He used to be a popular professional baseball player. He once assumed the No. 4 position in his team. However, time flies. He is now in his mid-30s. He has stopped working as a pro baseball player.

Act 2 of my life has begun. I have found a new way at the front office of the club. However, the direction is somewhat different. I have become a salesperson. This is the story of Seiya Inoue (35) of Lotte Marines in Chiba, Japan.토토사이트

He was wearing a uniform until last year. But this year, he will start his business in a tie and formal attire. The venue for the opening ceremony in early January changed, too. This is not a ground but an office. He was assigned to the second sales team of Chiba Lotte Marines Co., Ltd. This place conducts business-to-business (BtoB) marketing to corporations.

Of course, many players retire and go to the front desk. However, most of them are related to the field. They are used for scouting, recording, operation, and support activities. They are generally connected to parts that enhance experiences as players.

As in his case, deploying sales positions is unusual. Even so, he does not mean that he has experience in that field. He has been obsessed with baseball since he was a student. He is truly a "novice." He has to learn from the bottom. He looks at a loss right now.

"When I was working as an office worker 12 years ago, I even did office work for a short time. However, I didn't work properly in the office. I don't know how to do it yet. I think I'll get an answer only when I actually encounter it."

But the fighting spirit is alive.

"Anyway, I will meet a lot of people and learn hard to get used to things quickly. I am confident that I will do a pretty good job of adapting and enduring. 300,000 is enough for me at bat, but I will do my best to exceed 500 in sales." He expressed his strong determination.

He worked at Chuo University of 央 in Japan and Nippon Seimei, a member of the pro-Japanese 命. He joined the team as No. 5 in the 2013 draft. The contract was made with a down payment of 50 million yen (460 million won) and an annual salary of 12 million yen (111 million won).

At first, he drew attention due to his physique. He weighed 110 kilograms (180 centimeters tall) when he was nominated, but has already gained 5 kilograms when he measured his height when he arrived at the dorm. The 115 kilograms was reported to be the heaviest ever Japanese rookie (excluding foreigners).

Naturally, problems arose due to physical stamina. Early in the spring camp, all indicators related to running failed. In particular, the problem was the essential item of "5 sets with a break of 150 meters and 30 seconds." Not a single one out of the five failed to make it within 30 seconds. He had to perform a penalty (30 push-ups) every time.

However, there is a time to get excited. It is in one's own world during batting training. He is full of power and soft swings, which make everyone admire him. As a right-handed hitter, he makes many good pitches in the right-center direction.

He will display his skills in real games without reservation. He eats into the entire open game (pilot game). In 15 games, he recorded 20 hits in 46 times at bat (two homers) and a batting average of 0.435. He ranked first in overall batting average among all 12 teams. A rookie has never been like this before. It is the first time since the draft system was introduced.

In the end, then-coach Ito Tsutomu makes an unconventional decision. He thus left the designated hitter position as the fourth designated hitter in the opening game to the rookie. It had been a long time in 64 years for the Chiba Lotte Marines (including its predecessor Mainichi). However, the team cannot handle the pressure. It is showing a sharp decline. He only had a batting average of 0.211 in 36 games that year.

It was in the fifth year that he became a member of the Korean pro baseball league. He hit 24 home runs with a batting average of 0.292 in 2018. He posted a whopping 99 home runs. He hit 24 home runs the same number in the next year.

His heyday, however, was not long. Since 2021, injuries and sluggishness come alternately. The number of business trips sharply declined. Finally, he completely disappeared from the first team last year. He had to retire.

"I spent a lot of time in the second division. Then, I watched young players grow up. I wondered if I could win the competition with them." After much thought, I came to the conclusion that it was difficult. I told my parents first and expressed my determination to the club."

Most people think about the path of a leader. But he was different.

"I don't think I'm good enough to teach anyone baseball. I've never done anything so great. Still, I'm confident that my affection for Chiba Lotte is greater than anyone else. I decided not to go about my work because I hope it would help me even a little. Sales is a difficult task, but I'll try my best."

There is also a reality that needs to be overcome. First of all, it is difficult to compare with salary.

When he was a pro athlete, he received an annual salary of 55 million yen (about 510 million won in 2020). Since then, his salary has gradually declined. Nevertheless, he received 32 million yen (about 300 million won) last year. It is hard to say that it is large for a professional athlete. However, the amount is not easy based on the salary man. (Detailed position and treatment are unknown.)

The experiment of "BtoB salesman Inoue" is quite a nerve-wracking attempt. For both of you and Chiba Lotte, it will be the same for each other.