On the 17th, the Softbank Hawks held a scouting meeting in Fukuoka City. Leading up to the draft on the 22nd, meetings have been held almost daily recently. They are confirming the latest status of players on their list, and CBO Kenji Johjima explained, 'We haven't finished checking things like the injury status of players being monitored by scouts in various regions. The meetings will continue from the 18th onwards.'

Regarding the first-round pick, he said, "It hasn't been decided yet. It will probably be right before the draft." He declared that if there is a conflict, "I will be the one to draw the lot." Last year, in a competition with DeNA, they won the negotiating rights for infielder Rintaro Sasaki (currently with the Marlins).