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

The Rakuten Eagles conducted a post-draft visit to Aoyama Gakuin University catcher Kai Watanabe (4th year, Chiben Wakayama), who was selected as their first-round pick. After a competitive bid with Chunichi, the Rakuten Eagles secured the negotiating rights. Manager Yoshii and GM Ishii visited the Aoyama campus in Tokyo to speak with Watanabe.

Watanabe is the number one university catcher with a strong arm and powerful hitting. At Chiben Wakayama, he achieved a national championship in the summer of his second year, and at Aoyama Gakuin University, he secured four national titles. As a representative of Japan, he won bronze at the U-18 World Cup during his third year of high school. He also has extensive experience, serving as the starting catcher at the World College Baseball Championship (WCBC) this July. He possesses excellent leadership skills, having served as captain for both his team and the national squad.

Not only does he possess high abilities as a catcher, but he also has a solid reputation for his batting power, having been entrusted with the cleanup spot for the university national team. As a valuable 'hitting catcher,' there are high expectations for him to be an immediate asset to the team.