[Draft] Seibu Lions Manager Fumiya Nishiguchi: "I was nervous the whole time." Keito Kawajiri, a 158km/h right-hander from Asia University, selected as 1st pick. Last year, they announced early and landed Taiga Kojima; this year, they kept it private | Pacific League.com

[Draft] Seibu Lions manager Fumiya Nishiguchi said, "I was nervous the whole time," as the team selected Asia University's 158km/h right-hander Keito Kawajiri as their first-round pick. Last year, they announced their choice in advance and successfully landed Taiga Kojima without competition, but this year they kept their pick private.

Sports Hochi

October 22, 2026 17:36

2026 Professional baseball Draft Conference supported by Lipovitan D (22nd)

The Seibu Lions made a solo first-round pick of Hiroto Kawajiri, a right-handed pitcher from Asia University who throws a maximum of 158 kilometers per hour, and successfully acquired the negotiating rights.

Manager Fumiya Nishiguchi commented, "I'm relieved. My heart was pounding the whole time. He is a large-scale, hard-throwing pitcher. A very attractive pitcher."

Last year, they clearly stated two days in advance that they would select catcher Taiga Kojima as their first-round pick and successfully secured him without competition. This year, they decided on their first-round pick candidate by the day before, but Koji Hiroike, the Director and General Manager of the team, did not disclose it, citing it as a 'strategic matter'.

This season, the team won their first Interleague title and finished in 2nd place, entering the A-class for the first time in four years, but they lost to 3rd place Nippon-Ham in the Climax Series. The pitcher staff was led by Kaima Taira with 12 wins and Chihiro Sumida with 10 wins, who ranked 1st and 2nd in the league for ERA, and the team ERA of 2.87 was the best in the league, surpassing the champion Softbank Hawks. In the batting lineup, Shinya Hasegawa, who joined in 2020, hit 13 Home Run, setting a new record for a player drafted from the developmental system, and 2025 first-round draft pick Taiga Kojima earned a spot on the opening day roster and appeared in 99 games. Young talent is on the rise.

Seibu Lions' first-round draft picks over the past 10 years

2016 Tatsuya Imai (Sakushin Gakuin) Pitcher

2017 - Daiki Tajima (JR East) Pitcher

Hiromasa Saito (Meiji University) Pitcher

2018 Wataru Matsumoto (Nippon Sport Science University) Pitcher

2019 x Roki Sasaki (Ofunato) Pitcher

Tetsu Miyagawa (Toshiba) Pitcher

Year 2020 - Takahisa Hayakawa (Waseda University) Pitcher

Kento Watanabe (Toin University of Yokohama) Infielder

2021: Chihiro Sumida (Nishinippon Institute of Technology), Pitcher

2022 Takuya Hiruma (Waseda University) Outfielder

2023 Natsuki Takeuchi (Kokugakuin University)