Hanshin's player Teruaki Sato is heading into camp vowing to learn a new form and overcome challenges in order to win back-to-back championships for the first time in team history. Sato, a left-handed batter, experienced his first drop in the second team in two years last season.
Since his rookie year, he has hit 24 home runs and 92 RBIs, his third consecutive year of 20 or more, contributing to Japan's No. 1 ranking. If he can reach 30 home runs, and overcome the challenges of defense, the team will surely get closer to achieving the consecutive victories.