Kyohei Ueno, a former Orix Buffaloes player who retired in the 2024 offseason, has transitioned from being in charge of operations for the minor league team to becoming a scorekeeper this season, contributing to the team's win as they compete for first place.
"I never thought I'd change roles in just one year, but I always wanted to return to being closer to the team eventually. I'm doing my best to convey information that might offer hints or insights to the team," said Ueno, who has been a scorer for over two months into the season, explaining his approach in his first year.
Ueno is from Osaka Prefecture. At Kyoto Kokusai High School, he was infielder known for his wide defense range and strong arm, and he joined Nippon-Ham in the 2019 draft as the third pick. In April 2022, his third year, he got his first hit (doble the left field line) in a game against Rakuten Eagles (at Sapporo Dome), but he was released in the offseason and joined Orix Buffaloes on a development contract. In 2023, his first year with the team, he was given many opportunities, including playing in a career-high 80 games in the minor leagues, but he was unable to secure a spot on the main roster and left the team in the offseason of 2024.
However, in January 2025, he was assigned to the Stadium Operations Group of the Business Operations Department of the team's Business Headquarters, where he became involved in the operation of the second team. He worked with his superiors, Yoshikazu Okamura and Kenichi Marumo, to negotiate with sponsors and to hold preliminary consultations with local governments and others regarding holding games in regional areas, learning about the behind-the-scenes aspects of operations that he had no way of knowing during his playing days. "We have meetings with the people in charge of the hosting location six months in advance, and we also hold regular meetings every month. Many people are involved in making the games happen. From a player's perspective, you might think, 'Why hold games in inconvenient regional areas?', but in order to play in the first team in the future, you have to experience these things, and it also has meaning in connecting regional fans to the first team." The players are all cooperative, but by experiencing the behind-the-scenes work that makes the players shine, he has come to understand the depth of professional baseball.
After studying game management for the second team throughout the year, Mr. Ueno was forced to make a change for the first of many times since he became a professional at the end of last year. It was a transfer to the Scorer Group, Administration Department, Baseball Team Headquarters. There were eight members under Group Manager Fumiaki Imamura, and until Yosuke Takasu, an alumnus and former hitting coach for DeNA and Rakuten Eagles joined the team in February, the only one from infielder was Group Manager Imamura, who was on the bench. It seems that the team's request that he "see things from the infielder perspective" led to his reassignment after only one year.
He was transferred in January of this year, and from the second phase of spring training in February, he began visiting other teams as an "advance observer." Until mid-May, he was in charge of the Lotte Marines, and his main job was to analyze the data he collected on hitter from watching games and then convey that information to his own team's battery at meetings just before games. After night games, he would return to his hotel room and compile the materials. "At first, I wasn't getting any sleep at all, more than I had ever done before (laughs). I have a set list of tasks, but I want to provide as much information as possible (to the team), so it inevitably takes me until late. I don't want to have any doubts (like not having analyzed things sufficiently). If I do that, I won't be able to convey the information (accurately)."
There's something he always keeps in mind: his intuition as a former professional baseball player and infielder. "Anyone can see what situation each hitter is in right now. But there are things you can only understand by watching from the closest possible position (behind the net)." For example, even if the data shows hitter is hit inside pitches, they might also be able to handle outside pitches. "If I tell them that this has happened before, they might change their pitch selection a little. I do it hoping to make things a little easier for the pitcher and catcher, or at least shorten the time they have to think about their pitch selection," he says. His ability to convey the opposing team's offensive strategies in detail is also due to infielder 's perspective.
Regarding Ueno's work, Group Leader Imamura commented, "It's a difficult job because you have to decide for yourself how far to delve into a topic, but she's doing a really great job. Her work is on par with someone who's been doing it for many years."
"But I always end up digging deeper. There's no answer that says 'this is OK,' so there's no end to it. The more I chase, the more I'm chased. But I'm happy when I can properly closer a batter who's in good form." He travels to ballparks all over the country today, finding joy in the fact that the materials he creates, which combine data and his own intuition, are useful to the team.
Interview and text by Masaki Kitano
