After demolishing Central League pitching in his first full season, second baseman Tetsuto Yamada has been spending time upgrading his fielding — a team-wide weakness last season when the Tokyo Yakult Swallows finished last place for the second straight year.
Upon winning the league's Best IX Award last autumn, the big-hitting youngster vowed to pay more attention to the defensive side, but said the process is anything but a labor of love.
"It's not interesting at all," the 22-year-old told Kyodo News at the Swallows' practice facility earlier this week.