On June 26, Sho Nakata, 35, an infielder who had been a candidate to be the mainstay of Chunichi&#8217;s poor hitting team, was demoted to the second base due to poor performance.
 He had a .283 batting average and 12 runs batted in in March and April, as expected, but since he was struck off the roster in May due to a left ankle injury, he hasn&#8217;t been able to hit at all.
 Nakata&#8217;s condition only worsened, as he expressed his mixed feelings, saying, &#8220;For the first time in my 17 years as a pro, I don&#8217;t know how I&#8217;m hitting anymore. Is this slump temporary or a decline due to age? &#8230;&#8230; Some people are saying that he should have been ordered to readjust to the farm sooner.
<figure id="attachment_379135" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-379135" style="width: 2844px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8d727ce8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/06/74a387ebfae8cec5eafd4b43c293a1aa.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-379135" class="wp-caption-text"> He has hit only three home runs this season, and hopes for a comeback in the second half of the season are high.</figcaption></figure>
 Why did the Chunichi bench keep Nakata in the lineup until the last minute? The reason, according to Nakata, was because of his &#8220;off-the-field activities.
Nakata used to have a strong image of being a rascal and left Nichi-Ham because of a scandal, but he has saved the team with his attentive care for his juniors. He takes them out for meals regardless of whether they are pitchers or fielders, and this helps to strengthen the team&#8216;s unity.
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 Nakata&#8217;s &#8220;success&#8221; seems to be related to the difference in temperature between the young players and the leadership. &#8230;&#8230;
 The &#8220;success&#8221; of Nakata seems to be related to the difference in temperature between the young players and the leadership. &#8220;Tatsunami, who won consecutive spring and summer championships with PL Gakuen, and head coach Atsushi Kataoka (54) are the very embodiment of Showa-era guts baseball. However, young players have become accustomed to &#8220;smart&#8221; baseball that makes full use of data and sports science. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches, and I do not intend to judge them, but it is clear that they are not a good fit for each other. Nakata, however, is said to understand both sides, acting as a &#8220;wall&#8221; for the younger players and protecting the inexperienced ones.
 In the world of professional baseball, it is absolutely forbidden to criticize the manager, so no matter how much the young players may have doubts about the leadership&#8217;s coaching policy, they are not allowed to speak out about it. However, if those doubts are left unanswered, the players will not be able to play baseball. Therefore, Nakata gives advice at the right time based on his experience as a player for about 17 years as a professional, and he is venting his frustration.
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 Nakata&#8217;s demotion due to poor performance has left the Chunichi players without a wall to rely on.
Nakata&#8217;s demotion due to his poor performance has left the Chunichi players without a wall to rely on,&#8221; said an OB. Last year, there was a kind of rebellion as some players leaked information about the &#8220;Reiwa rice riots,&#8221; but I don&#8217;t know what will happen this year. Besides, Nakata&#8217;s long-hitting ability is essential if Chunichi is to make a comeback from now on.
 It would be nice if he could return to the first team and lead the team in performance. &#8230;&#8230;

 Kyodo News

 Sho Nakata, 35, the infielder who was a surprise transfer from the Giants as a potential starter for the battered Chunichi, has been spending more and more time on the bench due to his poor performance.

Nakata’s demotion to the second team has left Chunichi in danger of another “internal collapse and Reiwa’s rice riot.

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