Yuki Saito, a former professional baseball player who founded Yuki Saito Co., Ltd.
Now that careers are diversifying, new models are being created for “athlete’s second career.” Above all, it is fresh in my memory that Yuki Saito, a former professional baseball player who has always been in the spotlight since his teens, has begun a new career. In December 2021, two months after his retirement, he announced that he had established Yuki Saito Co., Ltd. and became president.
Entrepreneurship is not uncommon nowadays, but many people may be wondering what they are trying to do with a company that bears their name. Yuki Saito Co., Ltd. made an investment in a startup while many people were concerned about future trends. The investment destination is a baseball gym that has introduced a tracking system that is a hot topic in the industry.Gaienmae baseball gymIt’s Knowhere, which runs “.
Mr. Saito, who was interviewed at the Gaienmae baseball gym in Gaienmae, Tokyo, wore a refreshing saxophone blue jacket and talked about “now” six months after the company was established.
The thoughts put into the vision “Creating the future of baseball”
“At first, I thought it would be a good idea to use my name as the company name (laughs), but while listening to the advice of the people around me, let’s dare to jump into the market with just my name. What do the world expect from the existence of “Yuki Saito”? What kind of position do I want when I take off my uniform? I dare not decide the business area myself. I thought I’d leave it to you. “(Mr. Saito)
There is only one vision, “Creating the future of baseball.” I want to contribute to making my favorite baseball more enjoyable. I opened a window on the official website saying, “Please join us.” It is said that such a simple message had an unexpected response.
“A new world has expanded at once, with proposals for new businesses, offers for advertising and media appearances, and people raising their hands saying,’I want to work at Yuki Saito Co., Ltd.'”
There are many challenges to realize the future of baseball and the enjoyment of baseball that Mr. Saito thinks. Currently, I am thinking about creating an opportunity to start baseball, a mechanism to reduce the cost of baseball equipment, and securing a place to practice to continue. “Gaienmae Baseball Gym” is supported by Mr. Saito as a project to tackle this “practice place” task.
The shortcut to reducing the number of people who give up baseball due to injury was an investment.
A membership-based baseball gym built in the city center of Aoyama, Tokyo, that can be used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It was born as a place to solve the “baseball problem” that “there is no place to even catch a ball in the city”. We are particular about the equipment, such as the introduction of a mound that incorporates professional sand and six rapswords, a tracking system for baseball players.
Mr. Hisashi Ito, the representative of Knowhere, is 33 years old, the same age as Mr. Saito. After graduating from Keio University, he was involved in application development at DENA and HEROZ, and was in charge of introducing AI for corporations. He is familiar with baseball in elementary and junior high schools, and sports are “a group that enjoys with data.” He started his business to contribute to the baseball world by making use of his career as a digital human resource.
(Left) Former professional baseball player Yuki Saito (Right) Knowhere representative Hisashi Ito
Mr. Saito said that he met Mr. Ito when he was a player and hit it off while listening to the idea of establishing a new gym. It is said that he conveyed his opinion from the player’s point of view.
The pitching practice field, which is located in the center of the city but has a distance of 18.44m, has a sufficient depth on the back side of the athlete and can be recorded with a camera from any angle. In fact, Saito found “a bright future for baseball” in this analysis-specialized environment, and decided to invest as his company in June.
“By loading videos and images of the form taken here into AI and analyzing them, we can provide highly accurate feedback. Until now, it has been thought that baseball skills have been improved by coaching coaches. However, personal experience and feelings are not always addictive to everyone. To be honest, I think they are compatible. The most important thing for athletes is “self-awareness.” Compared to athletes in the world, I am now. What is your condition? How has it changed compared to yesterday’s self? If you can grasp your own situation more accurately and efficiently, you can grow faster and more enjoyably. Above all, it will lead to prevention of injuries. (Mr. Saito)
Image courtesy of Knowhere
The majority of members attending the gym are high school students or younger. From his own experience of suffering from injuries, Mr. Saito sincerely hopes that there will be an environment where even one person who gives up his favorite baseball due to an injury can be reduced.
“We are now in an era where the power of technology can bring to many people an advanced training environment that only professional athletes could enjoy. I wish I could do that at my company, but I’m not good at AI. I decided to invest because I thought that supporting Mr. Ito would be the shortest and fastest route. “
Saito is not particular about it in a good way. Flexible and rational for big goals. Then, what kind of manager is Saito from the perspective of Ito, who became a business partner?
“Anyway, they always give me positive words. We entrepreneurs sometimes feel uneasy in their hearts while trying. Not only by saying” I’m supporting you “but also by acting. I’m really grateful that you can push my back. And I’m always humble and really enthusiastic about studying. I’m surprised because I update my knowledge every time I meet. With a positive aura, I energize the people around me. Mr. Saito has such power. I’m a business owner “(Mr. Ito)
“Doubt things”, learning from former Nippon-Ham director Kuriyama
Mr. Saito is often said to be “mentally strong.” Why can you be positive? When I heard that, I got back words without stagnation.
“Since I was playing baseball, every time I hit a wall, I enjoyed thinking,’How can I do what I can’t do?’ When I was injured. I’m excited just by imagining “Is it healed?” And “What kind of self can I be after healed?” I believe that if you can live a creative life, “(Mr. Saito)
This idea is also a lesson learned from the words of Hideki Kuriyama, a former director of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, “doubtful things.”
“Because baseball is a sport with a long history and tradition, it’s easy to think that it’s like this,” but I think, “Maybe there’s a different way.” You can have hope just by yourself, and it should be more interesting. And, hints of new ideas that lead to hope are often obtained from “people who do not know baseball”, so I actively meet people. I’m going to “(Mr. Saito)
When asked how fast he was going to meet, he immediately answered, “It’s every day.” Mr. Saito, such as the manager of the IT industry and those who struggle in the field of manufacturing, says that he goes to the “unknown world” as much as possible and absorbs it. When making appointments, the Waseda University network is alive and well.
“It’s especially inspiring to meet the same generation who are active in various fields. When I was a player, I was only concerned about the synchronization of the ball world, but if you look at the world widely, it’s really diverse. I’m impressed once again that there are people of the same generation. “(Mr. Saito)
However, criticism is inherent when trying to do something new or “out of the ordinary”. However, Mr. Saito has decided, “I don’t care, I concentrate on what I should do.”
“If you start to pay attention to the eyes around you, it’s hard to beat. It’s impossible to have 1000 out of 1000 people on your side, and it’s natural that each person has a different idea. It doesn’t make much sense, I just try to figure out what I should concentrate on right now. About five years ago, I wrote about Adler psychology.Courage to be hatedThere was a moment when I thought that my way of life was not wrong when I read “(Mr. Saito).
I want to solve all the hurdles to continue playing baseball
There is no correct answer in the second career of a baseball player. “In the end, what he wants to do. He only looks at himself and knows deeply,” Saito thinks.
Mr. Saito is concentrating on his “current self” without worrying about it. “One day, I want to create a stadium dedicated to youth baseball,” the dream grows.
However, in reality, the baseball population is declining and it is not bright at all. According to the Japan Softball Baseball Association, the competition population, which was estimated at 320,000 in 1982, has been declining year by year, reaching about 187,000 in 2020.
However, Mr. Saito does not stop thinking. “It is difficult to increase the baseball population because the Japanese population itself is declining. I think the important thing is to improve the” quality of experience “rather than the number. I want to eliminate all of them “(Mr. Saito). One of the approaches is the establishment of a practice gym that we are currently working on and the development of technology that supports injury prevention.
Lastly, I asked Saito, who consistently talks about “love for baseball.” “What do you think is the difference between a life with baseball and a life without baseball?” Actually, this question was asked by a 10-year-old baseball boy who is aiming for the same pitcher as Saito. When I told him the purpose of the question, Saito happily answered to confirm each word.
“What you can get in a life with baseball … That’s right. The reason I live happily and positively now is because I had time to share with friends, seniors, and masters I met through baseball. I can’t compare it because I’ve never played sports, but baseball is a very complicated ball game, and it has many roles, including preparation, tidying up, and talking on the bench. “
“Each player has an important role, including players who can’t play in the match. And we all work toward the same goal. I think we couldn’t have had such an experience, and we and our friends who spent that time together. I think that what baseball has given to my life is “people”. “(Mr. Saito)
Photographing actually leads to “creating the future of baseball”
Saito’s Instagram timeline, also known as a camera enthusiast, occasionally shows the smiles of baseball boys and girls. It is said that many of them were taken by the boys’ baseball team they visited.
“The reason I like photography is because I can capture the best moments. I want my children and parents to know that they have such a nice face when playing baseball. After showing the pictures, I’m happy to hear that “I was motivated and practiced more than usual.” This is also “creating a future for baseball” for me. “(Mr. Saito)
Saito is now 33 years old. His life is still going on, but I don’t think he’s long. He has a lot of work to do and he doesn’t have enough time.
“I’m supporting the players who are active and working hard, hoping that they will be active for as long as possible. I’m myself, and I want to concentrate on what I can do now and contribute to society. The result is It’s not all, but it’s important to always feel “I’m trying to contribute to society.” I will continue to move so that I can show everyone that way of life. “(Mr. Saito)
