Yomiuri Giants reliever from Pinar del Río to decide on his own spring training

Yomiuri Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe said he will use the so-called Group S again this year during the club’s spring training and will include the team’s most veteran players, including Cuban reliever Raidel Martinez.

The idea of the section at this time «translates» into the players in it being responsible for their own practices and deciding for themselves what kind of exercises they will do to get in shape.

Normally in demanding baseball on Japanese soil, both the manager and the coaches of the team determine the players’ work schedule during practice, including the exercises they perform.

This initiative reveals a huge amount of trust and respect for the club’s senior players, a space that Raidel has earned on his own merit.

The lanky, speedy closer from Pinar del Río, who will make his debut with the Giants this season, had a dream 2024 campaign with the Chunichi Dragons. He set a personal record of 43 saves, which was the best total of the entire tournament.

He appeared in 60 games, working 58.0 innings with just seven earned runs allowed, for a 1.09 ERA.

In addition, the right-hander allowed 35 hits with just one home run, struck out 59 times, gave up 12 walks and had a WHIP of 0.81.