Hiroshi Sasaki, the father of Stanford infielder Rintaro Sasaki, who was selected first by Softbank in the draft, and the manager of Hanamaki Higashi High School (Iwate), received a congratulatory speech from Softbank 's Chief Baseball Officer (CBO), Kenji Jojima, at the school in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, on the 28th.

CBO Shiroshima commented, "Neither his father nor Rintaro ever expected him to be selected first. It ended up being a surprise to them. However, even so, we wanted to let them know how highly we thought of Rintaro."

Regarding Rintaro, Hiroyuki Kinoshita of Nice Guy Partners, the management company for Rintaro, spoke in an interview on the 27th, saying that he will wait until the MLB draft to be held in mid-July next year before deciding on his future. CBO Jojima said, "Rintaro can lead the team for decades. We will respect his opinion on which option he chooses."

Kinoshita explained on the 27th, "I think we will wait until the major league draft to make a decision." CBO Jojima is scheduled to travel to the United States in November to greet him upon being selected, but Kinoshita said, "I've heard that according to the rules, I can accept a greeting. However, I will not accept any proposed terms. I will follow the rules. I will only accept a greeting, and then I will not meet him at all until that day comes."

NPB will confirm procedures for draft picks and contracts with MLB and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) in accordance with their respective regulations. Based on the confirmed details, Softbank can confirm the player's intentions with the approval of the Stanford University coach. However, specific negotiations and contracts are not possible due to NCAA regulations. Rintaro will be able to negotiate a contract with the team after completing his U.S. schedule. In the case of Stanford University, league games end in May. On the other hand, if the team advances in the post season tournament, the schedule may end in late June.

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