<figure id="attachment_295420" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-295420" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3ee07ae6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/02/2023021112583.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-295420" class="wp-caption-text">Okoye delivers a timely hit during a red-and-white game on February 11. Manager Hara looks on in the background (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 There are a lot of older members of the Giants, so I am completely young. It&#8217;s been a long time since I&#8217;ve been conscious of doing the same amount of practice as the rookies.&#8221;
 Rui Okoye, 25, who was drafted by the Giants in the current draft, told the press after the game that he was satisfied with his performance.
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 He had three hits and two hits in his first game. &#8220;I have made some major modifications to my hitting form, and it seems to have contributed to the positive results. From this season, he has been standing 30 cm closer to home base, one foot closer to the base of his spikes, in order to hit the ball to the outside corner of the plate. By standing with his bat in front of his body, he swings at inside pitches with the shortest distance from above his head. He is pleased with this change, saying, &#8220;It took me eight years (since joining the team), but I finally fixed it.
 He was famous for not practicing hard when he was with Rakuten, but he seems to have changed as a player with the Giants. He actively participates in &#8220;early work&#8221; (early morning practice) recommended by chief hitting coach Hiroshi Okubo. He says he is not good at getting up early, but he wakes up at 4:00 a.m. by setting his alarm four times. He seems to be having a satisfactory camp, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m getting a lot out of it.
<h2> When he was a Rakuten player, he was accused of being &#8220;naive.</h2>
 Okoye&#8217;s professional career with Rakuten was not a satisfying one. He was overly self-conscious, and manager Kazuhisa Ishii said, &#8220;You&#8217;re not thinking straight. If he doesn&#8217;t come out soon, his own baseball career will suffer. Okoye was unfaithful to the coaches, refusing to listen to their advice.
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 Rakuten&#8217;s outfielders are well rounded, with Hiroaki Shimauchi, Haruki Nishikawa, and Ryosuke Tatsumi. In addition, Hisaki Abe, a right-handed hitter who can also play outfield, joined the team from Chunichi, and his value as an outfielder was beginning to disappear. There was no room for Okoye, and he played only six games for the first team last season. On the other hand, it is true that he had a .327 batting average and a .411 on-base percentage with the second team. It is no wonder that he is frustrated with the Giants&#8217; outfielders, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m working hard, so why don&#8217;t they use me in the first team?
 The Giants&#8217; outfielders also include Yoshihiro Maru and Walker, and a new foreigner, Brinson. However, Maru will turn 33 this year, and Walker has defensive concerns. Brinson&#8217;s performance is also unknown, so it cannot be said that the team has a solid regular lineup. Okoye&#8217;s chances are greater than Rakuten&#8217;s, and he is probably more motivated. Manager Tatsunori Hara said, &#8220;He is putting out good stuff. He is an experienced player.&#8217; I think this is also making Okoye more positive.
 Okoye also has an urgent need to produce results: the January 19 issue of Shukan Shincho reported that he attended a banquet held at the end of last year by an alleged &#8220;antisocial&#8221; person.
 According to the magazine, Mr. A, who is said to be a member of a third-tier organization of a designated crime syndicate and has a record of arrest for extortion, held the party. After the meeting had begun, Okoye joined in the middle of the meeting. According to the Giants&#8217; response to Shukan Shincho, Okoye was not aware that Mr. A was an antisocial person.
 In the past, several Giants players have been dismissed from the team or banned from the team for gambling on baseball or for releasing obscene videos. Even though Okoye was not aware that he was antisocial, the fact is that he attended a banquet that was considered problematic. If he does not tighten his mind very much, he may suffer the same fate as the players involved in the baseball betting. It is only natural that they are desperate.
 While there are high expectations for Okoye in his new home, he has a scratch on his shin. There seems to be no doubt that this season will be a backwater season for him.

 Kyodo News

 Okoye, who joined the Giants as an active draft pick, is making a big splash. He looks different from his unfaithful days with Rakuten. There are two reasons behind this, one positive and one negative. What are the expectations for Okoye to win a regular position and the suspicion that he is involved with "antisocial groups"?

Okoye: &#8220;Four alarms in early morning practice&#8221; and &#8220;It took 8 years to correct the form&#8221; Okoye: &#8220;People have changed at the Giants&#8221; Urgent situation.

Okoye: “Four alarms in early morning practice” and “It took 8 years to correct the form” Okoye: “People have changed at the Giants” Urgent situation.

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