Yuki Saito is hard at work in Chiba, at Kamagaya Stadium, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' ni-gun base, these days. He's busy preparing for the upcoming season, which might turn out to be a pivotal one for the star pitcher.
The 2015 campaign will be Saito's fifth as a professional. The 26-year-old will enter it searching for a modicum of consistency in a career that's been a roller-coaster of highs and lows. His goal right now is to make it to spring training healthy and not only win a job in the starting rotation, but make sure he remains there throughout the season.
"The competition has already begun," he told Sports Nippon last week.