Keisuke Sato's September Power Surge Rekindles a Rookie Interview From His Early Days With the Carp

Keisuke Sato has been one of the brightest young players for the Hiroshima Carp in September, showcasing his power with three home runs since the start of the month.

Sato joined Hiroshima as a second-round selection in the 2023 developmental draft out of Shizuoka University. He quickly made his mark, earning a spot on the club's 70-man roster in June of his rookie season.

Through the end of the 2025 season, Sato had appeared in just 12 first-team games. In 2026, however, he has received a much greater opportunity, appearing in 55 games through September 14.

With the pennant race approaching its conclusion, the third-year infielder is finally beginning to show the impact the Carp hoped he could make when they drafted him.

His rise is particularly notable because Sato had to work his way up from the developmental ranks. Now, with expectations growing for what he can accomplish next season, it is worth looking back at an interview he gave as a rookie in 2024.

"I Want to Compete in an Environment Where I Can Devote All My Time to Baseball"

When Sato spoke in April 2024, he was experiencing his first season in the Western League. On March 31 against Kufu Hayate Ventures at Yū Stadium, he hit the first home run of his professional career in an official game.

Asked about his early impressions of professional baseball, Sato explained that there were things he could only learn through actual games.

"I don't really know how to describe it myself, but even though we had been practicing throughout camp, there are things you can only learn in games. There are situations where you have to make a certain play, and there are things you need to think about on every single play that I hadn't even considered before."

He was also struck by the level of preparation required at the professional level.

"I feel that first-team players naturally think about those things at a very high level and prepare before every play. That's something I still can't always do myself, so I'm trying to learn little by little as I go."

Even as a rookie, Sato already understood that his offensive ability alone would not be enough.

When asked about his greatest strength, he immediately identified his power.

"I think my biggest strength is my ability to hit for extra bases. But even if I use my hitting to make an impression, I won't be able to play if I can't defend. I want to earn the trust of the bench with my defense, while also improving my baserunning and other areas that I need in order to get into games."

From Chukyo University Chukyo to Shizuoka University

Sato attended Chukyo University Chukyo High School before moving on to Shizuoka University. His selection by Hiroshima also made him the first player from a national university to join the Carp.

He said he first seriously considered becoming a professional during the winter of his third year at university.

"I started thinking seriously about it during the winter of my third year. When I went home at the end of the year, I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my future. I went back to my old school and listened to what different people had to say, and I realized that I wanted to keep playing baseball."

His high school also played an important role in that decision.

"A lot of seniors from Chukyo University Chukyo have gone on to play professionally. Seeing those seniors and younger players who had made it to the professional level, I thought it was really cool. That became another reason why I started aiming for professional baseball."

Ultimately, Sato wanted to find out how far he could go if baseball became his full-time pursuit.

"If I was going to do it, I wanted to challenge myself in a professional environment where I could devote all of my time to baseball. That's when I made my decision."

A Rookie Who Chose to Commit Completely

Sato served as captain of Shizuoka University during his fourth year and was also selected to the league's Best Nine team.

Although he had already been building his results since his freshman year, he said his mindset changed once he decided to pursue professional baseball.

"The results in league play had been building since my first year, so in terms of adding to my skills, what I needed to do didn't really change. But after deciding that I wanted to become a professional, from the spring league of my fourth year onward, I approached baseball with the mindset that I had already become a professional player. I devoted myself to baseball even more."

His dream came true at the 2023 NPB Draft—but not quite in the way he had hoped.

Hiroshima selected him in the second round of the developmental draft, rather than with a standard roster selection.

"Of course, I wanted to be selected directly to the 70-man roster, so I think I felt half disappointed and half happy that I would at least have the opportunity to play professional baseball."

That disappointment, however, did not stop his progress. Just months later, he earned a promotion to the regular roster.

The Rookie's Goal Was Simple

When asked what he wanted to accomplish in his first professional season, Sato did not set an extravagant statistical target.

Instead, he focused on staying healthy and steadily accumulating experience.

"First of all, my goal is to make it through the entire year without any major injuries. Once I achieve that, I want to face the practices I'm working on now and the challenges that come up in the future, build up experience little by little, and make it through the entire season."

More than two years later, those words feel particularly relevant.

Sato has already overcome the developmental-draft label, earned his place on the regular roster and established himself as a player capable of making an impact in the first team.

Now, with three home runs already in September and his role continuing to grow, the once-promising rookie is beginning to look like an important part of Hiroshima's future.

Keisuke Sato
Born May 24, 2001, Aichi Prefecture
Throws: Right / Bats: Left
Position: Infielder
Chukyo University Chukyo High School → Shizuoka University → Hiroshima Carp (2023 developmental draft, Round 2)