Akihiro Yuto (21), the tallest player (202 cm) who tried to bulk up by eating nine meals a day, is emerging as a candidate to fill the vacancy left by Nakata Sho due to injury.
Akihiro, who was registered in the first team at the end of April, is a player who first attracted attention because of his height.
He became known as the second player with a height of over 2m after the founding of Yomiuri.
However, 안전놀이터Akihiro has proven that he is not just an attention seeker.
He was a player recognized for his ability to the extent that the current head coach Shinnosuke Abe declared, “Use 4 times in all games” while coaching the 2nd team.
Last winter, he did joint training during the self-training period with the help of Nakata.
This season, that possibility was gradually becoming a reality.
Akihiro played in 10 games this season and showed his potential by recording a batting average of 0.375, 1 home run and 5 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of 0.432 and a slugging percentage of 0.531. He is performing very impressively with an OPS of 0.964.
And he now has a chance as a full-time starter. Akihiro immediately started the match against Chunichi on the 5th in place of Nakata.
Akihiro is drawing attention as a player to fill the void as Nakata Sho, who was mainly a fifth hitter and led the Central League in home runs (seven), was unable to play due to muscle damage in his right thigh.
Nakata is unavoidable to leave for up to three months. If Akihiro can’t fill the void, Yomiuri will have a very difficult season.
As of the 4th, Yomiuri is in 4th place with 13 wins and 15 losses. However, it is behind third place Hiroshima by 0.5 games, so it is possible to jump up to the A class (within 3rd place) at any time.
Yomiuri is leading the league with 30 home runs, and home runs are deciding the win or loss of the game. There is no choice but to feel the void left by Nakata.
Nakata led the batting line with a batting average of 0.301, 7 homers and 15 RBIs before his injury.
Only when Akihiro fills that vacancy to some extent can Yomiuri survive in the ranking competition.
Can Akihiro grow into a promising player who can influence the future of Yomiuri, rather than simply attracting attention with his tall height?
Now comes a very important time for him and for the team.