Professional baseball's MVP of the month for May was announced on the 5th, and the Central League pitcher category was selected by pitcher Kotaro Otake of Hanshin and batter category by Naruya Hosokawa of Chunichi, both of whom were transferred through the active draft.

《Central League》

Otake (Hanshin) has 4 wins in 3 starts, while Hosokawa (Chunichi) is .360 with 5 homers and 17 RBI.

Hanshin pitcher Otake, 27, who was selected in the Central League's pitching category, transferred from SoftBank in the first active draft last year. Last month, he started four games, won three games, pitched consistently with a 4.3 ERA, and won the MVP of the Month award for the first time in six years.

In the batter category, 0-year-old Hosokawa, who transferred from DeNA to Chunichi in the active draft, won the award for the first time in his seventh year. Hosokawa mainly plays a central role in the batting lineup as the No. 33 batter, and last month he posted a 6-for-24 batting average, five home runs, and 7 RBI.

First "active draft" Rakuten Okoye to Giants 12 players transferred

Otake Hanshin: "I want to show that I am different this year."

Hanshin pitcher Kotaro Otake expressed his joy, saying, "It was good that my hard work was recognized, and I think that the fact that I was able to throw with a calm mind and not being fazed even in a pinch led to the result." As for the reason for his good pitching, he analyzed, "The first thing is that the fielder scores first and throws in a situation where it is easy to throw, and while communicating with catcher SAKAMOTO Seishiro, he throws with the awareness that there are no balls to throw one pitch at a time."

After that, he shared his aspirations for the future, saying, "I think there will be some matches that will not go the way I want, but I was not able to create matches well in the past, so I want to show that I am different this year."

《Pacific League》

Japan Ham has been selected for the same time since September 2012 for the first time in about 9 years.

On the other hand, in the Pacific League, pitcher Takayuki Kato was selected for the first time in the pitcher category and Nakamasa Manba was selected for the first time in the batter category from both Japan hams.

Kato, who is in his eighth year as a professional, has started four games and won three games, including a shutout win against Lotte on the 8th of last month, boasting an outstanding ERA of 4.13.

The fifth-year Manba (3) batting average was only 0.30.5 last month, but he showed his long-hitting ability and hit seven home runs in one month.

This is the first time since September 23 that a Japan Ham player has been named MVP of the Month at the same time for pitching.

Takayuki Kato: "Thanks to the fielders and relievers"

Pitcher Takayuki Kato said, "I'm glad because I really thought I didn't win this kind of award. I think we had some luck, and I think it's because of the fielders and the relievers." On top of that, he said, "I want to win as many matches as possible, improve my ranking, and aim to win the championship."

Manba Zhongzheng "I want to take it again"

Nakamasa Manba said, "It feels special, and I'm happy to win an award for the first time in professional baseball." Looking back on his performance last month, he said, "My goal was to hit strong balls into the fair zone with good probability, and that goal gradually took shape in May. Regarding the season ahead, he said, "I think the team is now in a good position to see the top rankings, and this award has strengthened my desire to win it again.

"Active draft team" players who are active in the new world one after another

The active draft is a system in which other clubs nominate players listed by each team to encourage the transfer of players who are not fortunate enough to play and create new opportunities to play an active role. It was held for the first time in the off-season last year, and using this system, 1 players were nominated and transferred, one for each team.

In addition to pitcher Otake and Hosokawa, there are other players who are active in the first team in Shintenchi, and eighth-year Okoye Rui, who transferred from Rakuten to the Giants, has played in 1 games until the 8th, including starting the opening game after appealing from camp, and has a batting average of 7.23.2 and two home runs.

In addition, ninth-year pitcher Chiaki Tone, who transferred from the Giants to Hiroshima, has earned the trust of the leaders, appearing in 4 games as a valuable left-handed reliever by the 7th.

Tadahito Mori, secretary general of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association, who has been requesting that the active draft be held, said, "Players who transferred through the active draft were given a chance from the camp and won the MVP of the month award for their remarkable performances like pitcher Otake and Hosokawa. I was talking.

According to Secretary General Mori, players have been asking for the active draft, which was held in December last year, to be accelerated.

Secretary General Mori said, "We will continue to promote initiatives to revitalize the professional baseball world."