DeNA BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki was the only member of Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic-winning team named Tuesday in new manager Hirokazu Ibata's 26-man roster for next month's Asia Professional Baseball Championship.
The second edition of the tournament will be held from Nov. 16 to 19 at Tokyo Dome, where Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will play a round robin to determine which teams face off in the final and third-place game on the last day.
Japan won the first edition of the tournament in 2017.
Maki was on the Samurai Japan team when Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani led the country to its third WBC title in March.
Ibata, who took the manager's post only weeks ago, told a press conference in Tokyo that he plans to have Maki bat cleanup. In Japan, the best hitter of a team tends to hit in the cleanup spot.
"I want him to lead the way for younger players," Ibata said of Maki. "His attitude doesn't change whether in good times or bad."
According to tournament regulations, participants must be aged 24 or younger in principle, while the overage quota is limited to three players aged 29 or younger.
Hanshin Tigers third baseman Teruaki Sato and Orix Buffaloes shortstop Kotaro Kurebayashi were among the other players named for Japan.
"I've selected players who I hope will carry the future of Japanese baseball. I want this to be a tournament where players can grow," Ibata said.
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Japan's roster:
Pitchers: Takahisa Hayakawa (Rakuten Eagles), Chihiro Sumida, Shunsuke Sato, OA-Tatsuya Imai (Seibu Lions), Yuji Akahoshi (Yomiuri Giants), Rikuto Yokoyama (Lotte Marines), Kojiro Yoshimura, OA-Kazuto Taguchi (Yakult Swallows), Masaki Oyokawa, Takuma Kirishiki (Hanshin Tigers), Tatsuya Shimizu (Chunichi Dragons), Haruka Nemoto (Nippon Ham Fighters)
Catchers: Yuto Koga (Seibu), OA-Shogo Itakura (Hiroshima Carp), Kota Ishibashi (Chunichi)
Infielders: Shugo Maki (DeNA BayStars), Teruaki Sato (Hanshin), Tomoya Noguchi, Kotaro Kurebayashi (Orix Buffaloes), Makoto Kadowaki (Yomiuri), Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima)
Outfielders: Kyota Fujiwara (Lotte), Shota Morishita (Hanshin), Yuto Akihiro (Yomiuri), Yuki Okabayashi (Chunichi), Chusei Mannami (Nippon Ham)
NOTES: OA denotes overage players
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