Chiba Lotte Marines finished 5th in the league, moving up one spot in the standings from last season. As they aim for a top-three finish for the first time in three years next season, the draft meeting to welcome new talent is approaching.

What kind of 2026 season did the players nominated last autumn have? This time, we look back on the current season of seven Chiba Lotte Marines rookies who made their first-team debuts.

High school first-round draft pick Genki Ishigaki made his debut as a reliever in September, while Kaito Mori, who served as the rookie opening day pitcher, made 17 starts.

After competing with Orix Buffaloes, he joined the Chiba Lotte Marines as the first pick in the draft, Genki Ishigaki pitcher. He appeared in 18 games mainly as a reliever in the farm league, and on September 17 against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, he made his professional debut and first start as mound.

In the first inning, he got off the leadoff pitcher Daisuke Nakashima on an outside fastball to fly out to left, but gave Rui Muneyama a Walk to the following pitcher. However, he took McCuscar's first professional struck out, and catcher and Toshiya Sato stopped stolen base from first base runner Muneyama, resulting in a double play. As a result, the three of them closer and retired their first professional mound with a smile.

His second appearance was on September 23 against Orix Buffaloes. He came in as the third pitcher in the top of the ninth inning with the team trailing by one run, allowing Walk to leadoff player Ryoto Kita, but then got Ryo Ota out to fly to right, and got Yutaro Sugimoto and Yuma Mune Mune to swing and miss both in a row, struck out. There is high anticipation for the 19-year-old right-hander, who made his first-team debut in his first year out of high school.

​Kaito Mori pitcher, who joined the team as the second pick in the draft from Meiji University, played the crucial role of opening pitcher for rookies for the first time in the team's 76-year history. In the first inning, despite giving up hit with one out, he closer runs without a single pitch, and retired all three batters in order in the top of the second. In the third and fourth innings, he carried runner in scoring position but closed the crucial moments, and in the top of the fifth, he retired all three batters in order with 10 pitches. He pitched 70 pitches in the fifth inning, throwing 4 hit 1 Walk no runs and earning his first professional win.

In his fifth start on May 3 against Saitama Seibu Lions, he threw a career-high 103 pitches, pitching 7 innings with 6 hit, 1 Walk, and no runs. Thanks to heavy support from teammates (12 hit 10 runs), he earned his second win.

From August onward, his runs started prominently, and although he finished the season with a 3-6 record and a ERA of 5.27, he steadily gained experience from his rookie year with 17 starts, tied for third on the team.

High school draft 4th round rookie Yuya Sakurai has shown his talent in the farm team since the opening. In May, he recorded a .316 batting average and 13 RBI in 19 games, winning the "SMBC Trust Bank Farm Monthly MVP Award." Although he earned his first professional promotion on May 31, his first professional at-bat as a pinch hitter ended in a swinging struck out. After that, he continued to play in the farm team, finishing with a .245 batting average, 6 Home Run, and 43 RBI in 102 games.

Then on October 2, he made his first professional starting line-up appearance as the "No. 8 third baseman," and in the bottom of the 7th inning, he hit his joyful first professional hit off Fukuoka Softbank starting pitcher Yugo Maeda. Keep an eye on this young slugger and future core player candidate next season.

The player who made his professional debut late in the season was the 5th draft pick, pitcher Hayato Fuji. On October 3rd, in a game against Fukuoka Softbank, pitcher Fuji took the mound as the fifth reliever in the top of the 6th inning with the team trailing by one run. Facing a powerful cleanup crew of Kensuke Kondo, Ryoya Kurihara, and Yuki Yanagita, he retired all three batters in order. He recorded his first professional strike out against Yanagita. Additionally, his younger brother, pitcher Yamato Fuji, who plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions, also made his first-team debut this season. We look forward to seeing a pitching duel between the "Fuji brothers."

​Ryoju Okamura, who joined the team as the 6th draft pick, was promoted to the first team on October 4th and made his first professional starting line-up appearance as the "No. 8 catcher" in the game against Saitama Seibu Lions on the 5th. In that first at-bat, he took a full swing at the first pitch from the opponent's starting pitcher Kona Takahashi and recorded his first hit.

Draft 7th pick, pitcher Taisei appeared twice as a reliever this season. His professional debut was on July 11th against the Orix Buffaloes. In the top of the 9th inning trailing by 4 points, he gave up a doble to the lead-off batter Ryoto Kita, and with 2 outs and a runner on 3rd, he allowed two consecutive RBI hits, resulting in a bittersweet debut. However, in the regular season finale on October 6th against the Saitama Seibu Lions, he pitched 1 inning and retired three batters in order, showcasing an excellent pitch.

Finally, there was Yoshihide Takahashi pitcher, who joined the team as the second pick in the developmental draft. In the farm league, he threw 20 inning in 17 games with a earned runs 0 record, earning a registered roster the day before the deadline, and made his professional debut on August 7 against Orix Buffaloes. Although he gave Walk to the leadoff team, he retired the next team with double play hits and struck out swings, making his bold runs debut. Furthermore, on September 27 against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, he retired all three batters in the top of the 7th with a three-run lead, closer his first hold.