<figure id="attachment_293423" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-293423" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b3ec9043"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/01/2022111808011.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-293423" class="wp-caption-text">Nagano returned to his old team, the Giants, after a five-year absence. Nagano attended a press conference with manager Hara last November (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 Shinnosuke Abe, the Giants&#8217; head coach, has stirred up controversy by revealing that he told Hisayoshi Nagano, 38, who returned from Hiroshima, at a staff meeting before the spring training camp on January 20: &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry, but I can&#8217;t have three veterans on the bench.
 I&#8217;m sorry, but I can&#8217;t put the three veterans on the bench. （Two of them may fall (to the second team), or none of them may stay. They will have to compete with each other and do their best.
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 The &#8220;three veterans&#8221; Abe refers to are Nagano, Hiroyuki Nakajima (40), and Nobuhiro Matsuda (39), who transferred from Softbank. All of them play the same role as &#8220;right fielder in place of the left fielder. The reason for this is that they cannot have three players of the same type in the first team.
 All three have been on a downward trend in recent years, and it will be difficult for them to become regulars. Nagano&#8217;s batting average in the last two years has been in the .201 range, with two or three home runs. Nakajima batted .242 with one home run last season, and Matsuda similarly played in only 43 games, the fewest in his professional career, and did not hit a single home run. Coach Abe&#8217;s comments may seem unsympathetic, but it is probably an honest comment considering their current situation.
<h2> The Unexpected Role of the &#8220;Hot Man</h2>
 The three veterans overlap in type. And why did the Giants acquire Nagano and Matsuda if they are past their peak as players and cannot be expected to play a major role?
 Manager Tatsunori Hara, who has full authority over the Giants, must have appreciated their rare personalities. Nagano is said to have the best personality in baseball. He often holds dinner parties with his teammates beyond the boundaries of pitchers and fielders. He is also a good advisor to the younger players and is expected to eventually become a leader of the Giants.
 I would like Matsuda to enliven the team with his cheerful character, known as the &#8220;hot guy. The Giants finished in the B class last season for the first time in five years, and the mood on the bench was gloomy. Matsuda, who is always positive, might be able to refresh the atmosphere.
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 On the other hand, the additions of Nagano and Matsuda are not without their contradictions, which could create discord in the team.
 The team has a fixed number of players who can play in the first team. If the veterans are not promoted to the first team, no matter how hard they try, the youngsters sweating it out in the second team may become frustrated. Coach Abe is right, we cannot leave three players on the bench.
 Nevertheless, if Nagano and Matsuda are dropped to the second team, there is a possibility that they will be criticized, saying, &#8220;Why did you acquire them? Whether to keep them in the first team or drop them to the second team will be a difficult choice for manager Hara.
 The three veterans have a good track record but are not expected to be competitive. Their presence is causing a stir at the Giants.

 Kyodo News

 Abe, the head coach of the Giants, has caused a stir with his comments. Veterans Nagano, Nakajima, and Matsuda "will not be placed in the first team. Why did he acquire a veteran whose role overlaps with that of "right fielder?" Inconsistency and possible dissonance between them and the youngsters.

We can&#8217;t keep the three of them.&#8221; &#8230;The inconsistency and dissonance of &#8220;acquiring veterans to fill roles&#8221; of the Giants, Nakajima, Nagano, and Matsuda, is ruthlessly reported.

We can’t keep the three of them.” …The inconsistency and dissonance of “acquiring veterans to fill roles” of the Giants, Nakajima, Nagano, and Matsuda, is ruthlessly reported.

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