"I went into this season with the goal of getting results with the bat, and I think that went well. After I started getting results, I was given more playing time in games, and although my hits have been inconsistent, I feel the best I've ever felt compared to the past three years. Lately, I haven't been hitting well, but I think I've been able to bunt and Walk reasonably well in those situations. There are still things I'm not satisfied with, but I'm doing my best."

Lotte's Yuta Kaneda, in his fourth year as a professional, summarized the first half of the season as follows. Since turning pro, he has been plagued by injuries, undergoing "left wrist arthroscopic FCC repair" in July of his second year, 2024, and "right wrist arthroscopic TFCC repair and right ulnar carpi extensor tendon stabilization" in July of last season, his third year.

He became a developmental player this season, but so far he has played in 34 games with a batting average of .256, Home Run, 7 RBI, and an on-base percentage of .352. His batting average was .154 at the end of April, but he has improved his performance since May.

On June 6, in the Rakuten Eagles farm team game, with two outs and runners on first and second in the ninth inning, in his first at-bat with two outs and runners on second and second baseman Masahiro Ehara, he hit a walk-off hit that became a timely infield hit on the fastball first pitch thrown by , and in the The Giants second team game on September 9, in his first at-bat with no runner outs and no outs in the 9th inning, Baldonado repelled the sixth pitch, a 151 km/h fastball thrown from a 3-ball, 2-strike hit in front of center fielder. In the game against Yakult on the 14th of the same month, with a 15-0 run in the sixth inning with no outs runner in his fourth at-bat, he hit his first professional Home Run to right-center on the second fork pitch thrown by Shohei Numata from the first pitch, hitting a .300 batting average for the month.

In June, in the Nippon-Ham farm team game on June 14, with two outs and no strikeouts in the ninth inning with a 5-1 lead, runner his fourth at-bat, Yukiya Saito brought the outside two seam fastball from 1 ball to 2 strike to left field, hit and in the third at-bat on the 21st against Hayate with two outs and a runner on second in the 6th inning, he hit a timely hit by Keishiro Nozato to break third base line with two outs from 1 fastball strike, and other outstanding performances increased his playing opportunities in June, posting a monthly batting average of .357.

Even after July began, in the 1st's game Oisix, in the third inning with one out and no runner in his second at-bat with a 1-0 lead, Kazutomo Iguchi threw the fifth pitch from a three-ball, 1-strike out, and his doble to break through the outside fastball to right-center field, was a good performance.

Regarding doble he hit to right-center field in the game against Oisix Kaneda reflected, "Since the start of this season, I've been taught by various coaches like Fukuura-san, Hori-san, and (Hosoya) Kei-san to first aim for left-center field and how to use my left hand. I think that was a hit to right-center field that I was able to push with my left hand properly, rather than a hooked hit to right-center field, so I think what I was conscious of has paid off."

When told that center fielder-field hit off Baldonado was also excellent, Kaneda said, "That day was a turning point for me, and I learned how to use my body better from that day on, so it felt good." It was a hit in The Giants' minor league game at Zozo Marine Stadium on May 9th that became the catalyst for the improvement in his batting.

Are there more players who are aiming for the ideal hit these days?

"The hit to center fielder off Baldonado, the hit to right-center field off Iguchi, and the hit to center fielder off Hayate—I'm hitting more of the ideal shots, so I want to improve my success rate."

In addition to his primary position in infield, he also plays in outfield, including left and right field. "Of course, playing in outfield is difficult, and I have some anxieties, but I'm practicing, and I think all I can do is do my best with what I can do, so I'm treating it separately from batting," he says, looking ahead.

To play as a developmental player, hitting is crucial. "I want to continue working on my batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and defense." There are a growing number of promising young fielder, including Kaneda, who is in his fourth year out of high school.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita