An exciting rookie has joined Orix Buffaloes. Including development slots, 11 players were selected in the October draft. Five of the seven players under contract are high school students, and both team president Michio Minato (63) and general manager Junichi Fukura (65), who will retire on the 31st, are unanimous in saying, "This is an exciting plan." The West Hochi Buffaloes will be introducing rookies from various sports from time to time in a series titled "Ho! Rookies." The first installment will focus on three pitcher who were selected in the top spots, including first-round draft 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 pitcher the best ERA or the winner of the most wins or the Sawamura Award," 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 thought everyone's pitches were strong and great. 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 an avid fan of his hometown team, Softbank Hawks. He would visit their home stadium, Mizuho PayPay Dome, several times a year to cheer on the team. Now, he is very conscious of them as rival teams in the Pacific League. "fielder are especially amazing, really. But I have no choice but to do it." When asked who he would like to face, he named his idol, Yanagida. "I'm confident!" he declared, declaring a head-on battle with the team's star hitter.

"I've always thought about becoming a professional baseball player, and we've worked together." After the draft, he reported his achievement to his father, Shinichi, who passed away when he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, in front of the family altar. He also promised to repay his mother, Nanae, by saying, "I want to become a player that my mother can be proud of." "My strong fastball is my strong point. I want to make a solid living in the world of professional baseball." The 18-year-old, who has limitless potential, has taken his first big step. (Nambu Shunta)

◆Atsuya Fujikawa was born on October 23, 2007 in Iizuka, Fukuoka. He is 18 years old. He started playing baseball seriously with the Honami Blue Sky softball team in the fourth grade at Honami Higashi Elementary School, and played for the Young Kitakyushu Baseball Club while at Honami Higashi Junior High School. He was on the bench at Nobeoka Gakuen from the fall of his first year. He has never played in Koshien tournament. breaking ball are the curveball, slider, fork, and change-up. His favorite word is "continuity."

　

◆The top three draft picks for Hankyu (Orix Buffaloes) are high school pitcher

[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 separated, and the round was chosen instead of standings. Orix Buffaloes did not have a second round pick, using the preferred slot (reverse nomination) for university students and working professionals.

Major high school graduates' draft years

Hiroki Makihara (Obu), who was The Giants No. 1 in 1981, recorded a total of 159 wins, including the only perfect game of the Heisei era in 1994. Yoshimura Yoshiaki (PL Gakuen), who came in third, hit 30 Home Run in 1987. Shinichi Murata (Takikawa), who came in fifth, played in a total of 1,134 games and supported the team as the starting catcher.

Senga Kodai (Gamagori), ranked 4th in Softbank Hawks development team in 2010, has a total of 87 wins in the NPB. In 2020, he won the triple crown of most wins, best ERA, and most strike out. He has been playing for the Mets since 2023. Taisei Makihara (Johoku), ranked 5th, was the batting hitter this season. Kai Takuya (Yoshikan), ranked 6th, has been named to the Best Nine three times and won the Golden Glove Award seven times. He will join The Giants this season.

Go Matsumoto (Teikyo), who was second with Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2011, hitter in 2022. He transferred to The Giants as a free agent. Kensuke Kondo (Yokohama), who came in fourth, was named to the Best Nine five times. In 2023, after transferring to Softbank Hawks, he won the triple crown of Home Run, RBI, and highest on-base percentage. In 2024, he was named MVP for hitter and highest on-base percentage. Naoyuki Uwasawa (Senshu University Matsudo), who came in sixth, won 12 games this season with Softbank Hawks, including three double-digit win, giving him a total of 82 wins.

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