On the 21st, the day before the draft meeting, Nippon-Ham held a strategy meeting in Tokyo. After four hours of discussion, they narrowed down their acquisition list to 65 players and completed their standings. Acting GM Masao Kida (58) avoided making a public statement, saying, "We will not announce our first-round pick," but pitcher Haruki Komoda (Yamanashi Gakuin) has become a strong candidate.

As if to confirm this, Acting GM Kida revealed that he had been entrusted with the role of drawing the lot, saying, "I heard that for The Giants, Mr. Mizuno (Katsuhito Mizuno, General Manager of Scouting) would be the one. If we end up in a competition with someone—not necessarily The Giants, but anyone—I was told to 'pull it'." The Giants are also prepared for a competition as they go after Komoda, who is expected to be their first-round pick. Acting GM Kida raised his voice, saying, "This is the person the scouts decided on after watching many players and holding numerous meetings. I want him to come to us no matter what."

Regarding Oda of Yokohama, who has expressed his intention to challenge the Major Leagues, Acting GM Kida stated that he has been excluded from consideration for the draft, saying, 'Since he has made his intentions clear, as a fellow baseball player, I want Oda to do his best wherever he plays baseball in the future.'

Nippon-Ham manager Shinjo has clearly stated that he will avoid the role of drawing lots at the draft. After attending a meeting on the 21st, he said with a wry smile, "I just can't win them." Having lost out on Hanshin Tigers' Tateishi, who was their first-round pick last year, in a three-team lottery, he remarked, "I'm not drawing. Didn't I say last year that I wouldn't?" He laughed it off, saying, "Last year, I drew thinking it felt 0.01 millimeters thicker because of the stamp, but I still lost. I've had enough." He intends to entrust the task to Acting GM Kida and watch from the sidelines.