Post-draft reports from 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015
For the third straight year, Hanshin manager Akihiro Yano did not divulge the team’s direction as to which player they would enter the sweepstakes for in Round 1 of the draft, which took place on Monday, October 11 in Tokyo. Once again, each club had its own room with front office personnel, plus two unmanned cameras.
The Tigers have presumably not yet finished cutting players, but so far, OF Shunsuke, RHP Kentaro Kuwahara, RHP Kenichi Nakata, and LHP Minoru Iwata have announced their retirements. Also, RHP Kazuo Itoh, IF Fumiya Araki, LHP Masaki Ishii, RHP Shota Suzuki and IF Kosuke Fujitani have been cut. Just the same, there is no predicting ahead of time what types of players the team would choose.
As you probably remember, Yano pulled the winning ballot in the Teruaki Sato sweepstakes last season. This year, things went a little differently. Hanshin and Yokohama both wanted high school righty Kenta Kozono, but the Baystars got him. Instead, we got someone who is no small consolation…
Round 1 – Daichi Moriki (森木 大智)
From: Kochi Prefecture
Date of Birth: April 17, 2003
Drafted Out of: Kochi High (Kochi)
Position: Pitcher
Height: 184 cm (6’0″)
Weight: 90 kg (198 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
About Moriki: This flamethrowing righty tops out at 154 km/h (96 mph). He also has good finish on his offspeed pitches and stands a chance of becoming an elite talent among Japanese baseball players. His overall talent level is extremely high.
Moriki’s Comments: I’m relieved to have been selected in the first round. Seeing Hanshin this year, I know they have a good balance of pitching and hitting, and I am glad to be part of the team.
Round 2 – Yuto Suzuki (鈴木 勇斗)
From: Kagoshima Prefecture
Date of Birth: March 17, 2000
Drafted Out of: Soka U (Tokyo)
High School: Kanoya Chuo High (Kagoshima)
Position: Pitcher
Height: 174 cm (5’8″)
Weight: 83 kg (183 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
About Suzuki: This powerhouse lefty throws up to 152 km/h (95 mph). The movement on his fastball is overwhelming for opponents, and he has the stamina to be part of the starting rotation.
Round 3 – Takuma Kirishiki (桐敷 拓馬)
From: Saitama Prefecture
Date of Birth: June 20, 1999
Drafted Out of: Niigata University of Health and Welfare (Niigata)
High School: Honjo Higashi High (Saitama)
Position: Pitcher
Height: 178 cm (5’10”)
Weight: 90 kg (198 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
About Kirishiki: His fastball maxes out at 150 km/h (94 mph). He has good form and his command and zip on his fastball are top-notch. He has already developed a lot and has his own techniques that enable him to keep his team in any game. This lefty could compete for a spot in the rotation right from his first year.
Round 4 – Ukyo Maekawa (前川 右京)
From: Mie Prefecture
Date of Birth: May 18, 2003
Drafted Out of: Chiben High (Nara)
Position: Outfield
Height: 176 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 88 kg (194 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
About Maekawa: This lefty has as much power as anyone in this season’s high school crop, not to mention that he was a fixture in the lineup at a strong high school right from his freshman year. He is capable of hitting the ball out of the park in all directions, and is a strong candidate to bat in the middle of the order in the future.
Round 5 – Hidetaka Okadome (岡留 英貴)
From: Okinawa Prefecture
Date of Birth: June 25, 1998
Drafted Out of: Asia University (Tokyo)
High School: Okinawa Shogaku High (Okinawa)
Position: Pitcher
Height: 180 cm (5’11”)
Weight: 87 kg (192 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
About Okadome: Though he throws sidearm, his fastball has enough on it to consider him a power pitcher. He has good control and maxes out at 150 km/h (94 mph). He is expected to be able to contribute out of the bullpen right from year one.
Round 6 – Hiroshi Toyoda (豊田 寛)
From: Kanagawa Prefecture
Date of Birth: April 28, 1997
Drafted Out of: Hitachi (Ibaraki)
High School: Tokai Dai Sagami High (Kanagawa)
University: International Budo U (Chiba)
Position: Outfield
Height: 171 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 85 kg (187 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
About Toyoda: He hits for power to the opposite field and has a strong arm as well. His aggressive approach at the plate is one of his strengths, but his speed and defense cannot be overlooked. He throws well and has the ability to steal bases. He could make an immediate impact in the outfield.
Round 7 – Hayato Nakagawa (中川 勇斗)
From: Aichi Prefecture
Date of Birth: January 27, 2004
Drafted Out of: Kyoto International High School (Kyoto)
Position: Catcher
Height: 172 cm (5’8″)
Weight: 72 kg (161 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
About Nakagawa: His pop time of 1.9 seconds says it all about his arm. He has experience at both the spring and summer Koshien tournaments, leading his team and having a broad scope of the game. He has top-notch talent at the plate and on defense, and could eventually be the everyday catcher of the future. He could also be a strong leader in the clubhouse.
Development Draft Round 1 – Ryo Itoh (伊藤 稜)
From: Aichi Prefecture
Date of Birth: November 8, 1999
Drafted Out of: Chukyo University (Aichi)
High School: Chukyo Univ. Chukyo (Aichi)
Position: Pitcher
Height: 178 cm (5’10”)
Weight: 86 kg (190 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
About Itoh: This lefty throws upward of 150 km/h (94 mph). His take-back is compact and his fastball feels even faster than the gun indicates. He also has a good slider. If he is able to work on his control a little more, he could really explode onto the scene at some point.
In all honesty, I know even less than what I wrote here about these guys. I have not watched any video on them (yet), but am excited that we got some good new young blood into the fold.
Welcome to Hanshin, young men! If you want to learn English, H-TEN’s at your service!