300, was 14.2%, a high figure in his career. Comparing the number of Home Run alone, it may seem like his batting style suddenly changed in 2015, but it is also possible that the actual change began in 2014.

Maintaining excellent bat control even as long hits increase

So far, we've looked at data related to slugging ability. Essentially, if you want to increase your long hits, you'll swing harder and likely strike out more often. However, fielder’s choice 's struck out rate last season was 6.7% and his contact rate was 90.5%, both of which were the best figures among players with at least 200 at-bats in Pacific League, and there were no significant changes compared to data up to 2024. He had succeeded in hitting the ball harder without losing his original strength of bat control.

After his contract renewal fielder’s choice commented, "Even at this age, I still have room to grow, and this season has given me hope." 2026 marks the 10th year since he inherited number 5 jersey from his respected father, Keiichi Hirano. This season, he will continue to play with the same vibrancy as his "master," paving the way to the team's first league championship in three years.

*All figures in the text and tables are as of the end of the 2025 season.

Text and Data Stadium