"I focus more on defense than batting, so my primary goal is to be catcher that pitcher can trust to throw to."
Lotte's sixth-round draft pick, Ryoju Okamura (Tomishima High School), places a strong emphasis on defense.
Okamura appeared in a friendly game against the Czech national team on February 26, starting line-up at "No. 6, DH". In the second at bat with no outs in the third inning of a 5-3 game, first base runner and Kyuto Ueda decided to take second stolen base on the third pitch from 2 strike and got two outs, and Novak, left, hit a timely hit center fielder before change-up 129 km on the fourth pitch he threw from 1 ball 2 strike. In the sixth at bat of the -4 eighth inning with two outs bases loaded, he was driven in by two pitches against Minaszyk in right, but from there he made his presence felt with the bat in front of the first team leaders as he fouled out, looked at the ball, and chose to push Walk off 141 km fastball on the 10th pitch from 3 balls 2 strike.
Even after the farm regular season started, on March 19, Rakuten Eagles two games, 0-1, 3rd inning, no outs, runner first at bat, Takahisa Hayakawa pitched from 2 balls 2 strike to second baseman the 10th pitch change-up to regular season the second first hit, infield hit, and on March 22, Seibu Lions two games, 6-1, 3rd inning, no outs, runner second at bat, Wataru Matsumoto the first pitch curve to left field. His first professional solo shot into the stands.
In the April 26 game against Hayate, with no outs runner in the 1-0 3rd inning, Yamato Shiroki threw an in-course 142 km fastball to left on the second pitch he threw from one ball, and with two outs runner in the 7-1 6th inning, he bunted third base line the first pitch 145 km fastball thrown by Shiroki hit in the 3rd inning.
He recorded multiple hit in The Giants' minor league game on the 9th, showing remarkable ability to handle professional pitcher, especially considering he's only in his first year out of high school.
One might think he's focusing on hitting, but he says, "Batting is secondary, or rather, I think batting comes after defense, so I'm not really consciously thinking about defense. I think I'm currently spending more time thinking about defense."
In the farm team, he formed a battery with pitcher who had a proven track record in the first team, such as Yuki Karakawa and Kazuya Ojima. "With players like Kojima, he has his own way of thinking and pitch selection, so I feel that working with first-team players has been very educational in terms of inning selection, as I've been able to learn from his thoughts during innings and before games and incorporate them into my own pitch selection."
Do they reflect on the game after returning to the dormitory, so that they can use the experience and lessons learned to their advantage in the future?
"We do review the game, but basically, we analyze the opposing team in the dorm. For example, if we're playing the Giants, the day before, I'll look at the video and data to make notes about which batters are weak and what their weaknesses are. Then, on the day of the game, I'll talk to pitcher and we'll put together a pitching strategy to attack them in this way."
He's focused on defense, but his hitting has been impressive so far in the minor leagues, with a batting average of .254, Home Run, and 6 RBI. It makes you want to see his batting come through. "I don't really worry about batting that much, or rather, I know I need to bat, but first and foremost, I want to closer the opposing team pitcher, and if that goes well, then I'll think about batting."
"catcher who makes pitcher shake their head doesn't understand pitcher, and I think they don't understand the batter either. So my ideal is to become catcher who makes pitcher nod and throw with confidence, trusting my pitch selection and mitt." He aims to become catcher who can earn the trust of pitcher and will gain practical experience in the minor leagues.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
