On the 23rd, Softbank Hawks outfielder Ukyo Shuto (29) signed a massive five-year contract worth 2 billion yen plus performance-based pay (with variable pay from the fourth year onwards). Divided by year, his annual salary is 400 million yen, a significant increase from the 110 million yen he received in 2025. It surpasses the 300 million yen previously paid by The Giants player Kai to become the highest-paid player ever among fielder selected through the development draft.
Major players who came from development teams and made it big
Senga Kodai was drafted 4th in the 2010 development draft and joined Softbank Hawks with an annual salary of 2.7 million yen. His annual salary of 600 million yen in 2022 is the highest ever for a development draft player. He has had double-digit win for seven consecutive years since 2016, and in December 2022 signed a five-year contract with the New York Mets of Major League Baseball for a total of $75 million (approximately 10.2 billion yen at the time). His current annual salary is approximately 2.2 billion yen.
Takuya Kai was drafted last in the 2010 development draft, at No. 6, and joined Softbank Hawks with an annual salary of 2.7 million yen. He contributed to the team's world championships at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In December 2024, he exercised his domestic free agent rights and transferred to The Giants for a five-year contract worth 1.5 billion yen.
Taisei Makihara, ranked fifth in the development team in 2010, joined Softbank Hawks with an annual salary of 2.7 million yen. In 2013, he became the first hitter from the development team to become the batting champion, and in 2014, the third year of his three-year contract, his annual salary increased by 50 million yen to 150 million yen.
Tetsuya Yamaguchi was selected in the first round of the 2005 development draft and joined The Giants with an annual salary of 2.4 million yen. He made 60 or more appearances for nine consecutive years from 2008, and signed a three-year contract in 2015 with an annual salary of 320 million yen.
Otake Kotaro was drafted fourth in the 2017 development draft and joined Softbank Hawks with an annual salary of 4 million yen. He joined Hanshin Tigers in the first active player draft in 2022. He recorded nine or more wins for three consecutive years, and in 2026 his annual salary increased by 40 million yen to 130 million yen. He is the second active player drafted to break the 100 million yen mark, following Chunichi 's Hosokawa.
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