Aiming for a Full Recovery from Tommy John Surgery: Why Rakuten's Naoto Nishiguchi Participated in the Japan Winter League 【focus on people from JWL】

In this year's Japan Winter League (JWL), for the first time in the league's three-year history, NPB teams have sent players to participate. A total of 10 players from three teams—Seibu, Rakuten, and DeNA—are spending a month at Koza Shinkin Stadium in Okinawa, gaining practical experience while working on their own individual challenges.

Most of the dispatched players are young prospects with little to no first-team experience, but among the five players sent by Rakuten was 28-year-old Naoto Nishiguchi, an eight-year professional aiming for a comeback after Tommy John surgery.

"After returning in the farm league, I pitched in the Phoenix League in October, but it felt more like rehab pitching, and I couldn't throw long innings. As I am considering challenging myself as a starting pitcher next season, I wanted to get some experience throwing longer innings. When the team approached me about the Japan Winter League, I decided to participate."

Nishiguchi, who joined Rakuten as a 10th-round draft pick in 2016, made his first-team debut in 2018 and pitched in 61 games as a reliever in 2022. With a 2.26 ERA, he was a key part of the Rakuten bullpen. However, in 2023, he pitched while dealing with elbow pain and was unable to produce results; he underwent Tommy John surgery in September of that year, forcing him into a life of rehabilitation.

He was signed to a developmental contract this season, but after diligent rehabilitation, he made his return to the mound in the farm league in September, toward the end of the season. While his full-scale push to return to the active roster will begin at next spring's training camp, there was something Nishiguchi wanted to confirm before then.

"I wanted to know what kind of fatigue remains after throwing long innings and what kind of burden it puts on my body (such as my elbow), so I am very grateful for this opportunity. I want to throw long innings here and make it a step forward that leads into next season."

It would be counterproductive to get injured again while trying to make an impression. The reason he decided to participate in this year's JWL was that, now that he is able to throw, he wanted to grasp the sensation of throwing long innings and understand his body's condition afterward before he starts pitching in earnest next year.

Nishiguchi, who participated only in the first half, pitched in two games as a starter. In his JWL debut against the Lequios (11/25), he threw three scoreless innings. In his second game against the China Hope Stars (12/5) after nine days of rest, he pitched five scoreless innings, showing excellent form. In both games, his pitching felt powerful, even inducing swings and misses with fastballs in the mid-140 km/h range thrown high in the zone.

"As a professional baseball player, there is a part of me that has to focus on results, but there is also a part of me that wants to try various things after coming back from rehab. I felt it would be unprofessional to use that as an excuse for giving up runs and causing the team to lose. I was able to pitch with a sense of responsibility, and I'm glad I was able to keep the opponent scoreless."

However, he reflects that the content of his performance was by no means satisfactory.

"I was able to throw long innings, but I couldn't pitch the way I wanted to in the second game. Even though I was given nine days of rest to adjust, I wanted to have a better performance."

Specifically, what kind of challenges did he feel?

"I realized that I need to be able to throw strikes with my breaking balls more consistently. Today, there were many full counts, but if I can make them aware of my breaking balls, I can make my fastball look faster, and I think that would allow me to throw longer innings with fewer pitches and less fatigue. It was a good lesson to reconfirm that. There were times when the batters didn't react to my curveballs or changeups, and today I felt like I was fighting against myself, so I want to reflect on that and polish the accuracy of my breaking balls during camp."

How did he feel about the 'fatigue and burden on the elbow from throwing long innings' that he wanted to confirm?

"In the second game, I couldn't pitch ahead in the count and there were many situations where I fell behind, and every pitch I threw in those situations inevitably felt like it used more energy. I was tired after the third inning when I had runners in scoring position, and when I'm in a pinch, I try to shut them down, so I felt that I put more power into it, which caused my elbow to wear out faster. However, in the fifth inning, although I used a lot of pitches, I was able to throw my fastball where I wanted it to go, and I had the feeling that I was using my lower body, so I want to apply that to next year."

Beyond checking his own condition, there was something else Nishiguchi valued during this winter league: actively communicating with the younger players.

"I thought it was fate that we participated in the same league, and I wanted to deepen our interactions. There were many players here who were seven or eight years younger than me, but I made an effort to reach out to them proactively. We went out to eat together, and the young players from the independent leagues and corporate teams, especially Ryuki Shuto (Gunma Diamond Pegasus), asked me various questions. I shared my professional experiences and feelings with the players who came to me, and we were able to talk about many other things, so I think that part was good."

Shuto, who was mentioned by name, is set to play for Gunma in the independent league again next season. He reflected on his interaction with Nishiguchi, which likely wouldn't have happened if he hadn't participated in the JWL.

“At the opening ceremony, he came up to me and asked, ‘Are you from Gunma? How’s it going?’ and from there, he even took me out to dinner. I never imagined that I, not being an NPB player, would be able to go out to dinner with someone like Nishiguchi-san, who has experience in the first team. I was so happy and surprised, but he shared so much about his past experiences and talked about things outside of baseball, which was a truly valuable experience.”

After the game on December 5th, which was Nishiguchi's final appearance, and after he finished saying his goodbyes before leaving Okinawa, players—regardless of nationality or age—lined up to ask for photos, and Nishiguchi responded to each with a smile. I felt this was a scene that gave a glimpse into what the two weeks Nishiguchi spent in Okinawa were like.

“The guys on the Eisa team were all great kids. They had such strong team bonds and kept the energy up, and I was relieved that I didn't do anything to dampen that spirit. It was a good experience.”

His eighth professional season, which began with rehabilitation, was a difficult one. However, by fighting alongside young players in a different baseball environment in Okinawa and confirming a foothold for next season, he was able to end it with a smile. Looking ahead to the coming season, what kind of year does Nishiguchi want it to be?

“I want to pitch in a position where I can contribute to the team's championship. I want to make sure I pitch my own game so that people don't ask, ‘What were you doing all year?’ and I want to work hard to win my position.”

Nishiguchi's next season, as he aims to return to the registered roster, will surely be an encouragement to the young players he met in the JWL. And their success will undoubtedly spur Nishiguchi on as well. I cannot help but hope that the new baseball bonds formed in Okinawa will brightly illuminate each of their futures.

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