Shohei Otani began practicing on Wednesday for what may be his international batting debut.
In past games against overseas competition, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ace pitcher and designated hitter has only pitched, but Samurai Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo said he is willing to unleash Otani's potent bat during next March's World Baseball Classic.
So in his first workout since the Pacific League champion Fighters won the Japan Series on Saturday, Otani was in the cage taking batting practice ahead of next week's games against Mexico and the Netherlands.
"Sometimes you hit and sometimes you don't, but I want to be in the best condition I can," he said at the Fighters autumn minicamp at their minor league facility in Chiba Prefecture.
Otani hit 22 home runs in 323 at-bats this season, and his offense proved decisive in Game 3 of the Japan Series, when he scored the go-ahead run in the eighth and drove in the winning run in the 10th. He batted 6-for-12 during the Series with four doubles.
Of course, with Kokubo's team loaded with hitters, it may be hard to find room for Otani in the batting order.
Although he expressed doubt about whether he'll have a chance to hit in the four games at Tokyo Dome, starting from Nov. 10, Otani indicated that his batting practice was just part of the offseason training program he's now starting.
Speaking about Otani, Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama said the youngster, who only won 10 games this year, has yet to realize his dream of becoming a two-way star.
"In 2015, he won league pitching titles (wins, winning percentage, ERA), and this year he did all that at the plate," Kuriyama said. "But he has yet to be a true double threat."