Nippon-Ham On the 7th, the team held a press conference at its minor league facility in Kamagaya, Chiba, to welcome Toki Hiwatari (21) catcher, who was acquired via trade from the Chunichi.Hiwatori, who joined the team via a historic first-ever trade between development league players with Miyauchi, graduated from Kasumigaura High School and played for BC Ibaraki before joining Chunichi as the first-round pick in the development draft in 2024.This season, his third in the development league, he appeared in 27 farm team games, posting a .273 batting average (66 At Bat 18 hit), 1 Home Run, and 8 RBI.

He cited his power at the plate as a key selling point, saying, “My strengths are my ability to swing hard, my power, and my ability to hit for extra bases, so I really want people to keep watching those aspects.” Chunichi As for defense, he has been working on improving his skills, saying in his self-promotion, “Whether it’s blocking or throwing, I think I’m getting a little closer to my goals with each accurate execution. I’d also been focusing on improving my contact rate at the plate, and I feel like I’ve managed to improve that at least a little bit this year.”

He said that when he joined the team, manager Shinjo sent him a direct message saying, "I hope you can be of help to The Fighters," and he shared his impression of the manager, saying, "I thought he was a manager who was close to the amazing players, and I received a message from him before coming here, so I see him as a good manager."

Acting General Manager Kida, who was also present, expressed his expectations, saying, "We acquired him after comprehensively evaluating his approach to baseball, and we believe he will definitely contribute to The Fighters 'win in the near future."