Lotte's Misho Nishikawa, in his second professional season, currently boasts a batting average of .299, third in the league, and an on-base percentage of .3646, fourth in the league.

Nishikawa's performance this season has been relatively consistent, with fewer ups and downs. While he's had three consecutive games without hit, he's only gone three consecutive games without reaching base once. Even when he doesn't get hit, he's getting on base with Walk, which makes me feel like he's improved his level.

"I think I've been able to draw a lot of Walk this year, and when hits aren't coming, Walk become important. When I'm playing a game, I want a hit, but when I look at the game as a whole, there are times when I really regret not being greedy and taking Walk, and I did that a lot last year, so I'm trying to make the most of that this year."

"After striking out in my first three at-bats, I want to get a hit in my fourth at-bat, so I tend to swing at Walk outside the strike zone, but I try to be patient and draw walks. I think that as I keep playing more games, it will all come together, so I'm consciously working on that."

As Nishikawa analyzes, this season he has already drawn 35 Walk, a significant increase from the 16 Walk he drew last season.

I wonder if last year's experience is proving useful there.

"I have that experience, and I learned a lot from Kensuke Kondo (of Softbank Hawks) during the All-Star break that Walk are absolutely essential to winning the batting hitter, so I think they're really important."

Coach Kenta Kurihara, who also watched Nishikawa's batting last season, commented on his improvement from last year, saying, "The increase Walk shows his growth. I think he's able to distinguish between fastball and balls and be patient, which is different from last year. Last year, I think his desire to get a hit always won out."

Coach Kurihara added with a smile, "In reality, there are few periods throughout the year when he's in good form. There are many times when he's not doing well, so being able to draw walks is very important in order to keep his Walk average from dropping. I think that shows his growth."

He has also hit seven Home Run surpassing the three he hit last season. Coach Kurihara gave him a certain level of praise, saying, "I had predicted that he would hit more home runs this year than last year, so the current numbers are as expected, although I would like him to hit a few more." However, he still called for more home runs.

Nishikawa has become a central figure in the batting lineup, leading the team despite being only in his second year. At the "Mynavi All-Star Game 2026" held in July, he took a photo with Hayato Sakamoto (The Giants), who he admired when he was in elementary school. Just as Nishikawa admired Sakamoto, Nishikawa himself wants to become a player that children who aspire to become professional baseball players will look up to in the future.

"I think everyone in the professional baseball world expects me to become a player that everyone knows, and I've always thought that way myself, so I feel I have to produce results every year for my own sake, and I'm very conscious of that."

I will achieve my goal of winning the batting hitter this season, becoming a key player for the team and one of the leading players in the baseball world.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita