The fourth-year pro has been named captain. Yokohama BayStars No. 4 hitter Shugo Maki, 25, will serve as team leader and captain. He is the youngest of the 12 clubs in Nippon Professional Baseball’s two leagues.
The change came after outfielder Keita Sano (29), the team’s captain for four years until this year, underwent wrist surgery in October. “We wanted to make sure that Sano could come back from his injury next year and start with a fresh feeling without any pressure,” said manager Daisuke Miura.
Sano graduated from Chuo University and was drafted second overall in the 2021 rookie draft. He became a starter in his first year and quickly became the team’s go-to hitter. “Thinking about the team as a whole, I think it would be better to go with Maki,” Miura said. This means that Yokohama has no choice but to go with a team led by Maki. 바카라사이트 This shows the trust he has in Maki.
Maki started his rookie season like a ready-made pro.
In 137 games, he batted 3-for-4 with 153 hits, 22 home runs, and 71 RBIs. He continued his upward trend in 2022. In 135 games, he batted 2-for-9 with 148 hits, 24 home runs, and 87 RBIs.
In his third year, this season, he finally reached the top.
In 164 games, he hit 29 home runs and drove in 103 runs. He led the Central League in hits, RBIs, doubles, and slugging percentage. He passed Kazuma Okamoto (27, Yomiuri) and Munetaka Murakami (23, Yakult), who were 1-2 in home runs. Okamoto hit 41 home runs and Murakami hit 31.
Maki, Okamoto and Murakami were members of Japan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship team in March. Okamoto was the starting first baseman, Maki was the second baseman, and Murakami was the third baseman.
Strong in scoring chances. In 130 at-bats with runners in scoring position, he went 3-for-5 with 46 hits. Okamoto was 2-for-3 and Murakami was 2-for-5.
In addition to his skills, Maki is also an atmosphere maker. Miura said that even after Maki retired on a single, he would cheer for the next batter from the bench, creating a fighting atmosphere. As the captain, Maki just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.
Maki was the only member of the WBC Japan squad to play in the APBC
He hit a one-run home run in the final against South Korea on Nov. 19. Trailing 0-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, he took a two-pitch curveball from South Korean starter Kwak Bin over the left field fence of the Tokyo Dome.
After being silent in the first three games of the preliminary round, he hit a “one-hitter” in the final. He made a fielding error that led to the first run in the third inning, 사설토토 but he made up for it with a home run. Maki was playing first base that day.
Down 1-2, Japan won in 10 extra innings.
Maki has appeared in all 143 games this season in the No. 4 spot. Of course, he’ll still be Yokohama’s No. 4 next year.
