On the 1st, Kento Watanabe, who joined Seibu as the first pick in the 2020 draft, and on the 2nd, Takeru Sasaki, who joined as the second pick, were informed that they would not be signing contracts for next season.
Watanabe hit his first professional Home Run in his rookie year in 2021, and six Home Run in his third year in 2023, but he hasn't Home Run since then. This season, he has not played in the first team, and in the farm team he had a batting average of .201, Home Run, and 23 RBI.
Watanabe said, "I was drafted first and joined the team, but I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to produce good results. Based on my results up until last year, and with a bigger number this season, I entered the season feeling like I had to do even more, but I wasn't able to give it my all in every aspect. Since my injury in 2023, I've been in a state where I couldn't quite get my head around it, and I finally started to feel good towards the end of this year, so I wish I'd realized this sooner. I'm not sure what my future holds."
Sasaki pitched in 37 games in 2022 and 21 games in 2023, posting ERA of 0.87, showing outstanding consistency, but underwent Tommy John surgery in August of that year. He played as a development player last season and returned to the roster in June of this season, but pitched in 15 games with ERA of 5.02.
Sasaki commented, "The year started with great motivation, as I was able to return to playing baseball after rehabilitation. I had very strong feelings about this season because I had not been able to contribute to the team up until then, but when the year came to an end, I felt that I had not been able to do my best. I feel regretful and frustrated that this result came to pass and that I was not able to repay the support of so many people who supported me during my development period. I am sorry that I was not able to contribute to the team. I am not sure what my future holds."
As of now, Seibu is the only team whose first and second picks in the 2020 draft have been released from their roster since 2021.
