Saitama Seibu Lions, who made a great leap from 5th place last season and hosted the "Persol CS Pa" at their home stadium for the first time in 7 years. Although they unfortunately lost in the first baseman stage, the "2026 Professional baseball Draft Conference supported by Lipovitan D" to be held on October 22nd is approaching for further team strengthening.

How did the "rookies" nominated in the 2025 draft conference spend their first season? We pick up 5 players who supported the rapid progress, including Taiga Kojima and pitcher Hakua Iwaki. Looking back on this season's performance along with videos.

Taiga Kojima records his first professional hit against a Meiji University classmate, while Hakua Iwaki is named the opening day closer.

Kojima, the first university catcher to be selected as a first-round pick by the team in 24 years, made his first start as the "No. 9 catcher" in the opening game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on March 27. In his matchup against his Meiji University classmate, pitcher Kaito Mori, he skillfully caught a low breaking ball in his first at-bat and hit a persistent hit that broke through between first and second base.

Kojima, who recorded his first professional hit in his debut game, maintained that momentum and hit his first professional Home Run, which was the team's first of the season, in the game against the Orix Buffaloes on the 31st of the same month. In his first game at the home stadium, the first Home Run by a rookie among the 12 teams was launched, leaving a strong impact from the start of the season.

In May, appearing in 13 games, he showed high adaptability in the professional world with a monthly batting average of .318. From the summer onwards, his batted balls began to gain more loft, and in the July 12th game against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, he hit a grand slam, the first by a team rookie in 20 years since Ginjiro Sumitani. In August, he also launched four Home Run in a month, including Home Run in two consecutive games.

He continued to show his presence even in the final stages of the season, and in the September 6th game against Fukuoka Softbank, he performed well with four hit in one game, including his 9th Home Run, a three-run shot. In the nine games where he hit a Home Run, the team remained undefeated, and he demonstrated his clutch hitting as four of those became the winning runs. In the "Persol CS Pa" first baseman stage, he was used in the starting line-up for all three games. While Yuto Koga, who has national team experience, was available, he increased his opportunities to play.

In his first professional year, he completed the full season with the first team. He recorded 99 games, a .267 batting average (341 At Bat, 91 hit), 9 Home Run, and 40 RBI, and received the "2026 Professional baseball Best Battery Award" established by Sports Nippon Newspapers along with pitcher Kaima Taira. He was also selected for the "Raxus Asia Professional baseball Championship 2026" to be held from November 12. On the other hand, his league-lowest stolen base prevention rate of .208 and the league's second-highest number of passed balls at 5 show plenty of room for growth. Expectations are high for further improvement in the future.

Pitcher Iwaki, who joined from Chuo University as the second draft pick, appeared in 6 exhibition games and showcased no-hit, no-runs pitch performances. After seizing the closer's spot from the opening, he made his professional debut in the Orix Buffaloes game on March 31. In the top of the 9th inning with a two-run lead, he faced a crisis with two outs and runners on first and second, but ultimately struck out Ryoma Nishikawa looking. He became the 7th player in NPB history to record a save in his professional debut.

After that, pitcher Iwaki fulfilled his major role with pitch that shut down key moments. In the game against the Rakuten Eagles on May 8th, he became the 7th rookie in Pacific League history to reach 10 saves. Reaching double-digit saves in his 13th appearance since the season opener was the fastest ever for a Pacific League rookie.

By the June 4 game against Hanshin Tigers, he had accumulated 18 saves, and on June 9 against Hiroshima, he showcased a pitch that energized the momentum in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the inning, Shinya Hasegawa hit a walk-off timely hit, marking his first professional win.

In the 'Mynavi All-Star Game 2026,' he made his debut as a selected manager. In Game 2 at Toyama Municipal Stadium, he returned home to the mound in the top of the ninth inning. He was the only rookie selected by the 12 teams, but closer runs with a commanding pitch. In his rookie season, he played 31 games, recorded 2 wins and 1 loss, 18 saves, 2 hold, and a 3.52 ERA average. Can he support bullpen throughout next season?

​Shun Akiyama, who was also selected for the Japan university national team, joined the team in the third round of the draft from Chukyo University. On April 11, his second game in appearance, he earned his long-awaited first professional hit in a match against Chiba Lotte Marines. On the podium, he left a strong comment: "I want to do my best to spread the name of the 'Third Akiyama.'"

​Keita Horikoshi pitcher, a 4th-round draft pick from Hannō City, Saitama Prefecture, lost 1 runs in his debut game but recorded a top speed of 156 km/h. He threw 1 inning, showing glimpses of great potential. Additionally, Sowa Yokota, the 5th pick in the draft, batted .310 and ranked hitter first in the farm central division. He was the only player in the entire farm team to hit .300 hitter, becoming the fourth player in NPB history to lead high school rookies hitter.