On the 21st, the Rakuten Eagles held a scouting meeting in Tokyo and indicated a policy to decide on their first-round pick on the day of the draft, the 22nd. General Manager Kazuhisa Ishii (53), who spoke to the press after the meeting, revealed, 'We have narrowed down the first-round pick to some extent. The final decision will be made tomorrow.'

Regarding the number of candidates for the first-round pick, he stated, "Twelve people. That's because we will be selecting one person out of those twelve." It appears that Aoyama Gakuin University's Watanabe and Taiyo Suzuki, whom GM Ishii and Manager Yoshii personally scouted on September 18th, are among those listed. The team plans to draft around six players for the main roster. "I hope we can achieve a good balance," he envisioned.

If multiple teams select the same top-priority player, a lottery will be held. Candidates to draw the lots include Manager Yoshii, GM Ishii, and Team President Morii. Manager Yoshii has lost three consecutive lotteries during his time as the Lotte manager. GM Ishii said with a wry smile, "I think it would be fine if Mr. Yoshii draws, but he keeps losing," and added that the decision will be made on the day, saying, "I hope they decide by tomorrow."