On May 14th, the winners of the "SMBC Trust Bank Farm Monthly MVP Award" for March and April were announced. In the East Division, Rakuten Eagles Akira Shigenaga won the award; in the Central Division, Shintaro Hirosawa of Hayate Shizuoka won the award; and in the West Division, Orix Buffaloes Ryoma Yamanaka won the award. The winners will receive a commemorative gift from the farm league and a prize from SMBC Trust Bank Co., Ltd.

Third-round draft pick rookie Shigenaga played in 30 games in March and April. He made his presence felt with a division-leading 33 hit, second-highest batting average with runners in scoring position at .393, fourth-highest batting average at .303, and RBI. He played in 5 games for the first team but hit in 9 At Bat. He wants to continue producing results in the farm league in order to be called up again.

In his second year as a professional, Yamanaka played in 28 games in March and April, producing a high volume of hit with a division-leading batting average of .302, hit, and an on-base percentage of .367. He has maintained a high level of performance even into May, recording 3 hit 2 RBI in the game against Fukuoka Softbank on the 6th, and is making a case for his first appearance on the first team roster this season.

The awards ceremony for Yamanaka will take place before the game against Hiroshima on May 20th, and the awards ceremony for Shigenaga will take place before the game against Oisix Niigata on May 22nd.