Orix Buffaloes have acquired some promising new players. In the October draft, they selected 11 players, including those in the developmental league. Five of the seven players selected for the main roster are high school students, and former team president Michio Minato (63), who will step down on the 31st, and general manager Junichi Fukura (65) both said it was an "exciting plan." WEST Hochi will be introducing newcomers from various sports under the title "Ho!t Rookies." The first installment will feature three pitcher who were selected in the top rounds of the draft, including first-round pitcher Atsuya Fujikawa (18).

Nobeoka Gakuen's Fujikawa put on the sleeves of his brand new uniform number "31" at his rookie entrance press conference on November 28, and vowed to evolve from Kyushu's No. 1 pitcher We must carry the top of this generation on our backs." The school's manager, Morimatsu, coached World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers), an alumnus of the team, when he was a student at Miyakonojo High School in Miyazaki, Miyagi Prefecture. He dreamed of "becoming the best ERA, the most wins, and the Sawamura Award winner pitcher" so as not to be outdone by his "fellow" seniors.

When he was in junior high school playing for the Young Hokuto Baseball Club, he observed Orix Buffaloes the Miyazaki camp. I was impressed with the strength of all the players' pitches and how great they were. Shumpeita Yamashita pitcher（I was really impressed by the 161-kilogram right-hander, who also hailed from Fukuoka. In high school, he used videos of Yamashita's days at Fukuoka Ohori as teaching material, and he himself grew into a 153-kilogram right-hander. When he decided to join the team, he said, "His straight ball is great, but the strength of his curveball is amazing. I want to hear that drop-off." He immediately volunteered to be his apprentice.

As a child, he was a passionate fan of his local team, Softbank Hawks. He would visit their home stadium, Mizuho PayPay Dome, several times a year to cheer them on. Now, he is intensely aware of them as a rival team in the same Pacific League. "fielder are especially amazing, really. But I have no choice but to do my best." When asked which player he would like to face, he named his idol, Yanagita. "I'm confident!" he declared, expressing his determination to go head-to-head against the star hitter.

"I've always thought about becoming a professional baseball player and acted accordingly." After the draft, he reported his success in front of his father Shinichi's altar, who passed away when he was in fourth grade. "I want to become a player that my mother can be proud of," he promised, promising to repay his mother Nanae for everything she's done for him. "My strength is the power of my fastball. I want to make a living in the professional baseball world." The 18-year-old, who holds limitless potential, has taken a big first step. (Shunta Nanbu)

◆Atsuya Fujikawa: Born October 23, 2007, in Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Age 18. He started playing baseball seriously in the 4th grade of Honami Higashi Elementary School with the Honami Blue Sky softball team, and played for the Young Kitakyushu Baseball Club in Honami Higashi Junior High School. He was on the bench from the fall of his first year at Nobeoka Gakuen. He has never played in Koshien tournament. His breaking breaking ball include a curveball, slider, fork, and change-up. His favorite word is "persistence".

◆Hankyu (Orix Buffaloes) pitcher at least three high school pitchers.

[66th year 1st]

<1> Takashi Mizutani (Mie)

<2> Toshiaki Nagare (Ogura Commercial)

<3> Yoshiaki Saito (Kanuma Agricultural and Commercial High School)

<4> Toshio Hoya (Nihon University First High School)

<5> Shizuo Tashiro (Kyushu Institute of Technology)

[73 years]

<1> Takashi Egawa (Sakushin Academy)

<2> Koji Yamashita (Kumamoto 2)

<3> Akira Ikeda (Akita Commercial High School)

High school student in 2006]

<1> Daisuke Nobue (Setouchi)

<3> Manabu Umemura (Mie)

<4> Takuma Nito (Shimada Commercial High School)

*Tashiro and Egawa refused to join the team. In 2006, the draft was divided into separate rounds, not by standings. There were no second-round picks by Orix Buffaloes, who used the preferential draft system (reverse nomination) for college and corporate league players.

Major high school graduates' draft years

▽In 1981, Hiroki Makihara (Obu), The Giants first-round draft pick, achieved the only perfect game of the Heisei era in 1994 and recorded a total of 159 wins. Yoshiaki Yoshimura (PL Gakuen), the third-round pick, hit 30 Home Run in 1987. Shinichi Murata (Takigawa), the fifth-round pick, played in a total of 1134 games and supported the team as the starting catcher.

▽In 2010, Koudai Senga (Gamagori), the fourth-round draft pick for Softbank Hawks developmental league, has a total of 87 wins in NPB. In 2020, he won the triple crown for most wins, best ERA, and most strike out. He has been playing for the Mets since 2023. Taisei Makihara (Johoku), the fifth-round pick, won the hitter title this season. Takuya Kai (Yoshikan), the sixth-round pick, has been selected to the Best Nine three times and won the Golden Glove Award seven times. He joined The Giants this season.

▽In 2011, Nippon-Ham 2nd pick, Go Matsumoto (Teikyo), hitter the batting title in 2022. He moved to The Giants as a free agent. 4th pick, Kensuke Kondo (Yokohama), was selected to the Best Nine five times. In 2023, after moving to Softbank Hawks, he won the Triple Crown Home Run, RBI, and highest on-base percentage. In 2024, hitter the batting title and the highest on-base percentage, earning him the MVP award. 6th pick, Naoyuki Uwasawa (Senshu Matsudo), has recorded 12 wins with Softbank Hawks this season, and has achieved double-digit win three times, bringing his career total to 82 wins.