SoftBank Hawks’ Hayato Akihiro: “No Down Days, But Frustration Drives Me”

“I had heard rumors about the trade.”

“It was said that I was crushed by the pressure of wearing the Giants’ number 55 jersey. But for myself, while I felt expectations, I didn’t feel the pressure. The fact is, I couldn’t produce results. Of course, I have that frustration.”

In professional baseball, trades come suddenly without prior notice like a company transfer. Yuuto Akihiro (22), who was abruptly traded from the Giants to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on May 12, calmly recalled the moment as he spoke slowly.

“The team informed me about the trade about an hour and a half before it was announced in the news. After the Yakult game the day before, when I was packing up in the clubhouse, a staff member in charge of player organization said to me, ‘Please come to the team office at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning.’ I rarely see this person at away games, so at that moment, I kind of suspected, ‘Maybe this is it.’”

He continued:

“In fact, among the Giants players, there were rumors about a possible trade. At one point, the name Richard Sunagawa (26) was mentioned, so I kind of had a feeling that I might be the one getting traded.”

Having sensed something early, Akihiro remained composed even when called by team officials at Jingu Stadium.

“I didn’t have trouble sleeping or anything like that (laughs). I was actually pretty normal. But when I went to say my final goodbyes at the team, sadness welled up inside. Especially when I told Hayato Sakamoto (36). He had always looked out for me and said, ‘I’m sad too, but do your best,’ which really encouraged me.”

Akihiro joined the Giants in 2020 as the 5th pick in the high school draft. Wearing number 68, he debuted in the top league in his first year. Standing 2 meters tall and with a powerful bat, expectations were huge. At the end of that year, the team made an unprecedented announcement: Akihiro’s jersey number would change to 55, the same number once worn by the legendary Hideki Matsui (51).

“At contract renewal, a team official told me, ‘The number 55 has the meaning of Hideki Matsui’s legacy, but also the hope that you’ll hit 55 home runs.’ So that offseason, I worked on my physique alongside Sho Nakata (36), a known home run hitter. I ate about nine bowls of rice a day and gained around 10 kg.”

In his second pro year, he had the most hits in the farm league, and by the third year, he broke out in the top league. He appeared in 121 games with a .273 batting average and 10 home runs, showing promising talent.

Both former Giants manager Tatsunori Hara (66), who used Akihiro actively, and current manager Shinnosuke Abe (46), who knows his farm league days well, tried their best to nurture him as a prodigious power hitter. However, Akihiro’s own mindset seemed a bit different.

“Because of my height, people tend to see me as a home run hitter, but I’m more confident in my batting average. Even though the 10 home runs in the 2023 season caught attention, I was actually more satisfied with the batting average I was able to maintain. So, what I focus on the most now is my contact rate. I want to improve that and keep a good average.”

Indeed, despite his large frame, Akihiro’s torso and arm movements are flexible, and he controls the bat skillfully. But because of his 2-meter stature, when he hits the ball solidly, it flies at incredible speed into the outfield stands.

“I’m not saying I dislike the expectation to hit home runs or that I’m not okay with it. It’s an honor that the seniors I watched on TV as a kid gave me passionate advice. But even if I can hit the ball well in practice, actually doing the same in games is not easy. That gap has been tough.”

The Young Hawks who awakened in a new field

Torn between the expectations of those around him and his own convictions, Yuto Akihiro experienced days of inner struggle. Amid repeated conflicts, a turning point came with the trade. At the press conference two days later announcing his SoftBank signing, he expressed an extraordinary determination.

“When I said, ‘I want to perform so well that the Giants regret trading me,’ I truly meant it. It’s definitely not a grudge against the Giants (laughs). This trade is also an opportunity for me. By showing my success with SoftBank, I want people to feel ‘It was good to trade him’ and ‘It was good to give him a chance.’ I see that as my way of repaying them.”

Right after joining, he was immediately registered on the first team and started eight consecutive games. Up to now, he has not been dropped from the roster.

Recently, his batting approach during practice has changed. Early after the transfer, he worked on contact hitting and chopping the ball, but now he focuses on big swings to hit powerful balls.

“I thought I was swinging strongly before, but as I got more game time, I tried too hard just to make contact with the bat to get results. Coach Kokubo (53) advised me, ‘Try to make contact even while swinging.’ Both the coach and Chief Baseball Officer Jojima (49) told me, ‘We won’t impose the team’s opinion on you. We want you to play as you like.’”

Akihiro was accepted for his idea to swing hard but focus more on batting average than home runs. Now, in an environment where he can freely focus on his baseball, he has set clear goals.

“I want to work on improving the weaknesses I had with the Giants and get closer to my ideal. It would be great to hit 40 or 50 home runs, but right now my goal is to be a .300 hitter.”

Pursuing his ideal, on June 10 he faced a three-game interleague series against his old team, the Giants. During his Giants days, manager Abe’s evaluation of Akihiro was often harsh. After a game last September, Abe asked reporters, “Didn’t watching Akihiro make you bored?” In March’s open game, he bluntly said, “He’s not hitting the sweet spot lately. Maybe it’s time to retire.” There were rumors that the Giants released him because Abe had given up on him — when asked about these rumors frankly, Akihiro broke into a cool smile.

“I interpret that as Abe’s own way of performing (laughs). People often ask me, ‘Are you on bad terms?’ or ‘Does he dislike you?’ but not at all. He always teases me, and sometimes we have serious baseball talks. During the three interleague games, I greeted him every day. On the first day, he said, ‘Who are you again?’ and kept teasing me from the second day on. He seems to really like me (laughs).”

Even after being notified of the trade, he said he received messages like, “I’m going to miss having someone to tease.” His strong mentality, which even turns the pressure of wearing number 55 and Abe’s tough love into positive energy, is impressive.

“I rarely feel pressure. But I do get nervous — at my first at-bat, first game, or first time batting after a while. When I don’t hit, I feel frustrated. I wonder why I missed. I don’t get depressed, but the frustration is always there.”

In the second game against his old team, he started and hit a line-drive double into right-center field. That hit triggered a streak in the next series against DeNA, where he notched his first RBI after the transfer with a go-ahead hit, followed by his first home run for the team, and more big hits. He achieved the rare feat of standing on the podium three days in a row.

“When the Giants won the league last year, I was in the second team and couldn’t participate in the beer celebration. I was happy, of course, but I was also frustrated. That’s why I want to win the championship with SoftBank this year no matter what. I’m in a position where I’m being given a chance, so I want to make the most of it.”

At just 22 years old, Akihiro has reached a turning point in his life. It seems the day is near when this young Hawk, with frustration in his eyes, will bloom into a great star.

Great performance with first RBI and home run since the transfer in the interleague games against Yokohama DeNA BayStars! ©SoftBank HAWKS

A two-shot with Takuya Kuwahara, a former Giants pitcher who is currently in charge of public relations at SoftBank. He is about one head shorter than Kuwahara, who is 175 cm tall.

In contrast to his playful personality, Akihiro responded with a serious expression throughout. Using his usual frustrations as fuel, he vowed to make a breakthrough in his new environment.

From the July 18-25, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”