37　　　Makoto Usami

Makoto Usami　　　　　　　　Catcher

① Born 2004.4.8 - 21 years old ② Right-handed throw / Right-handed hit ③ 181cm 85kg ④ Fukushima ⑤ Seta High - Ryuka Frogs '21 (2nd round) - 4th year ⑥ 3000△ ⑦ Previous year batting average: .297 ⑧ Happiest moment in life: Hitting 3 home runs at Koshien in high school ⑨ Player Intro: A highly anticipated 4th-year catcher known for his strong arm and heavy hitting. Last year, his 3rd year, he appeared as a DH at times and showed overwhelming numbers with 41 home runs to become the Home Run King. This year, he aims to be the team's starting catcher.

① Date of birth, Age ② Throw/Hit ③ Height, Weight ④ Hometown ⑤ Career history ⑥ Annual salary ⑦ Previous year batting average ⑧ Happiest moment in life ⑨ Player introduction

(Quoted from the 2026 Ryuka Frogs Player Directory)

• Evaluation from high school teammate, S.H.

I could never beat this guy at batting. Oh, wait, my batting average was actually better, you know? But Makoto was a power hitter, so his slugging percentage was high, and he was cranking out home runs even back then. Defensively, he's flawless. He's smart... or rather, he was excellent at thinking of things that would annoy the opponent. He's a catcher, after all. Not that he hid that side of himself in daily life, though. Oh, and he was always looking at the manager. He's a total closet case.

• Evaluation from high school teammate, U.K.

Makoto was my partner behind the plate. I believe I was able to grow this much because Makoto was there. On the flip side, I feel like he had a bit of a mean streak... I miss the days when we were called the 'Ume-Usa' battery. Come to think of it, whenever the manager praised him, he'd always act cool and indifferent, but I think he was actually incredibly happy deep down.