While Tsuyoshi Nishioka prepares for his first year with the Minnesota Twins, the Chiba Lotte Marines are about to begin their season with a noticeable hole at shortstop.
The former Lotte star was among the most valuable players in Japan last season, so the Marines will be hard-pressed to replace him.
That task, for now, falls to second-year players Takashi Ogino and Ikuhiro Kiyota.