No Japanese pro baseball team announces first-round draft pick ahead of 22 October draft
In short
Japan's professional baseball draft is due to open at 4:50 pm on 22 October at a hotel in Tokyo. Outlets reported that none of the teams has announced its first-round pick in advance, which they called unusual after recent years in which teams did so. Attention is on whether a team will select Shoki Oda, a Yokohama High School pitcher who has said he wants to try his luck in the United States.
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Japan's professional baseball draft, the new player selection meeting, is scheduled to start at 4:50 pm on 22 October at a hotel in Tokyo, Sankei Shimbun reported. The paper said teams had in recent years announced their first-round picks in advance, but this year none has done so, which it called an unusual situation. NHK and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun also reported that no first-round pick was announced beforehand, and NHK said attention is on the strategy each team brings to the day. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Sankei Shimbun said that among university players, pitchers Taisei Suzuki (鈴木泰成) of Aoyama Gakuin University, Hiroto Kawajiri (川尻啓人) of Adai (亜大) and Tomoto Yonezawa (米沢友翔) of Kansai University are likely to draw interest. It said catcher Kai Watanabe (渡部海) of Aoyama Gakuin is strongly expected to be a first-round pick, and that Meiji University outfielder Nanato Sakakibara (榊原七斗) is highly rated for his power hitting. [ 1 , 2 ]
Among high school players, pitcher Haruki Komoda (菰田陽生) of Yamanashi Gakuin High School, noted for playing both pitcher and batter, and pitcher Yuta Maeda (前田侑大) of Takaoka Daiichi High School in Toyama are top candidates, the paper said. It added that attention is on whether a team will select Shoki Oda (織田翔希), a pitcher at Yokohama High School in Kanagawa who has said he intends to try for the US game, and that SoftBank may make a "forced" pick of him. [ 1 , 2 ]
Sankei explained that the first round is by bidding, with a lottery when teams contest a player, repeated until every team is set. In the second round, picks go from the lower-placed teams on this season's results, beginning with Rakuten, sixth in the Pacific League, which holds priority this year, then Chunichi, sixth in the Central League. The third round reverses that order, and the order alternates after that. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The documents say the lack of advance announcements leaves each team's strategy for the first round unknown until the draft itself. Outlets point to the possibility of a surprise pick, such as SoftBank choosing Oda despite his stated US plans.
Key facts
- The draft is to be held from 4:50 pm on 22 October at a hotel in Tokyo. [ 1 , 2 ]
- No team has announced its first-round pick in advance this year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Sankei Shimbun called the situation unusual and said teams had announced first-round picks in advance in recent years. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Shoki Oda, a pitcher at Yokohama High School in Kanagawa, has said he intends to try for the US game. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun said SoftBank may make a "forced" pick of Oda. [ 1 , 2 ]
- First-round picks are made by bidding, and contested players go to a lottery that repeats until every team is set. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether any team will select Shoki Oda, who has said he wants to try for the US game. Outlets only raise it as a question; SoftBank's possible "forced" pick is described as a possibility.
- Which players will go in the first round. Outlets list popular candidates but no team has disclosed its choice.
- The spelling of Oda's given name. Sankei's headline writes 翔貴, while its article text and Livedoor write 翔希.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Sankei Shimbun publishes a preview on 21 October saying no team has announced a first-round pick. [ 1 ]
- NHK says on 22 October that the draft is being held that day and no team has announced a first-round pick. [ 4 ]
- Livedoor News runs a piece on 22 October noting that all 12 teams have said nothing publicly about first-round picks. [ 5 ]
- The draft is scheduled to start at a hotel in Tokyo. [ 1 , 2 ]