Hiroto started baseball early when he played catcher for his school's team in his first grade. He specialized as a pitcher in junior high, and helped his team win championships and runner ups in his hometown's local tournaments.[1][2]
He then went on to become the ace pitcher of Suma Shofu High School, where in his 2nd year, he led the team to win runner-up in the prefectural tournament. Despite his team never making it to either Spring Koshien or Summer Koshien, his 140 km/h fastball caught the attention of both NPB and MLB scouts alike.[3][4]
Professional career
Hanshin Tigers selected Saiki on the 3rd round of the 2016 NPB draft.[5] He signed a 50 million yen contract with the Tigers, with an estimated 6 million yen annual salary. He was assigned the jersey number 35.[6]
On December 2, 2020, he become a free agent.[7] On December 8, 2020, Saiki re-signed with the Tigers.[8]
Playing style
Standing at 189 cm, Saiki is a right-handed pitcher whose arsenal consists of fastballs clocked at a maximum of 157 km/h, sliders, curveballs and splitters.[9] In addition, he also has recently started throwing a cutter.[10] He aims to follow the footsteps of his teammate and fellow high-school draft Shintaro Fujinami who is known for his high velocity pitches.[6]
