Neo, Okoye, Sho Nakata… The special circumstances of the “clear difference” between the two teams’ adjusted players.
Subaru Neo (22) of Chunichi has been given his best chance in his fourth year as a pro.
He has a .233 batting average and no home runs in the second base lineup, but on April 26, he made a couple of good catches against the Orix and recorded a multi-hit game in the same game on April 28, making a strong appeal to the leaders. (He also had a multi-hit game in the same game on the 28th, and made a strong appeal to the leaders.)
Nebo was demoted to the second base on April 21, but only for one month. It was manager Kazuyoshi Tachinami’s intention. He was initially used as an outfielder this season, but with the emergence of rookie Kojo Ukai and third-year player Yuki Okabayashi, the regular position is almost fixed. Neo had no chance to take advantage of them.
Manager Tatsunami suggested that Nebo try his hand again at shortstop, his main job, and that he would start over from the basics with the second team and be recalled to the first team if he passed the test in one month.
One tailwind for Nebo has been the poor performance of Yota Kyoda, an absolute regular at shortstop. His batting average is the worst in the league at .159, and although he is considered a master defender, he has already made three blunders.
Neo’s eyes have changed. Atsushi Kataoka, the second team manager, said, “His swing is getting better. His defensive ability has also improved dramatically. The star of Koshien, who has won a championship with Toin Osaka, is finally beginning to show his talent.
Three homers in a row” is the difference between a star and an outsider.
The Giants’ Sho Nakata (33) has been on a tear on the farm since his humiliating fall to the second team.
Last season, he was involved in a violent incident with Nippon Ham, and his neck was in bad shape due to his mid-season transfer, which left him mentally unsettled. His batting average was sluggish at 154 with three homers. This season, he is batting only .188 with two home runs and shows no signs of improving. Manager Tatsunori Hara was patient in using him, but he decided to demote him on April 22, saying, “Let’s give him another chance to get back on track.
However, he has been hitting as if his slump was a lie, and on April 30, against Nichi-Ham, he hit a powerful shot to deep right-center field in the first inning. Although the previous day’s game was rained out and no games were played, he hit two consecutive home runs and is in great form.
He has been showing the difference in his performance at the second base. However, Hara’s evaluation of him is harsh. He says he has a problem dealing with fastballs and plans to have him bat on the farm for a while.
Some players have failed to even get a chance to be promoted to the first team. One player who has not even found a chance to be promoted to the first team is Rakuten’s seventh-year player, Rui Okoe (24).
He has been delayed this season due to surgery on his left knee at the end of last year. However, there are question marks over the way he has been adjusting in the second team. Okoye has a strong yearning for the majors, so he is probably using foreign players as role models. With strength training, his body is getting bigger every year.
Okoye’s greatest appeal is his speed. While his body has grown bigger and more powerful, his movements have become slower. I don’t think he understands his own “merit. I am also concerned about his high self-esteem, saying that he is doing too well. The leadership would like him to be more humble and determined. Even so, Rakuten’s chances of Okoye making the first team are slim because of the fierce competition in the outfield, his main job. At this rate, it would not be surprising if he were to be removed from the lineup.
Kazuhisa Ishii, the team’s GM and manager, has often scolded Okoye, saying that he is not thinking straight. He was drafted first overall out of Kanto First High School and joined the team in 2004, but has not had a single season of satisfactory results.
The three famous players who are aiming for a return to the first team are living a life of three different types of life in the second team.
Photo: Kyodo News