Early Monday morning was the ever dramatic and fun NPB Draft. There were some shocks, some players out of nowhere, and tons of excitement. Now with that let’s take a look at the top talents coming to your favorite NPB team.
If this is your first NPB Draft, it works a bit differently than the usual draft you’re probably used to. The first round of the NPB draft can be described as the best drama that you can get when mixed with a draft. The first round of the NPB draft goes as such, the order is based on record and performance, each team selects which player they would like to nominate to be able to draft. However, what makes it interesting is that only in the first round, teams can fight over the same player. As this first round uses an auction system where every team gets their picks in at the same time and then the teams either hope that nobody else takes their player or strategically nominate a certain player that is the most sought after and the best in the draft. Meaning if one guy is touted by multiple different teams that player can be nominated by multiple teams. The record for most nominations for a single player remains as Hideo Nomo and Hideo Koike, who were both nominated by 8 different teams in their drafts.
Once all of the nominations are completed, all of the picks are revealed as you can watch all of the teams and GMs react to what players are contested or not. After the reveal, it goes to a lottery draw for the contested picks. If the player that the team selected was contested by another team, they send a representative/good luck charm to go up on stage and receive a ballot. Once every team has their ballot they open it up together revealing who won the rights of the player. Once all of the contested players are completed, the teams that lost out on their contested picks go in order again selecting players. Contesting picks can occur as long as the first round is still being held until every team has selected a player for the first round. Then after that teams pick in a classic snake draft style.
Here is a video showcasing the entirety of the first round of the 2018 NPB Draft as a good way to get a feel for how the system works and the drama around it:
As you can tell it can get out of hand really quick and is a blast to watch unfold live. Now let's take a quick look at the biggest headlines and snippets from the draft for each team.
(This is only a quick recap, for now, a deeper dive into each team’s draft, my favorite prospects, and overall draft thoughts will be coming later on!)
Race for the Studs
Rakuten Wins Hayakawa
By far the most talked about name this summer and the best player in this draft, everybody knew it would take some luck to land LHP Takahisa Hayakawa. Hayakawa is a special arm that has been cooking all year long after the restart of the Big 6. The 5-foot-10 pitcher out of Waseda University has been a name to watch since his multiple appearances at Koshien and only gotten better since. The lefty made a strong appearance with the Samurai Japan Collegiate Team last summer, facing off against the likes of Spencer Torkelson, Heston Kjerstad, and Alika Williams. However, it’s his total dominance of the Big 6 since the restart that has him broken away from the rest of his class as the best prospect. Hayakawa has been insane this summer with a 17 strikeout performance where his brilliance was on full show.
Hayakawa is a spin rate darling with a slider reaching up to 2900 RPM and a cutter of 2700 RPM when compared to average MLB spin rates of 2400-2500 for Slider and 2350-2450 for the cutter. When watching the slider in action it's a clear dominant out pitch with great movement. He also shows off a big looping curveball that can be a solid pitch, as well as a changeup and forkball, but Hayakawa uses a fastball and slider the majority of the time. Hayakawa’s fastball reaches up to 95 but he usually works around 90-93. He can spot the pitch well and it works extremely well with the other pitches in his arsenal.
Everybody knew going into tonight that it would be hotly contested for Hayakawa and that’s exactly what happened. Four different teams between the Seibu Lions, Chiba Lotte Marines, Yakult Swallows, and the Rakuten Eagles. Out of the four teams hoping for the rights of Hayakawa, only one could come out as victors. Those victors became the Rakuten Eagles. Here is their reaction to the lottery win:
Hanshin Wins Sato:
Meanwhile, there was another hotly contested player that would be drafted tonight, Teruaki Sato. Teruaki Sato is a big-bodied, 6-foot-1 kid with plenty of room to build on to an already athletic and projectable frame. Sato is a typical corner guy but more athletic than most, however, I’d still think he’ll stick in right or left in the outfield as it suits him the most. Fairly good speed with an OK glove and strong arm projects him well as a power corner in the outfield.
Sato has a beautiful swing that doesn’t do many stances and kick wise. Although he has plenty of power to drive pitches out all over the field. Sato has been getting better this summer and fall since the restart showing off his strong power and pushing scouts to throw wild comps like his opposite-field power being similar to Yuki Yanagita, however, I think he projects closer to Yoshio Itoi. Mainly due to both of them being corner outfielders at the professional ranks, an athletic build, and a powerful bat. It’s clear that the reason why teams are intrigued is a solid and athletic outfielder who projects to having massive power at the professional ranks, something that teams love to get a hold of.
Just like Hayakwa there were four teams in the race to get his talents between the Giants, Hawks, Buffaloes and the Hanshin Tigers. After everyone had lined up, it was the Tigers that won the rights for Mr. Sato.
Favorite Draft: Yokohama DeNA Baystars
I’ve already mentioned this during the draft on my twitter, but I think that Yokohama did very well today. Not only did they secure a top pitching talent but also a very talented bat. Filling spots that they needed to be filled meanwhile not reaching for those spots to be filled. RHP Taisei Irie is an interesting looking arm, reached up to 150km, and has solid offspeed options. Make no mistakes that Irie is most likely worthy of a first-round pick but their next pick is what I think turns this draft from decent to pretty good. The second round comes around and they take 2B Shugo Maki. Maki was one of, if not, my favorite bat of this draft. A powerful hitting 2B that has done it all sorts of stages. Even having shown power against talent on a higher level, having hit a home run with the Samurai Japan Collegiate Team off of current Cardinals minor-leaguer and 2020 2nd round pick, Alec Burleson. As well as having hit a home run off of current Yomiuri Giants pitcher Toshiki Sakurai in a scrimmage match. Although Maki will probably not be the best in the field and have to be played at either 2B or 1B thanks to a less than stellar arm, his bat more than makes up for it. Then adding in Ryonosuke Matsumoto and Daichi Kobukata is a nice plus as well. Well done Yokohama.
Here is Shugo Maki in action:
And just for fun because most readers of this site know who this is, here he is hitting a bomb to dead center off of Alec Burleson:
(Homerun is at 1:35 in case if it doesn’t start there.)
Double Trouble
For anyone that may follow NPB casually they might have heard of a little guy named Hayato Sakamoto. You know, that guy that is only 8 hits away from being the youngest player in NPB history to reach 2000 for their career? Anyways, he may be the leading star for the Yomiuri Giants for now, but just in case the Giants today had drafted another Hayato Sakamoto during their development squad draft. All the way down to the same spelling of the name, same kanji (坂本 勇人), and pronunciation. The Giants now have two different Hayato Sakamoto’s on their squad and brings up an interesting conversation and decision about how each of them will be written in the squad and how each of their names on their jerseys will be written. However, because he is only a development player, for now, Sakamoto and fans wishing to purchase his jersey, won’t have to worry about his jersey changing any time soon. Maybe, more importantly, this opens up a great opportunity for the Giants to pull a fast one on an unknowing MLB GM in a trade.
Here is how the development team manager and recently retired Yomiuri Giant legend, Shinnosuke Abe’s reaction to drafting Sakamoto 2:
The World of Junko Baseball
In the fifth round of the draft on Monday morning, the Saitama Seibu Lions had drafted Ren Omagari from Fukuoka University. However, unlike everyone else that was drafted this year Omagari hasn’t been playing with the typical baseball most of our readers are used to. Instead, Omagari is a member of Fukuoka University’s Junkoshikiyakyu Team, aka Junko Baseball. Junko Baseball (準硬式野球) is a game that is played very similarly to regular baseball. However, the major difference is the ball itself. A junko ball is a cross between a typical softball and the classic hardball. The ball takes the denser inside of a hardball with the softer outer parts of rubber, like a softball. Junko Ball is a long-running tradition, with the ball being created in 1949 and the ball first being used in a tournament in 1950. Ever since the tradition of Junko Ball continues mostly at the collegiate level today.
Main Draft Results
These do not include the ikusei (developmental) draft picks
Orix Buffaloes:
Teruaki Sato (佐藤輝明), IF/OF, Kindai University
Shunpeita Yamashita (山下 舜平大), RHP, Fukuoka Uni Ohori HS
Kendai Gen (元 謙太), OF/IF, Chukyo High School
Ryoto Kurita (来田 涼斗), OF, Akashi Commercial High School
Hayate Nakagawa (中川 颯), RHP, Rikkyo University
Takuma Nakagawa (中川 拓真), C, Toyohashi Chuo Senior High
Shota Abe (阿部 翔太), RHP, Nissay aka Nihon Seimei
Yakult Swallows:
Takahisa Hayakawa (早川隆久), LHP, Waseda University
Shota Suzuki (鈴木 昭汰), LHP, Hosei University
Naofumi Kizawa (木澤 尚文), RHP, Keio University
Taichi Yamano (山野太一), LHP, Tohoku Fukushi University
Soma Uchiyama (内山 壮真), C, Seiryo Junior and Senior High School
Hiyu Motoyama (元山 飛優), IF, Tohoku Fukushi University
Hidetaka Namiki (並木 秀尊), OF, Dokkyo University
Kota Katekaru (嘉手苅 浩太), RHP, Japan Aviation High School Ishikawa
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters:
Hiromi Ito (伊藤 大海), RHP, Tomakomai Komazawa University
Ryota Isobata (五十幡 亮汰), OF, Chuo University
Yudai Furukawa (古川 裕大), C, Jobu University
Ryohei Hosokawa (細川 凌平), IF/OF, Chiben Gakuen Wakayama High School
Haruka Nemoto (根本 悠楓), LHP, Tomakomai Central High School
Yuma Imagawa (今川 優馬), OF, JFE East Baseball Club
Hiroshima Toyo Carp:
Ryoji Kuribayashi (栗林 良吏), RHP, Toyota Motor Baseball Club
Daisuke Moriura (森浦 大輔), LHP, Tenri University
Haruki Omichi (大道 温貴), RHP, Hachinohe Gakuin University
Tatsuto Kobayashi (小林 樹斗), RHP, Chiben Gakuen Wakayama High School
Shun Namiki (行木 俊), RHP, Tokushima Indigo Socks
Masaya Yano (矢野 雅哉), IF, Asia University
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles:
Takahisa Hayakwa (早川 隆久), LHP, Waseda University
Koichi Takada (高田 孝一), RHP, Hosei University
Masaru Fugii (藤井 聖), LHP, ENEOS
Takuma Uchima (内間 拓馬), RHP, Asia University
Daiki Irie (入江 大樹), INF, Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School
Seiryu Uchi (内 星龍), RHP, Riseisha Gakuen Toyonaka Junior High School
Yokohama DeNA Baystars:
Taisei Irie (入江 大生), RHP, Meiji University
Shugo Maki (牧 秀悟), INF, Chuo University
Ryunosuke Matsumoto (松本 隆之介), LHP, Yokohama High School
Daichi Kobukata (小深田 大地), INF/OF, Riseisha Gakuen Toyonaka Junior High School
Sota Ikeya (池谷 蒼大), LHP, Yamaha
Takuto Takada (高田 琢登), LHP, Shizuoka Commercial High School
Saitama Seibu Lions:
Takahisa Hayakawa (早川隆久), LHP, Waseda University
Kento Watanabe (渡部 健人), INF, Toin Yokohama University
Takeru Sasaki (佐々木 健), LHP, NTT Baseball Club
Takayoshi Yamamura (山村 崇嘉), INF, Tokai University Sagami High School
Gakuto Wakabayashi (若林 楽人), OF, Komazawa University
Ren Omagari (大曲 錬), RHP, Fukuoka University Junkoshiki Baseball Club
Brandon Taiga Tysinger (タイシンガーブランドン・大河), INF, Tokyo University of Agriculture Okhotsk Campus
Yuta Nakamigawa (仲三河 優太), OF, Osaka Toin High School
Hanshin Tigers:
Teruaki Sato (佐藤輝明), IF/OF, Kindai University
Masashi Ito (伊藤 将司), LHP, JR East Baseball Club
Ren Sato (佐藤 蓮), RHP, Jobu University
Yuki Sakaeda (榮枝 裕貴), C, Ritsumeikan University
Shoki Murakami (村上 頌樹), RHP, Toyo University
Takumu Nakano (中野 拓夢), INF, Mitshubishi Okazaki Baseball Club
Nozomu Takatera (高寺 望夢), INF, Ueda Nishi High School
Daichi Ishii (石井 大智), RHP, Kochi Fighting Dogs
Chiba Lotte Marines:
Takahisa Hayakawa (早川隆久), LHP, Waseda University
Shota Suzuki (鈴木 昭汰), LHP, Hosei University
Shunsuke Nakamori (中森 俊介), RHP, Akashi Commercial High School
Ryusei Ogawa (小川 龍成), INF, Kokugakuin University
Tokito Kawamura (河村 説人), RHP, Seisa Dohta University
Ryosuke Nishikawa (西川 僚祐), OF, Tokai University Sagami High School
Chunichi Dragons:
Hiroto Takahashi (高橋 宏斗), RHP, Chukyo University Chukyo High School
Hiroto Mori (森 博人), RHP, Nippon Sports Science University
Ryuku Tsuchida (土田 龍空), INF, Ohmi Senior High School
Shota Fukushima (福島 章太), LHP, Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki High School
Tsubasa Kato (加藤 翼), RHP, Teikyodaigakukanikotou High School
Hironori Miyoshi (三好 大倫), OF, JFE West Baseball Club
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks:
Teruaki Sato (佐藤輝明), IF/OF, Kindai University
Tomoya Inoue (井上 朋也), INF, Hanasaki Tokuharu High School
Yoshiyasu Sasagawa (笹川 吉康), OF, Yokohama Commercial High School
Kota Makihara (牧原 巧汰), C, Nippon University Fujisawa High School
Junpei Kawaharada (川原田 純平), INF, Aomori Yamada High School
Sota Tanoue (田上 奏大), RHP, Riseisha Gakuen Toyonaka High School
Yomiuri Giants:
Teruaki Sato (佐藤輝明), IF/OF, Kindai University
Ryuta Heinai (平内 龍太), RHP, Asia University
Iori Yamasaki (山崎 伊織), RHP, Tokai University
Raito Nakayama (中山 礼都), INF, Chukyo University Chukyo High School
Yusuke Ito (伊藤 優輔), RHP, Mitsubishi Power Baseball Club
Yuto Akihiro (秋広 優人), INF, Nishogakusha High School
Itsuki Yamamoto (山本 一輝), LHP, Chukyo University
Tetsu Hagiwara (萩原 哲), C, Soka University
Thank you all for reading this article. For all English speaking NPB fans or anyone looking to get into NPB, you can follow me on Twitter here, @tom_mussa. Deeper looks into players and team drafts will be coming later. Hopefully, this can hold you over until then!
Image Credit: Yokohama Baystars