SoftBank Hawks manager Yutaka Kokubo (54) spoke to reporters before the team’s game against the Seibu Lions on April 12, expressing high hopes for newly acquired catcher Yutaka Yamamoto (27), who joined the Hawks from the DeNA BayStars in a trade.
Yamamoto played over 100 games for DeNA in both 2024 and 2025, posting a .291 batting average in 2024 while winning the Best Nine Award and the Golden Glove. Kokubo praised him as “the best catcher in the Central League” based on his impressions from last season. “He was Yokohama’s starting catcher. We expect a lot from him, including his hitting,” the manager said. Yamamoto is scheduled to join the first team on April 13.
Among the Hawks’ catching corps, Umino emerged last season and has played a team-high 28 games this year, but his batting average sits at .200 with one home run and six RBIs, leaving room for improvement. The manager explained, “His blocking and throwing are up to standard. Now he’s entered the next stage. But there’s only room for nine batters in the lineup, and he’s one of them.”
