Major league Reds Akiyama joins the group meeting January 9 5:00
Shogo Akiyama, who has been transferred from professional baseball and Seibu to the Reds of the Major League, will meet at the joining meeting on the 8th, saying, "I think it is my advantage to go to the base with a high probability and score for the team." did.
Akiyama, a 31-year-old with the record of the most hits in the season as the mainstay of professional baseball and Seibu, exercised the right of a free agent off last year.
At the end of last year, they agreed to a contract with Reds and signed a three-year contract on June 6 for a total of $ 21 million, or about ¥ 2.77 billion in Japanese yen.
On August 8, Akiyama met at a ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, the home of Reds, and first passed a sleeve through the Reds uniform with the number "4".
Reds is the only member of the 30 Major League Baseball Teams, with Japanese players never playing and Akiyama at a conference, discussing why he chose Reds as his destination after negotiating with multiple teams. It was a big attraction that I didn't do that. "
He said, "I'm not a strong batter, so I think it's my strength to be in firm contact and get to the base with a good chance to score for the team."
Reds has been in the National League's Chubu district since 2015, ranking 5th at the bottom of the Otoshima and last year's 4th place, while reinforcement of outfielders is one of the issues and Akiyama is expected to play a role in the emergence of the team Is.
Reds camp will begin in Arizona from mid-May.