Seibu Sota Hamaoka pitcher of Kawawa, the fourth overall pick in the developmental draft, was in negotiations with the team at the Shin-Yokohama Prince Hotel in Yokohama on August 8, and informally accepted a 3.5 million yen deposit and a 2.8 million yen annual salary (amounts are estimates).
"There's no time to be complacent," Hamaoka said during the negotiations in a school uniform with a stand-up collar. "There's only a few days left until the rookie joint voluntary training in January, so the time to grow is simply getting shorter. So, rather than just thinking about today, I have to work hard in preparation for next year's opening and season, just as I did before I was drafted," he said, his innocent face still covered in acne tightening as he stated his goals in a strong tone.
True to his word, he is making the most of each and every day. He continues to catch balls and handling bunts, which he says "are areas I consider to be an improvement."
The left-handed pitcher, who boasts a top speed of 147 km/h, also plans to seek advice from The Lions' senior southpaw. Takeuchi, a second-year left-handed pitcher, has a mutual acquaintance and is looking forward to the opportunity, saying, "Takeuchi has good control and is using my weaknesses as a weapon, so I'd like to hear what he has to say."
At the photo shoot after the press conference, he smiled as he held the ball in a change-up grip, but of his many pitches, his specialty is cutter. Abe Masahiro, the scout in charge, first observed Hamaoka in early spring. "When I first saw him, I got the impression that he was confident in cutter and slider." When the values of breaking ball were measured during his entrance test in September, they were apparently above average even for a professional. "He's a player with a very strong desire to improve and a strong ability to keep working hard. I hope he continues to work hard," Abe said, expressing his expectations.
Kawawa is one of the top prefectural high schools in Kanagawa, producing many students accepted into the University of Tokyo, so going pro straight from high school is an unusual path. Nevertheless, the school's coach, Hirano Taichi, who has been coaching him since he enrolled, supports his student's dream, saying, "From the moment we met, he said he wanted to become a professional baseball player, so I simply wanted that to come true. He also says that if he needs college for something, he can always go, and I think so too."
In recent years, Seibu 's pitcher Mameda and Sugai, who were drafted as development players from high school, have been registered as regular players, and first-year left-hander Fuji has also shown remarkable growth. Hamaoka himself is well aware of the fierceness of the competition. "I would like to be registered as a regular player as soon as possible and contribute to Seibu 's victory or win." Wearing a The Lions cap, his expression was that of a professional baseball player. (Akimoto Masami)
◆Souta Hamaoka was born on October 10, 2007 in Yokohama. He is 18 years old. He started playing baseball with the Minami Nagatsuta Junior Giants in his third year at Nagatsuta Elementary School, and was on the baseball team at Tana Junior High School. He was on the bench at Kawawa from the summer of his first year. In the summer of his third year, he was eliminated in the fifth round. He is 176 cm tall and weighs 87 kg. He throws and bats left-handed. His hobby is hot springs. His favorite word is "effort."
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