<figure id="attachment_223803" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-223803"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="00cd2fd3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/01/2021092413551.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-223803" class="wp-caption-text">This season, Nakata has often fanned the heavens when he has failed to take his chances (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 Giants manager Tatsunori Hara must have given him a loving whipping. In a unique turn of phrase, he urged Sho Nakata, 32, who moved to the team from Nippon Ham last August, to get going.
 He said, &#8220;We have never seen him in his true form. This season may be the true form. That&#8217;s all we&#8217;ve seen.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
 Nakata&#8217;s performance this season has been extremely poor. His batting average was .177, the worst in his career, and his home runs were in single digits (7) for the first time since 2010. It was a season of humiliation for him, as he had to drop out of the farm system twice since joining the Giants.
 I think there are two meanings in Manager Hara&#8217;s words. One is the expectation for the cannon that has been the batting champion three times in the past. After his sarcastic comment, he added, &#8220;Even Nakata won&#8217;t keep quiet. The second is the ultimatum.
 The second is the ultimatum. Nakata was transferred from Nippon Ham in a free trade at the strong will of Manager Hara. However, the results were too disappointing when I opened the lid: &#8230;&#8230;. He was a factor in the Giants stalling in the last half of the season, and he was a disgrace to Manager Hara. It&#8217;s a message to him that if he doesn&#8217;t play well next season, there&#8217;s nothing left for him to do.
<h2>The real image of the &#8220;general</h2>
 Manager Hara would like to see Nakata, whom he acquired at his own request, start the season as a starter next year. However, he also has an insurance policy.
 There is talk of acquiring a new foreign player who can play first base, which is Nakata&#8217;s specialty, and who can hit long balls. It&#8217;s an insurance policy in case Nakata doesn&#8217;t get back on track. The Giants have not made any significant reinforcements this off-season, and they have plenty of money to spare. The Giants have not made any significant reinforcements this off-season, so they can afford to acquire at least one new helper.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
 Will Nakata, who has been the No. 4 player for many years at Nippon Ham, be able to make a comeback as manager Hara expects? But the reality is quite harsh.
 The reason for Nakata&#8217;s poor health is both physical and mental. The reason for Nakata&#8217;s poor health is both physical and mental. He has always had a problem with his lower back, but even if he fully recovers, I&#8217;m not sure if he will be able to play as well as he should. &#8230;&#8230; What is more serious is the mental aspect. I&#8217;m not sure if it&#8217;s a good thing or not.
 In April, he broke his bat on the bench during a game against SoftBank because he could not control his feelings. He also fell off the field and injured his right eye. What followed was a violent incident in August, when he put his hands on a colleague from Nippon Ham. He received a great deal of criticism from the public, and he is still quite depressed. His negative mental attitude is affecting his baseball. I hope that Manager Hara&#8217;s encouragement does not put too much pressure on him.
 If he continues to perform poorly next season, Manager Hara may make a tough decision. If he continues to perform poorly next season, manager Hara may make a harsh decision: he may remove him from the team.
 If he continues to perform poorly, there is no point in keeping him. If we use him unnecessarily, it will only reduce the opportunities for other players to play. I don&#8217;t think his old team, Nippon Ham, will give up on him either.
 Nakata signed a contract for the next season with a salary of 150 million yen, which is more than the limit of reduction (40% if the salary is over 100 million yen) from the estimated 340 million yen. After his contract was renewed, he expressed his determination.
 I&#8217;d like to be more wild, and do things my way, without being intimidated by the people around me. I want to be the batting champion again.
 The true value of his words will be tested.

 Kyodo News

 This is the first time I've ever been to the Olympics. He said, "We haven't seen him in his true form. It could be seen as a pep talk or an ultimatum to Nakata. Will the ailing Nakata be able to recover? Let's take a look at the worst possible future.

The “worst possible future” awaits Sho Nakata, who was whipped by manager Hara

Access Ranking