Whether or not a player makes the opening day first team does not determine the success or failure of the season.

Being in the first team at the start of the season is a great honor for a player, but the success or failure of the season is not decided at that point. Every year, there are quite a few players who start the season in the second team due to injury or poor performance, but then get promoted to the first team and contribute to the team.

This time, we will introduce the players from each Pacific League team who missed out on the opening day of the 2024 season but became valuable members of the first team after April. We will look back on the performance of the players who made up for their slow start at the start of the season and hope to see similar examples this season.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham

　Yukiya Saito pitcher Due to the surgery that had sidelined him the previous season, he started the season in the minor leagues, but since the summer he has been a regular in the relief corps. He pitched in 25 games, recording 6 hold points, 1 save, and an ERA of 1.71, demonstrating his outstanding stability and making the most of his strong fastball to become a standout in bullpen.

As fielder Kotaro Kiyomiya player However, due to an injury, he missed the opening day spot in the first team and struggled in the early stages of the season, but from June onwards he established himself as a main player. From July onwards, he recorded a monthly batting average of over .300 for four consecutive months, and produced 15 Home Run in just four months, demonstrating his overwhelming batting prowess as the core of the batting line-up from the summer onwards.

　Shun Mizutani player He started the season in the minor league, but after being promoted to the first team, he recorded the highest batting average in the interleague games in history, .438, and was named the interleague games MVP.He also had good results throughout the year, hitting 9 Home Run and batting .287 in 97 games. Daigo Kamikawahata player He started the season in the second team due to injury, but after being promoted, he played second base and shortstop depending on the team's circumstances. He played as a regular second baseman in the final stages of the season, and played in 106 games, helping the team advance.

Tohoku Rakuten

　Although Yuma Yasuda​ started the season in the minor league, he made his presence felt by posting a .383 on-base percentage, the highest in Eastern League. After being promoted to the major league in August, he showed his growth on the first team stage with a .262 batting average in 34 games, and contributed to the team's recovery in the final stages of the season.

　Yoshiaki Watanabe​ also started in the second team at the beginning of the season, but after being promoted to the first team in May, he performed well with a monthly batting average of .333. He ended up with a batting average of .250, which was higher than the team's batting average (.242), and overcame the slump of the previous year, which ended with a batting average of .143. Daisuke Nakashima​Rookie was also promoted to the first team in July, and recorded a monthly batting average of .293 in August. He made his presence felt until he was forced to leave the team due to injury, and played a part in the team's recovery after the summer.

Saitama Seibu

　Ichiro Tamura​pitcher did not make the opening day first team, but after being promoted in April, he pitch steadily, eventually appearing in 28 games, more than the previous year. He recorded ERA of 1.82, his second consecutive year in the single digits, proving once again that he is a valuable piece of bullpen with his high-level pitch performance.

　Yuta Nakamura​pitcher also missed out on being in the opening day first team, but after making his first appearance since the transfer in April, he played a wide range of roles, including pitching across inning. He pitched in a career-high 27 games and posted a solid ERA of 3.09, turning his transfer through the active player draft into an opportunity to greatly expand his playing field.

Chiba Lotte

　Riku Kikuchi​pitcher started the season in the minor leagues, and was unable to show his true potential when he was promoted to the major leagues in May, but after being promoted again in August he recorded his first professional win, first hold, and first save. In 20 games, he showed high-level pitch performance with ERA of 2.25, strike out rate of 10.13, and a K/BB of 5.40, and made his presence felt in the final stages of the season.

Due to an injury, 　Takabe Eito​ was unable to play in the first team in 2023, and even after his full return in 2024, he missed the opening day of the first team. However, after being promoted in May, he maintained a monthly batting average of .294 or higher for three consecutive months, and in July he achieved a monthly batting average of .405, winning his first monthly MVP award. Although he injured his left hand in September and missed the rest of the season, he made a strong impression of his comeback by recording a season batting average of .300.

Although 　Kyota Fujiwara​ missed the opening game due to an injury, he made his first appearance of the season on June 28th and has since established himself as a main player. His performance ups and downs, which had been an issue for him, have also improved, and he has recorded a career-best batting average of .290 in 74 games. He also performed well in the postseason, with 3 At Bat 9 hit for a batting average of .333, showing signs of his full potential.

Orix

​​Hiroshi Suzuki pitcher, a member of the active draft, missed the opening day of the season, but after being promoted in late May, he responded to a wide range of assignments, even crossing the inning line. He has pitched well for three consecutive months ERA since June, posting 10 hold points in 32 games, ERA a career-best 2.97 pitch. He showed his ability in his new home and became one of the supporters of bullpen

　Hitomi Honda pitcher He missed the start of the season due to an injury, but he was promoted in May and pitched a perfect pitch season with seven games runs without a start that month, and by August he had pitched 23 games with 11 hold points, ERA an excellent 2.86, and ERA a 6.34, breaking out of a slump the previous year in which he lacked consistency.

Fukuoka Softbank

　Takehiro Hasegawa pitcher missed the opening day of the season due to poor health, but since joining the first team in April, he has pitched in 32 games and scored 10 hold points. He showed a solid presence on the team he joined in the active draft and contributed to the team's league championship as a valuable left fielder.

​Hernandez pitcher, another lefty, also started the season with a broken arm, but made his first start of the season on April 29, and since then has dominated strike out and hitter with 72 points in 48 games. 21 hold 3 saves, ERA 2.25, strike out 13.50 slugging percentage, 5.14 K/BB, he had a season in which he showed his true potential in his second year in Japan.

　Tatsuru Yanagimachi He started the season with the second team, hampered by the thick outfield lineup, but after being promoted to the first team, he posted a consistent .269 batting average in 73 games. Tomoya Masaki player whoAnother was not included in the first team lineup for the season opener also struggled, hitting .270 with a .7 Home Run batting average in 80 games. Both players, who supported the left and right sides of the lineup hitter and outfield, contributed greatly to the team's recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

The presence of players who are promoted to the first team after the opening game is essential for fighting a long season.

It is almost impossible to fight through the season with only the members who made the opening day first team. In most cases, a team can fight through a long season by having players who are promoted from the second team after the opening day or players who return to the front line after injuries, which helps to create a new team.

Will there be any cases this season where players who missed out on the opening day first team will be able to show their true potential and become the ones to save their team after the season starts? Why not keep an eye on not only the players who made it into the opening day first team, but also the players who started the season in the second team and how they will perform in the future?

Text by Ryota Mochizuki